Monday, October 17, 2011
Group Learning Theory and Classroom Management
In order to better understand why students act the way they do at different times during the year, one must consider various group development theories. Individuals placed in new situations go through an identifiable process that can be observed in many environments from classrooms to wilderness expeditions. Understanding the dynamics of this process can be useful to educators, so as to inform instruction and classroom management practices. Depending on the time of year and individual student dispositions, teachers can tune their activities according to how well their class works together. A commonly referenced model of group development, often used in outdoor leadership settings, includes the following stages: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. Important to this model of development is the fact that it may not occur in this order and groups may even go backwards in the process (i.e., performing back to storming). Teachers may notice that in October, classroom management issues increase and school wide behavior infraction numbers begin to rise as well. It is around this time that many student groups are "storming" and are thus more comfortable with their settings and many begin to question authority. As a teacher, if you knew your students were storming, it may be useful to be transparent about this process and spend time helping students learn to collaborate effectively. Using this knowledge, educators can better meet the needs of their students and gain a more insightful understanding into how groups develop in their ability to operate efficiently and cooperatively.
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Andrew, I was very interested in that model. I'll have to watch for that in new situations. A very valuable insight. Thank you. PJ
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