Glenda Landon

Curriculum Final
CCE 571
PART 1 PURPOSE AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

How to Succeed in Group Work!

Have you ever been frustrated with group projects assigned for
classes or work? When you hear the words, group project do you
groan inside? Here is an opportunity for you to learn skills and actions
you can take to create a successful work group. Some of the most
important ingredients to a successful work group are:

Making the goal of the group clear Its hard to map out a trip if
you dont know where youre going!

Everyone in the group is equally important We all want to feel

importantand we are!

Everyone has something unique to bring to the group Many

hands and ideas make group work light!

How to inspire everyone to do their best work Sometimes

others just need someone to encourage them.
Making sure everyones work is recognized and appreciated
Giving recognition and genuine appreciation is like giving a gift!
Instilling a sense of pride in the groups finished product Pride
in a great finished product is bound to happen when everyone
contributes their unique piece to the project.
When a group comes together to accomplish a common goal
there is potential for great success or dismal failureand everything in
between. There are many challenges that come with group work. So
many voices to be heard and so much to be done! However, if you
know what difficulties you can expect in group work, and if you know
how to navigate through those difficulties, you are on the road to a
successful group product.
Most people want to be proud of the work they do, whether it is
on the job, in the classroom or in the home. Learning the skills to
structure a working group for great success is what this workshop will
help you do. You wont want to miss the opportunity to learn these
valuable skills that you can take into any group work setting.
How to Succeed in Group Work! is part of the College Success
Skills class being offered at our community college. This class is

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designed with the new college student in mind. In this class you will
learn the skills researchers have identified that successful college
students practice. In addition to the group work training, you will learn
the best study practices, the best test taking strategies, the best
things to do in class to succeed, how to take effective notes, learn time
management skills and much more!

Rationale
The purpose of this training was derived from the needs
assessment conducted with college students and college instructors
about the lack of addressing how to have successful group work. The
goal of the training is to teach students skills and develop abilities to
be a member of a successful working group. Ragan and Smith (p. 77)
say that learning goals need to clearly state what learners should be
able to do at the conclusion of the instruction.
The learning outcomes for this training will be for students to be
able to use intellectual skills to apply what they have learned, to
instances not encountered during instruction. (Ragan & Smith, 2005)
The learners will be able to take what they have learned and apply the
knowledge to class groups, work groups, volunteer groups and any
other type of group work setting.

Glenda Landon
Curriculum Final
CCE 571

PART 2 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

How to Succeed in Group Work!
This training is presented as a section of the CSS 100, College
Success Skills class. Principles and skills for development of high
performance teamwork based on Ken Blanchards The One Minute
Manager, Builds High Performing Teams. Begins with the basics of what
a team is by understanding roles and dynamics of teamwork. Students
will learn step-by-step skills on how to perform and participate in a
successful team. Emphasis will be placed on applying principles to
working in college class student teams/groups.
Prerequisites for this course: Desire to be a great team member!
Requirements: Enrollment in CSS 100, College Success Skills
Credits: 4
Grade Mode: Letter
Rationale
The group/team work training that will be done for the CSS 100,
College Success Skills class, is an important foundational skill for
students who are starting their college education experience.
Group/team work is a common practice that instructors use in college
courses at all levels of higher education. Students learning these skills
on the ground level will be prepared to function effectively and
successfully in group/team work settings.
The learning objectives for this training are as follows:
1. Students will be able to identify what kind of information a newly
formed teams need. They will be able to create an agreement
plan for assigning tasks.

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2. Students will be able to recognize dissatisfaction and
demonstrate skills to resolve conflicts.
3. Students will be able to identify and practice positive team
behavior.
4. Students will be able to identify and measure progress on tasks.
5. Students will be able to identify and demonstrate respectful
group behavior
6. Students will be able to identify and demonstrate how to
encourage and acknowledge accomplishments.
Objectives 1, 2 and 4 use intellectual skills as the strategy. In
objective 1, students use concepts to be able to identify what a group
needs to know in order to reach their goal. Smith and Ragan (p. 80,
2005) talk about how concepts help learners determine how to put
things into groups and classify them. Objective 2 uses problem solving
skill that will help students learn how to listen to what others are
communicating and if those communications are dissatisfied how to
neutralize them. Objective 4 uses principles in the form of if-then. If the
group has moved forward in any of the steps toward their goal,
students will then be able to identify those accomplishments and
assess what more needs to be accomplished to meet the goal.
Objectives 3 and 5 are related to attitude as described in Smith &
Ragan. (p. 83, 2005) In both of these objectives students will learn how
to challenge attitudes about using thoughtful and positive language.
The sequencing structure used is the utilization-related structure.
The different stages are grouped together in the way that students will
apply the information and skills they learn. The curriculum begins with
the topics that are needed first to establish foundational
understanding. The concepts continue to build on one another as they
follow the linear process Blanchard says teams move through to
accomplish a set goal. Even though the process is linear, there is a
movement back and forth between stages as conflicts are encountered
and resolutions are devised. (Ragan & Smith, p. 287, 2005)

PART 3 LESSON OUTLINE

Glenda Landon
Curriculum Final
CCE 571

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How to Succeed in Group Work!

