Student-Friendly Guide: Successful Teamwork!
Peter Levin

ISBN: 0335215785,
Division: Open University Press,
Price: £8.99,
Pub Date: SEP-04,

Pages: 136
Edition: 01
Format: Paperback

Availability: In Stock


Description

This lively, concise and to-the-point guide offers hints and practical sugestions to help you deal with the issues you face when working on a group project. It helps you to understand what goes on in project groups, to move forward in difficult situation, and to draw valuable lessons from the experience.

? How to share out the work

? How to transform your group into a team

? How to take decision

? How to deal with`free riders?

? How to work constructively with someone you don't like

? How to make good use of your experience when applying for jobs

A must for every student working on a group project, and especially recommended if you have been put into a group, assigned a project and left alone to get on with it!

Author Biography

  • Peter Levin
    Dr Peter Levin is an educational developer at LSE. One of his roles is that of `teamwork tutor? for students working on group projects. Prior to taking up his present position he lectured in social policy at LSE. He is author of Making Social Policy (Open University Press, 1997).

  • Table of Contents

    Contents

    Teamwork in universities. READ THIS FIRST!

    Part One: Basics and context

    What do we mean by `a team??
    The benefits of working in a team
    Teamwork skills
    Academic teamwork and the job market

    Part Two: Getting started
    Get in your groups
    Get to know one another

    Formulate your ground rules
    The value of ground rules
    Mission statements
    Communication
    Meetings
    Taking decisions

    Check out your assignment and plan your work
    The project brief
    The elements of project work
    Programmes of work: the `critical path?
    Allocating tasks

    Part Three: How are we doing?

    Progress on the project
    Progress from `group? to `team?
    Personal progress

    Part Four: Perspectives on team behaviour

    Tensions: the task, the team and the individual
    Team roles
    Management systems and team organization
    Team development: forming, storming, norming, performing ?
    The decision-making process
    Negotiation
    Cultural traits and differences
    Individual traits: `cats? and `dogs?

    Part Five: Teamwork issues and solutions

    The task: getting the work done
    Getting help from your teachers
    Sharing the work load: `social loafing?
    The `free rider? problem
    Focusing on the task
    Taking decisions: `risky shift?, `group polarization? and `groupthink?

    Personal and inter-personal issues
    The group that doesn?t storm
    Getting your multi-cultural group to `bond?
    Do teams need leaders?
    Dealing with a team member who tries to dominate
    Working constructively with someone you don?t like
    Finding your place in the team

    Part Six: Benefiting from the experience

    Getting feedback ? including appreciation
    Reflection
    Learning logs
    Reflective reports

    Applying for jobs
    Polishing up your CV
    Being interviewed
    Group tests in assessment centres

    Notes and references

    Further reading

    Background and acknowledgments



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