Learning Group Agreement

How well a team functions depends on a number of things including:

• Well-defined the goals
• Commitment and composition of the group
• Authority the team is allowed
• How and why the teams are organized. Will team members work on an ongoing day-to-day basis for a
long period of time or will they convene for a short duration to accomplish a specific task?
The whole purpose of team building in education is, of course, to facilitate team learning. Team building creates
the environment to establish behaviors to be able to share different perspectives and experiences to perform
optimally on work tasks (team learning).

There are also disadvantages to working in teams. The decision-making process is usually slower than it would
be if done by an individual. There can be more negative conflict. In some cases, teams fail due to lack of the
decision-making power to implement team strategies. Many objections in working in teams in educational
settings seem to revolve around uneven workload, recognition of contribution, and grading. Some solutions
include keeping track of team discussions, having team members identify the portions of an assignment they
contributed, team-member evaluation of all other team members, and evaluation of the team as a whole.

Psychologist B. W. Tuckman identified the following five stages that teams must go through to be successful:
Forming: This is a period where the group works on team roles, responsibilities and schedules. The team is in
the process of getting to know one another. This is generally a period of non-confrontation.
Storming: During this stage, patience can begin to wear thin. Some individuals roll up their sleeves to attack
the task, while others tend to hang back in the comfort zone of Stage 1. Teams negotiate how they will work
together. Storming can be a stressful period of disorientation and reorientation.
Norming: During this stage, the group becomes established, roles are agreed on, the group task is clear and
agreed on, and the team begins working together sharing ideas and information.
Performing: Not all teams reach this stage. Teams work together effectively making decisions and
taking/changing roles as needed. The group has achieved interdependence and flexibility.
Adjourning: This is the point where the team has completed the task and disengages from the group. It is also
a time for reflection.

Group Assignment
Read at http://ncssmapchemistry.pbwiki.com a future collaborative assignment called “WebQuest: Evidence for
Atoms”.

Today, as a team exercise only, complete the following Learning Group Agreement that will help you plan
your group collaboration in completing this future assignment. Post the completed agreement as a reply to the
“Learning Group Agreement” posting in the General Discussion Board. Before submitting the final version of
the agreement, remove the instructions in red; you may also modify the structure of agreement as needed.

Prior to future collaborative assignments, you can use this Learning Group Agreement as a starting point and
modify it as needed, depending on the nature of the assignment.

Reference:
Katzenbach, J. R. and Smith, D. K. (2003). The Wisdom of Teams. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
businessballs http//www.businessballs.com website
 Learning Group Agreement Worksheet
Group Members’ Individual Contributions
This is where group members let the others in the group know their strengths and weaknesses, what they can
contribute, what they want to work on, and what they need help with. While students have a tendency to
contribute based on areas of strength, it is important as the group stays together to have students eventually take
on activities that develop their weaker skills.
Learning Group Members Names Strengths/Weaknesses Members Bring to the Group

Ground Rules
These are the basic ground rules that each group member must observe. Add more as you see fit, but do not
remove any of these.
Learning Group Ground Rules
Members are fully committed to common goal and mission
Members are mutually accountable to one another.
Members respect one another and work collaboratively
All members share in the workload
Members maintain timely communications with other members

Learning Group Goals: Project assignment goals, group process goals, quality level goals, etc.
This is where the group members will list the objectives for completing the assignment. These should be
measurable. These can include objectives to complete the assignment, level of quality, and the processes the
group will use to achieve the goals.

What are the potential barriers to reaching the goals?

The group should identify possible problems and include a plan to address those problems. What conflicts might
come up within the group or between group members during this course? How will group members handle
group conflicts?
Learning Group Goals Solutions to Potential Barriers
Work must be submitted on time.
Work must be complete.
All members must attend agreed on meeting times or
notify other members of conflicts.
All members must consider other member ideas,
opinions, and input. All members must behave in a
supportive and encouraging manner.
All members must contribute equally.
We will attempt to resolve all problems within our group
by contacting members and discussing issues.

List of tasks to be completed: Meeting schedule, attendance expectations, agenda, assignment completion, roles,
etc.
To avoid frustration and conflict, groupmembers need to establish a list of tasks to be completed with assigned
responsibilities and due dates Need to define, as appropriate, also meeting times, central place of discussion,
group members roles (note taker, facilitator, meeting scheduler, etc.), posting site and due date/time for finished
product.
List tasks to be completed Person/s responsible for completing task Due Date

Other Details Description

Meeting times and dates
Central place of discussion
Group members roles
Location of posting site for finished product
Due date and time for posting of finished product