Learning strategies in PBLTeam skills and

Conflict management

Lars Peter Jensen

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What is ’learning’?

Yes, it’s actually true – you can get a degree by repeating

everything the teacher says.

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Learning Environment- traditional

teachers and textbooks as main learning

resources

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Teaching = Learning ?

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Effectivity of educational formats (after Bales)

5 %

10 %

Lecture

Reading

Audiovisual

Demonstration

Discussion group

Practice

Teaching others

Averageretention

20 %

30 %

50 %

75 %

80 %

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Experience based learning

Test

Generalization

Reflection

Experience

Kolb’s learning cirkel, with the word of John Cowan’s (Cowan 1998).

Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experiences - David Kolb

Learning is a function of the activity, context, and culture in which it normally occurs, thus it is situated- Jean Lave & Etienne Wenger

How much are you aware of your learning?– Preferred method – Strength – Weaknesses

How much are you aware of the changing process of your learning?

Exercise: Close your eyes and .....

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Learning styles

Individuals’ different ways of taking in and processing information

- Richard Felder

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How do you do reading?

Some people…sometimes…

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Factors Influencing Learning Styles

Before entering the University• Native ability (IQ)• Background (past experiences)

At the University• Learning environment e.g. match between learning style and

teaching style

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Purpose of Testing Learning Style• To know about yourself - ‘in which

way a student is smart’ rather than ‘whether this student is smart or not’

• To help learners to develop learning strategies and improve their learning by balancing it.

• To work with our teaching style to match and maximize student learning

But not to • Divide people into a set category as

blood types – instead, it is just measuring height or weight along some point in life

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Different learning styles 1 Active Learners• Retain and understand

information best by doing something active

• Like discussion or applying it or explaining it to others

• ‘let’s try it out and see how it works’

• Like group work

Reflective Learners• Think about it quietly

before talk• Let’s think it through

first • Prefer working alone

quietly

How can you accommodate both learning styles in a project group and improve peer learning at the same time?

It is hard for both learning types sitting through lectures without getting to do anything physical but taking notes, particularly hard for active learners.

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Different learning styles 2

Sensing Learners • Tend to like facts• Like solving problems by

well-established methods and dislike complications and surprises

• Be patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on work

• More practical and careful• don’t like courses that have

no apparent connection to the real world

Intuitive Learners• Prefer discovering possibilities

and relationships • Like innovation and dislike

repetition• Be better at grasping new

concepts and more comfortable with abstractions and mathematical formulations

• Work faster and more imaginative

• Don’t like courses that involve a lot of memorization and routine calculation

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How can you accommodate both learning styles in a project group and improve peer learning at the same time?

Different learning styles 3

Visual LearnersRemember best

what they see - ‘Show me’

• Pictures• Diagrams• Sketches• schematics• Flow charts• plots

Verbal learners Getting more out of

words - ‘Explain it to me’

• Spoken words• Written words

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How can you accommodate both learning styles in a project group and improve peer learning at the same time?

Different learning styles 4

Sequential Learners • Gain understanding in

linear steps • Follow logical stepwise

paths in finding solutions

• Feel comfortable explaining things

Global Learners • Learning in large jumps,

absorbing materials almost randomly without seeing connections, and suddenly ‘get it’. Need big picture to function

• Solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture

• Feel difficult to explain

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How can you accommodate both learning styles in a project group and improve peer learning at the same time?

Summary

• All types of learners are needed in every profession

• All learning styles needs to be addressed and satisfied in teaching

• Now take Felders learning style test (ILS): http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html

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www.comestic.com

Break for 30 minutes

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Strong(-)

Moderate

(-)

Mild(-)

Mild(+)

Moderate

(+)

Strong(+)

Active(-)/Reflective(+)

68 137 157 84 42 5

Sensitive(-)/Intuitive(+)

38 126 154 98 53 24

Visual (-)/Verbal (+)

118 197 112 55 10 1

Sequential(-)/Global(+)

5 70 144 177 81 16

The learning styles of the 493 students divided into strong, moderate and mild preferences, AAU, 2003 (Kolmos & Holgaard 2008)

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© SLP-gruppen, Aalborg Universitet

Cooperation and Conflict- Two sides of same coin

Complementary skills

Wider perspectives

Team projectA forum for discussion and reflection

Challenges

Learning opportunities

Motivation and supports

Good teams are collections of differences and companies would like to get cross-functional teams

Domination by an individual

Using too much time

Taking one’s own purpose

Slipping into conformity and groupthink

How can a team benefit a project?

How can a team damage a project?

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How clear, relevant and realistic is your goal?

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Have you done team building excise?

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How do you conduct meetings?

