About group discussions: 4 February 2021

Featured image: whiteboard from PgCert session – responses to how do you tend to behave in a group discussion?

The first part of this session included a question: How do I tend to behave in a group discussion? My answer would be that I tend to engage well, but prefer not to be in charge. I try to be aware of not getting too engaged, as I don’t want to be seen as a person who takes over. But I do feel confident enough to participate fully.

To discuss the question, we were taken into randomly assigned break out rooms of 3-4 people. Once having entered, we all turned our cameras and mics on and introduced ourselves. When answering the above question, we all seemed to have quite different responses – one person said she’s quite reserved and needs time to absorb information in her own time afterwards, another is very chatty and confident, whilst a third is very diplomatic and good at helping other voices being heard. It was a great 10 minutes – a fun and dynamic chat which felt very safe and engaging, where everyone was equally invested. It felt like our four personalities were a perfect group combination.

During the second part of the same session, we were once again brought into breakout rooms, this time to discuss responses to a text we had read. The group was slightly larger – 4-5 people. As we entered the room, only one person turned camera on. I hesitated for a second, saw other left theirs off and left mine off too – the reasons probably being a mix of following peers, the larger group, feeling I didn’t look my best and I didn’t feel feel confident in my own response to the question we needed to answer. I could also be added that at this point I was feeling hyper aware of how I participate in a group which left me reluctant to take on the role as leader – something the person(s) on camera would be likely to have to do.

I describe the above in detail because, interestingly, the atmosphere in this group was from the start completely different from the first group. Not everyone participated and those who did started conversations and attempted to contribute but it never led to any discussions, only short replies. Eventually the space got almost uncomfortable and I think in all honesty that we all breathed a sigh of relief when called back to the main room.

So what were the reasons for this large contrast in the success of the group discussion task? Relating this to the topic of PLAY (which the text read for this session – Vilhauer 2010: Understanding Art – was about), we did not start off on an equal playing field. We were following different rules; the one person who turned and kept her camera on was sharing more of herself than the rest of us (who practically stayed anonymous). We could see her but she could not see us, which is of course often the setup when teaching a class. Only this person on camera had not agreed to lead the group. She actually expressed near the end of the session that the imbalance here was making her feel uncomfortable as she was very much in the spotlight. I completely understand how she must have felt and did turn my camera on as soon as she said, wishing I had done this from the start.

Other reasons contributing to the unsuccessful group dynamic could be; the slightly larger group, not introducing ourselves and keeping the cameras off – both of these meant we didn’t know who we were speaking to which made the room feel impersonal, the different task of answering a question we were not confident about. Finally, perhaps our personalities weren’t as dynamic and we were too similar. Just like in a successful relationship, the people involved need to both meet in the middle with some similarities as well as have different strengths and personalities.

We also had a third breakout room session. Having already reflected on the previous session, I got straight in to turn my camera and mic on, and so did everyone else. It was a smaller group, and it was an easier task/topic, but I don’t think that’s the only reason why once again the group just worked. I believe that by having all of us having turned the cameras on from the start meant we all set off with same expectations – played the same rules of the game – and participated fully and equally.

My students will be starting a new unit very soon, where they will be working collaboratively. I will keep this experience in mind when guiding the students through best practice when working as part of a group. For example, by discussing keeping cameras on as well as how they work in a group and perhaps assign roles and responsibilities in accordance to strengths. Overall, setting expectations from the start should eliminate some problems later down the line and make everyone feel they are playing to the same rules.