How to become a superstar student, Part 3

Last week we looked at Michael Geisen’s comments on developing effective habits in the classroom. This week, this National Teacher of the Year in 2008 gives us some real life ideas about working cooperatively in groups.

Since you are in school, how do you go about making a group’s effort effective? Good question. Geisen stresses a few points that all of us, teenagers and adults alike, can take to heart.

First, since we all come to a team with our weaknesses and strengths, we need to value each person for what he brings to the table and put the group’s needs ahead of any one person on the team. In the adult world, ideal teams rarely exist – someone on the team is a slackard, someone a whiner, someone a go-getter. You know this – you see this even at school. But since you are the superstar student, it is up to you to make a team work – you have to lead.

How do you lead? Use each member’s strengths, divide a big job into smaller ones and assign the jobs to the correct teammates. Make sure the group understands that they are working for the group, not for you or themselves.

Geisen notes that there are 4 types of “intelligence” in a group – factual, analytical, practical, and creative. Factual people make sure everything is covered; analytical students are good at getting to the heart of the problem; practical learners get things done and can organize everything to get the work done; and the creative folks have that ability to approach the problem from a unique and exciting point of view no one else in the group recognizes.

Having at least one student with each intelligence type will allow you as leader to assign the right job to the right person, giving the group what is called “group intelligence.” That is, the group ends up knowing more than any one individual would on her own. Such a group working together will insure that all succeed on the project.

What do you do when a problem or disagreement arises? Communicate effectively. Talk to the person by name, start with a compliment [“You did a great job on X, but I’m a little worried about Y.”], be respectful, and remember you are a leader, not a controller. When the group works toward compromise, it is better than everyone losing. Usually, a group can find a win-win for everyone.

How do you reach a compromise? A good way to do that is through weighted voting. Each group member ranks his/her favorite option as 1, second favorite as 2, etc. The option with the lowest score wins. This way, everyone gets to vote, and the group makes the decision. Working cooperatively in a group is as much about good communications as it is about getting a job done.