Living Group Work Contracts
Group work is an essential tool for students to reinforce new knowledge and to develop an array of skills—particularly soft skills—that can best prepare them across industries. Soft skills are essential for everyone because they are needed when collaborating with others, they are essential when creating an inclusive & equitable community, and it strengthens other more technical skill sets. As educators, we use our soft skills all the time. These skills include problem-solving, emotional intelligence, communication, adaptability, mindfulness, leadership, self-motivation, time management, etc. These skills are even more valuable when considering the number of future careers turning to automation, which has not been successful in automating most soft skills. Teaching these soft skills is not an easy task. For some courses, teachers build activities that can develop soft-skills into the curriculum with group work, group projects, and open discussions among peers about contemporary hot topics. Yet, there is a simple activity that every course or department can use. Living group contracts can help develop these soft-skills, while creating a classroom environment rooted in equity, inclusion, and responsibility.
What is a Living Group Work Contract?
You
might be wondering, “What is a living group contract?” You might know it by a
different name, such as, a community agreement, academic/classroom social
contract, right and responsibilities document, and a participation agreement. It
is an agreement between all parties involved on acceptable behavior, social
etiquette, expectations, participatory roles, and on determining consequences
when deliverables are not met. The National Equity Project defines it as “as a consensus on
what every person in [a] group needs from each other and commits to each other
in order to feel safe, supported, open, productive and trusting… so that we can
do our best work, achieve our common vision, and serve our
[students/families/constituents] well.” A living group work contract can be
used for classroom etiquette, group projects, and verbalizing boundaries. The
“living” portion means that additional rules or changes to the rules can be
discussed as the semester progresses and as needs change. The scope of these
contracts depends on the intended use. Below are a few different scenarios that
may interest you.
For Creating Classroom Community and Equity in Discussions
A syllabus and student handbook should cover many of the hard and fast rules that your academic program requires. However, there are items beyond what a syllabus or handbook cover that should be discussed among all classroom participants. These missing items can include defining the intrinsic value of a course to a student, creating a sense of belonging in class, and best interpersonal practices during triggering or difficult topics. A living group contract can help students and instructors determine their academic and interpersonal interactions. This also gives a chance for students to advocate their essentials to help create a positive and inclusive learning environment. Their requests can range from emotional support to logistics. Students will appreciate feeling heard as it creates an equitable environment for all of them to engage.
- A 5-minute grace period for attendance during inclement weather.
- Patience and empathy with discussions on triggering or sensitive subject material.
- Respectfully not speaking over others and patiently waiting to contribute during class.
- Requesting for lectures to be recorded.
- Flexible rules on using technology in the classroom.
For Establishing Aspirations and Roles with
Group Work
For group work, this is an opportunity to empower both individuals and the collective by creating awareness of expectations and responsibilities. This is a feasible way to reframe the idea of a group being defined by rules into a group that aspires to an idealized deliverable and working arrangement. Each student is responsible to participate, while the entire group is culpable to motivate that participation. Students should find themselves to be more empowered to speak-up and advocate for their needs because they had spent the time developing this group agreement. In this scenario, the aspirations dictate the rules rather than the rules dictating the aspiration. For example, a group may aspire to avoid a time crunch right before the deadline or for all of them to contribute equally. This would then lead to the question, “How can we achieve that?” Students would then create the agreements to support this aspiration. This change in thinking means that students are buying-in to participate as a group based on their wants instead of being dictated rules that they never had the opportunity to develop.
Establishing Professional Boundaries with
Colleagues
Living group contracts are not just for your students! Many of the valuable outcomes from creating a living group work contract or a community agreement can be used towards faculty meetings and committees. Together, you and your colleagues can recognize that collectively you have a vast amount of expertise and want to best support your institution’s mission. This can be particularly important by ensuring that junior faculty, visiting lecturers, and adjunct faculty have the space to voice their unique insights, while respecting the experience of more senior faculty. They are also a great way to make meetings more equitable for faculty of underrepresented groups.
How to Implement a Living Group Work Contract
Before implementing a living group work contract, decide whether you are using one for the classroom environment, a specific project, or a committee. Once you know with whom you intend to develop a living group contract, remember to keep an open mind and be conscientious with your communication. Now, you can begin the process through these suggested steps:
- Frame the conversation for collective needs and commitments.
- Categorize the brainstorming into 3 categories: agreements for aspirations, norms for behavior, and rules for enforceable boundaries.
- Engage with everyone either verbally or through individual written lists.
- Mindfully listen with an open-mind, while respecting diversity.
- Provide a space of confidentiality that refrains from giving unsolicited advice.
- Create a living document that can be checked and reevaluated by the group incrementally over the semester or academic year.
In Conclusion
Living group contracts are a necessary step towards practicing equity in our classrooms and departments. They are the means to create a collective vision for students and faculty to strive in creating an inclusive classroom where everyone has the ability to contribute. If you are interested in implementing a living group work contract, let us know and reach-out to schedule a one-on-one consultation here at the Center for Faculty Excellence!
Dayton L. Kinney, Ph.D.
Coordinator
of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence
Center
for Faculty Excellence (CFE)
Texas Woman’s University
Stoddard Hall – Room 305A
940.898.3427
dkinney@twu.edu
Reference List
“Developing
Class Participation Agreements.” UMASS Amherst
Center for Teaching & Learning. https://www.umass.edu/ctl/sites/default/files/Handout-Developing%20Class%20Participation%20Agreements.pdf
.
“Developing
Community Agreements.” National Equity
Project. https://www.nationalequityproject.org/tools/developing-community-agreements.
Huang,
Li-Shih. “Students Riding on Coattails during Group Work? Five Simple Ideas to
Try.” Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/students-riding-coattails-group-work-five-simple-ideas-try/
“Making
Group Contracts.” University of Waterloo Centre
For Teaching Excellence. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/developing-assignments/group-work/making-group-contracts.
Studio Be.
“Community Agreements: Making Meetings Less Stressful.” Studio Be Mindfulness. https://www.studiobemindfulness.com/blog/community-agreements/.