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The team performance curve

High performing team

Real team

Potential team

Pseudo team

Working groupInteract with each otherShare informaiton, experiencesHelp each otherDo not share a common goal

No shared goalDo not know how to collaboratePersonal conflictNo interest in joining forcesWeak group

Try to set up clear goalsTry to collaborateTry to share workBut a long way to go…

Complementary skillsCommitted to common goals and working approachesGood social environment

Do more At the best level

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Integration•Crystallization of roles•Sub-groups•Deeper communication•We - feeling

Conflicts•Divide /rule•Alliances•Management

Maturity•Clear goals and role•Mutual respect•Clear communication of facts and feelings•Constructive criticism•Consensus

Honeymoon•“Nice” communication•Unity and generosity•Idealization

The initial phase•Uncertainty•Vague norms and roles•Power struggles

The Group Process

(Lenneer-Axelson and Thylefors 1993) 28

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Conflicts – WHAT? WHY? HOW?

• WHAT? Behaviour exhibited by one (or more) person(s) which bothers another (or other) person(s) and/or prevents them from doing something they would like to do.

• WHY? Disagreement, “bad chemistry”, fight about power, lack of respect, cultural insensitivity e.g..

• HOW? It is easy to start a conflict – but it might be hard to solve it satisfactorily!.

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How to spot a conflict

• Very loud discussion in stead of dialogue – nobody is trying to understand each other

• Very long arguing but no decisions• Goes ‘for the man’ not ’for the ball’ • Postulate in stead of reasoning• Formation of cliques• Talk about people behind their backs

REMEMBER: Deal with conflicts, the sooner the better !!!

Conflict staircase

7. Polarisation

  6. Open hostility

5. Magnifying the enemy

  4. Dialogue is given up

  3. The problem escalates

  2. Personification

1. DisagreementDevelopmentLearningCloser relations

The conflict is escalating or decreasing

Escalating language

• YOU-language• Interruptions• Indifferent• Leading questions• Reproach• Abstractions• Focus on the past• Person-oriented• See problems and

obstructions

Relaxing language• I-language• Listens• Interested• Open questions• Expressing intention• Concrete• Focus on the now and

future• Case-Oriented• View options

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Personal conflict behaviour

Goal

Relations

Important

Not important Important

Smooth things out Confronting

ForcingAvoiding

Compromising

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Personal conflict behaviour

Profile Characteristic individual behaviour

Avoidance ’drawing’

Avoid, deny, ignore, turn away.

Adjusting ’smooth things out’

Forthcoming, abandon personal goals, relations to others is more important.

Win/loose‘forcing’

Dominating, aggressive, want to win, demonstrates power.

Compromising’do compromises’

All shall gain something – there is different ways to do things, compromises.

Problem solving’confronting’

Acceptance of conflicts. Everybody's needs are legitimate and important. Respect for personal relations. Make allowances

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Preventing Conflicts

”Prevention is better than cure”

- also when it concerns conflicts in a group!!

”Remember that the sooner a conflict is identified and handled, the less dramatic it is.

Prevention of conflicts builds on mutual understanding and respect for diversity.

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Preventing Conflicts

Conflicts are best prevented by:

• Self Reflection: See the individual in your opponent and separate the person from the case

• Knowing and understanding expectations, opinions and feelings - your own as well as those of others (dialogue, I-languages)

• Agreeing on rules, roles and relations in the group, (co-operation agreement)

• Evaluating your group co-operation regularly (’hot chair’, team health profile).

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Evaluating personal relations: The ’Hot chair’

Every 2-3 weeks group members evaluate each other one at a time according to the following rules:

• The person in the ‘hot chair’ is not allowed to comment, she/he is supposed to listen to the constructive and loyal criticism of other group members

• All the others have to give positive and negative feedback e.g. Two things they like about the person’s behaviour within the group, and two things they don't like

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Evaluating personal relations: The ’Hot chair’

Feedback must: • Describe behaviour – not interpret motives• Express your own feelings directly – not indirectly• Be specific – not general• Only address issues which can be changed• Make room for change• Be non-judgmental • Only be given when asked for/agreed upon – not

uninvited• Be motivated by a wish to help others – not to hurt

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A good advices to remember !!

• Be towards others as you wish them to be towards you!!

• Try it on yourself

Take care of the conflict

• Meet the conflict - do not ignore it.• Take a look at conflict stairs - how far the conflict

has evolved.• Identify yourself with your opponent and his

situation.• Talk to each other - and not about each other.• Do not present your opinion as fact in conversation.• Put the conflict behind you.• Evaluate conflict solution after a while.

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Remember:Conflicts arises !!!It is your choice whether they shall lead to positive or negative results.It depends upon whether your mental frame is positive or negative !

What do you read here?

• OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE• OPPORTUNITY IS NOWHERE• OPPORTUNITY IS NOW HERE

Dr. Adizes on Leadership

• Hear him explain his ideas.

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Exercises to perform in our own group (room) for improvement of learning and group performance

• Finish Felders Learning style test (ILS): http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html

• Discuss with your group members: How can you improve learning from each other based on your results from the learning style test (Index of Learning Style)

• Take a Team Healt Test and discuss the results: http://www.control.auc.dk/~lpj/POL/team%20health%20test.doc

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