Page 193 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: Health and Physical Education, 2015 - revised

A3. Group Dynamics and Teamwork
By the end of this course, students will:
A3.1 describe factors that affect the interaction of people within groups (e.g., presence or absence of a shared vision, group size, established norms, stages of group development, diversity of the group, skills and experiences of group members, personal biases, emotional comfort of group environment)
A3.2 describe strategies that can be used to facilitate group effectiveness (e.g., setting group norms, establishing a shared vision and goals, establishing a conflict resolution process, building consensus so that decisions are supported by most or all members of the group, using a quality review process to evaluate and improve the quality of the group’s product as it is developed, celebrating success)
Teacher prompt: “To achieve any of your goals, it is very important to understand that you must first be able to work effectively as a group. What strategies would help you to build cohesiveness within the group and then maintain your effectiveness as a group?”
Students: “Since we are from a variety of different home situations and backgrounds, we may have different expectations and experiences of how a group should function and how decisions should be made. I think we have to begin by considering what our purpose and goals are as a group so that we can move towards a shared vision. Establishing a shared vision will help to bring us together as a group, as we will then have at least one thing to unite us.” “We need to create group norms or rules about how we will work together, such as agreeing to keep all members fully involved in the group’s activities so that we each feel valued, to use respectful language to avoid unnecessary conflict, and to stay focused on the task so that we can do our best work.” “We need to set up processes for making decisions as a group and resolving any conflicts that might arise. For instance,
I think it will be more effective if all of us take part in resolving a conflict and take re- sponsibility for whatever role we played in it. This will help all of us feel safer and
more valued in the group and will give the group greater harmony and cohesion.”
A3.3 describe individual behaviours and attitudes that contribute to effective teamwork and group success (e.g., assuming roles, such as summarizer, task initiator, encourager, that enhance group co- hesion and effectiveness; demonstrating commitment to the group process by abiding by group norms and processes, taking responsibility for carrying out tasks assigned by the group, sharing knowledge and expertise, building on the ideas of others; maintaining the cohesiveness of the group by working collaboratively, appreciating differences in people, being respectful of individuals and their contribu- tions to the task)
Teacher prompt: “Conflicts sometimes occur, even in very cohesive and effective groups. Group members may have different perspectives that reflect differences in their back- grounds, and their views may diverge over time. Sometimes conflict can be beneficial and lead to better decisions – opposing views can generate deeper thinking on issues – but conflict can also result because some members become obstructive and hinder the work of the group. How can we ensure that conflict within the group remains constructive, and how can we deal with obstructive behaviour and reinforce the group’s effectiveness
and cohesion?”
Students: “For conflict to be constructive, members of the group must be willing to respect and understand views that are different from their own. Individuals must feel safe to voice what they think.” “On the other hand, behaviour that takes the form of dominating discussions, verbally attacking other group members, or distracting the group with trivial information is unproductive and needs to be addressed. Group members need to intervene and re-establish the norms and processes that the group has developed and agreed to. Using the negotiation and mediation skills that we’ve learned should help resolve these types of conflicts.”
LEADERSHIP
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Recreation and Healthy Active Living Leadership
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