(Total time: 1 hour and 15-25 minutes)

Icebreaker Activity (15 minutes):
Supplies needed for this activity are: 4 six-piece childrens jigsaw
puzzles, paper and pencils.
This instructional activity uses simple puzzles to demonstrate
teamwork and introduces the essential characteristics of an effective
team. When students arrive, they will be given an envelope with a
puzzle piece sealed inside. When the instructor starts the session, she
will first introduce herself and welcome the students. Students will then
be told to open their envelopes and take a look at their puzzle pieces.
They will also be told to look at the reverse side of the puzzle piece and
write down that word they find on a piece of paper. Students will then
be told to stand up and begin to mingle and look at one anothers
puzzle pieces to find their matching pieces. They will be asked to
introduce themselves by first name as they begin talking with another.
Once they have found others with matching puzzle pieces, they should
go to a table and put their puzzles together.
As the students begin to move around the room and introducing
themselves to one another, they will also begin sharing information,
make observations and predictions of what their puzzle pictures will
look like. They will also begin to identify as a group as they match their
puzzle pieces with one another.
When the puzzles are all worked, students will be asked to return
to their seats. They will then be asked to look at the word they wrote
down previously from the back of their puzzle piece. They will be asked
to reflect for a minute or two and then write down 2-3 sentences on
how that word relates to the activity they just participated in. The
words on the puzzle pieces were specifically chosen from Blanchards
(2009) book. This is a way to introduce the vocabulary of the
teamwork-training class. One of these 20 words was written on the
back of each puzzle piece:
Effective
Communication
Goals
Optimal Performance
Challenge
Involvement

Purpose
Recognition
Flexibility
Empowerment
Strategy
Creativity

Values
Morale
Relationships
Appreciation
Support
Results

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Curriculum Final
CCE 571
Problem-Solving

6
Fun

Next the instructor will ask for volunteers to share their word
and something they wrote about it. The words will be written on the
white board as participants speak about them. Finally, the instructor
will talk about the behavior she observed as they mingled, shared
information, made observations and predictions and gravitated to their
puzzle group. (communication going on, working toward common
goals, having fun, etc.) (Smith & Ragan, p. 131, 2005)
Now the instructor will introduce the lesson and the two learning
objectives.
Lesson 1 How to identify a teams needs and how to draft an
agreement plan
Learning objectives:
1.) Learners will be able to list the needs of a team by utilizing the
model outlined in The One Minute Manager, Builds High
Performing Teams. (S&R, pg. 98, 2005)
2.) Learners will be able to demonstrate how to draft an agreement
plan for the team to accomplish their objective by using the
model outlined in The One Minute Manager, Builds High
Performing Teams. (Smith & Ragan, p. 98, 2005)
The instructor will open the session by telling the students they
will be learning the first of five stages to becoming a highly successful
team. Stage one has two objectives that will be applied to a
hypothetical project assignment. The instructor will tell these students
their teams will be made up of the same students who had puzzle
pieces from the same puzzle. (5 minutes)
Segment for Learning Objective 1 (20 minutes):
Students will be given a hypothetical scenario of a group of
students in a Microsoft Word class who have been assigned a project to
design a travel brochure to a destination of their choosing. (Smith &
Ragan, p. 230, 2005) This is the groups assignment:
Travel Brochure: Using Microsoft Word your group will
create a comprehensive travel brochure for a travel destination
of your choice. The brochure will include information such as
what the destination looks like and where it is located, what
recreational activities there are available for guests to enjoy, a
list of items a traveler would need to bring with them, how a

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traveler can get to this destination, and what different kinds of
travel packages are offered. Your group is assigned to create a
visually appealing, color brochure that will entice customers to
go to this travel destination while including all of the important
information and limiting it to a two-sided, tri-fold brochure.
The instructor will have the groups take 5 minutes to choose a
travel destination for their project. (5 minutes) Then she will hand out a
checklist for the next activity. The checklist is at the end of this
document and identified as Checklist #1.
Students will sit together in their groups for this activity. Each
student will be given a checklist of the following items to identify the
needs for the team to successfully complete the project. The instructor
will lead the class in answering each question by explaining what each
question means and examples of answers that may be appropriate.
She will pause after each question for students to answer the questions
as a group and fill in the agreed upon answers on their individual
checklists. The checklist will include (notes to instructor are in Italics):

