Course:PSYC208TM/Common Difficulties

When a professor believes that the best way to learn the material requires collaborative teamwork, some students may react negatively. Some students look forward to opportunities to learn collaboratively, but others may have the perception that they will have to do all the work, that no one will cooperate and that other members will bring their marks down. These challenges sometimes arise in collaborative work, but many are preventable and can be dealt with – both of which are part of the collaborative learning experience. The following are some problems that students encounter when it comes to working in a team. Trying to use the strategies suggested below may help team members solve or prevent these common problems.

The following are some problems students (and professionals in many careers) can encounter when working as a team.

Struggling: not being able to move forward

Suggestion: When you are struggling with your project, try communicating with your team the problems you are having

Example: I understand that this is what I am suppose to do; however I don’t understand… and I can’t seem to … What should I do in order to continue with this project?

Equal Participation

Suggestion: If you notice that some members are not participating in a discussion or offering ideas, try to get them involved.

Example: Do you have any opinions with this idea? How do you think we can improve or add to what we just suggested?

Suggestion: If you find that you still cannot get certain members in your team to participate suggest that everyone must provide an idea. This can be done during an in-person meeting or can be done via a discussion board. Suggest that everyone must provide an idea or opinion on the project by a certain deadline. Then, discuss all ideas when you meet (in-person or online). If there is still unequal participation, let your teaching assistants or instructor know so they can remind the class that team members will evaluate each other’s participation at the end of the assignment.

Moving away from the task

Suggestion: You may encounter instances where your team directs their attention elsewhere and is not focusing on the project and the topics discussed are beginning to not relate to the assignment specifications. Try to speak up or let your group leader know and try to get the group to relate back to what you are suppose to discuss about.

Example: Why don’t we go back to what we were discussing about before and try to acknowledge what we were trying to do? Is the topic that we have chosen causing us to be distracted too easily?