Clearly state the purpose of the team

o Design a travel brochure in Microsoft Word
o Decide the travel destination for the brochure
Make clear agreements on goals, roles and how the work is to
get done
o Design a brochure that includes all assigned requirements
Share knowledge about one anothers strengths or talents in
order to draw on best strengths of team members
o Some may be skilled with Photoshop for brochure photos,
others may be skilled with drafting the layout of a brochure
Determine who will be team leader and who will take which
sections of the brochure to work on
Establish how group will communicate and who will make
decisions; also group must agree on how to be accountable to
one another
o Emails? Texts?
o Weekly check-ins before or after class?
Establish resources on where information can be obtained on
travel destination
o Google, National Geographic, Travel Agencies

Using the checklist questions, the instructor will now ask for one
person from each group to share their groups answer. Any questions

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Curriculum Final
CCE 571
that were not clear will be reviewed and further explained so that all
answers are clear to each group member. (5-10 minutes)

For the next segment, the instructor will hand a large piece of
poster paper and markers to each group for brainstorming answers to
Checklist #2 (attached at the end of this document).
Segment for Learning Objective 2 (20 minutes):
Students will be given a checklist of the following items to
identify the components for drafting an agreement plan for team tasks.
The students will work in groups with large poster paper to write down
their answers. The checklist will include (notes to instructor are in
Italics):

Write out a statement of your groups purpose and what the end
product will look like.
Write out what grade the group hopes to receive on the project.
Write out what each person commits to doing individually to
make the project successful.
Write out three consequences for group members who do not do
their assigned tasks on time or dont show up for check-ins.
Write out a timeline for tasks to be accomplished.
o From start date to due date. Accountability check-ins
should be included too.
Write out needs of any group members in order for them to do
their specific tasks and possible resolutions.
o A student may not have Microsoft on their home computer.

Each group will choose one student to write out a statement of

all of the above answers on a sheet of paper. All students in the group
will be asked to sign the agreement. The agreement will be turned in to
the instructor. (Smith & Ragan, p. 221, 2005)
Rationale
The icebreaker is designed to not only allow students a means of
getting to know one another but to also be introduced to the concepts
of team building. This activity will gain the students attention as well
as introduce them to some of the team building vocabulary they will be
using. (Smith & Ragan, p. 131, 2005)
The learning objectives are written in such a way that the
learners will understand what they will be able to do when they

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Curriculum Final
CCE 571
complete this session. It also identifies the tools they will use to
accomplish the objectives. (Smith & Ragan, p. 98, 2005)

Both lesson activities use a simulation strategy. First, the team

has to make team decisions as to who, what and how they will design a
travel destination brochure. Second, the team has to work together to
determine guidelines and goals that they can agree on. This strategy
gives the students a real-life simulation for learning and practicing
their team building skills. (Smith & Ragan, p. 230, 2005)
Lesson segment #2 involves the strategy of solution planning. As
the team works on guidelines and goals that they can agree on, they
are searching selecting, combining and sequencing relevant knowledge
to base these on. (Smith & Ragan, p. 220, 2005)

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Curriculum Final
CCE 571

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CHECKLIST #1

Identifying Team Needs

Names of Group Members:
Travel Destination:
Clearly state the purpose of the
team
Make clear agreements on goals,
roles and how the work is to get
done
Share knowledge about one
anothers strengths or talents in
order to draw on best strengths of
team members
Determine who will be team
leader and who will take which
sections of the brochure to work
on
Establish how group will
communicate and who will make
decisions; also group must agree
on how to be accountable to one
another
Establish resources on where
information can be obtained on
travel destination

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Curriculum Final
CCE 571

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CHECKLIST #2

Components for Our Agreement Plan

Names of Group Members:
Travel Destination:
Write out a statement of your
groups purpose and what the end
product will look like.
Write out what grade the group
hopes to receive on the project.
Write out what each person
commits to doing individually to
make the project successful.
Write out three consequences for
group members who do not do
their assigned tasks on time or
dont show up for check-ins.
Write out a timeline for tasks to be
accomplished.
Write out needs of any group
members in order for them to do
their specific tasks and possible
resolutions.

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Curriculum Final
CCE 571

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References

Smith, P. L., & Ragan T. J. (2005). Instructional Design (3rd ed.).

Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Blanchard, K., Carew, D. & Parisi-Carew. (2009). The One Minute
Manager Builds High Performing Teams (3rd ed.). New York, NY:
HarperCollins Publishers.
Wang, V.C.X. (2008). Curriculum Development for Adult Learners in the
Global Community, Volume I, Strategic Approaches. Malabar, FL:
Krieger Publishing Company.