* * Team Formation Based on Learning Styles (D-SA-LSI) Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
* * Team Formation Based on Learning Styles (D-SA-LSI) Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
Teacher’s preliminary work: team formation among the students based on individual learning styles profiles
Students’ preparation: bring own learning styles profile
Time frame: varies depending on how much the slide series is expanded with general information on learning styles and/or exercises
The purpose of this slide series is to offer teachers who do team formation among students based on learning styles easy access to a number of slides on which an introduction to the team formation criteria etc. can be based. The slides can be used as inspiration for further work, the order of the slides can be changed or they can be used in the order given here.
In the following note fields, bold text indicates where context-specific changes should/could be made in the slides.
Normal text is just note/manuscript text that offers more details on the contents of the individual slides – as many examples as room permits in the note field have been included. More examples are found in the various texts.
All references to literature refer to the list of literature found at www.cbs.dk/learningstyles
* The purposes of cpmpleting the learning styles test Learning styles test Learning styles profile Main purpose = Team formation
Side benefit = Individual
development tool Side benefit = Team development tool
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
NB – slide is animated
1 main purpose and 2 side benefits of having taken the learning styles test:
1. First, profiles are used for the formation of functional work teams – based on more precisely defined criteria We will return to those
2. Second, you can use the profile as a part of the developing team work for example, you can gain insight into how your particular team prefer to think in connection with learning and use this in the development of your team’s work and ways of learning!– We will also return to this
3. Third, you will be able to use these profiles as a basis for individual development as learners I.e. you can gain self-insight into your own thinking as learners, you can work with this + you can gain insight into other people’s thinking as learners!+ We will also return to this (unless exercises on this have already been done or the students have previously been referred to the work and reflection book for students)
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
*
This slide is empty in order to draw attention to the fact:
That a number of the general slides introducing Sternberg’s theory of mental self-government and the learning styles in Nielsen’s Danish adaptation can be inserted here as required – they may or may not have been previously introduced to the students
see the slide series ”on the learning styles” at www.cbs.dk/learningstyles, the page slides & exercises)
URL: http://uk.cbs.dk/research/departments_centres/projekter/learning_styles/menu/for_teachers/slides_exercises
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
*
This slide is empty in order to draw attention to the following alternatives for inclusion of exercises:
1) That if Sternberg’s theory of mental self-government and the learning styles in Nielsen’s Danish adaptation are introduced in this connection (cf. the previous slide), an exercise part could be included here with advantage. The exercise part could focus on studying own profile as well as having to articulate own learning strengths to a fellow student (slides 1-5 + possibly slide 11 in the slide series ”3 exercises”) – the second part of the exercises can then be placed as slide 9 in this series (slides 6-11 in the slide series ”3 exercises”)
2) Instead you can also refer to the work and reflection book that students can download and work with themselves as an individual development tool (slides 6-9 + slide 11 in the slide series ”3 exercises”)
3) A last alternative for inclusion of exercises is to place the whole exercise presentation ”3 exercises” as slide 9 in this series
see the slide series ”3 exercises” at www.cbs.dk/learningstyles, the page slides & exercises)
URL: http://uk.cbs.dk/research/departments_centres/projekter/learning_styles/menu/for_teachers/slides_exercises
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab * LS-diversity the overall criterion for team formation Genuine simulation of teamwork in organisations working with persons who think in different ways to yourself
More all-round approach to tasks higher quality of learning products
Facilitate understanding and tolerance
Balance between “toil” (working with people who think in different ways) and “exuberance” (learning from the differences)
NB slide is animated
NB – there may be other purposes of the team formation than these
The overall criterion for the team formation is Diversity:
1) Give the students a genuine simulation of teamwork in organisations where you will be required to work with people who think in different ways to yourself (e.g. inductive learning), thereby facilitating the development of teamwork competencies and skills;
2) Help to ensure a more all-round approach to the tasks at hand, thereby possibly raising the quality of the team products (Drach-Zahavy & Somech, 2001);
3) Facilitate understanding of and tolerance towards the thinking of fellow students, much in the same way as has been reported for teachers (Nielsen, 2008a);
4) Attempt to “install” a certain balance between toil and exuberance in the team learning situations for the individual student (Hermansen, 2005). Toil in the sense that it was considered more challenging to work with people who prefer to think in different ways than yourself, and exuberance in the sense of discovering that people with different preferences for thinking could enhance your own thinking and the products thereof.
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
* 5 Prioritised criteria for max. diversity Functional styles:
Legislative, Judicial and Executive styles all rep. in the category very strong or strong
Max. 2 Legislative in the same team
Level styles:
Global and local styles both rep. either with 1) equal distribution of very strong or strong, or 2) balance
Leaning styles:
Conservative and Progressive styles both rep. in the category medium strong or higher
Scope styles:
At least 1 (or 2) Internal style in the category medium strong or higher
Form styles:
Max. 2 in the category medium strong or higher on the Monarchic, Oligarchic or Anarchic styles
NB slide is animated
NB – other criteria for the team formation than these may have been used
Re 1) In order to prevent there being too many leaders
Re 2) In order to facilitate both levels in task solution
Re 3) In order to facilitate the use of known subjects and methods as well as new ones
Re 4) In order to utilise the more internalised problem solving method as well as “that not everything has to be about people”
Re 5) In order to counteract what could be obstructive constellations too much monotony and over-simplified problem solving – too unorganised problem solving, not getting started – too much random and “I’ll do it my way” problem solving
It is furthermore important to mention that the criteria are PRIORITISED and that accordingly some are more important than others!
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
* Very weak weak Medium strong very strong Legislative 0.0 7.0 22.7 49.2 21.1 Executive 3.1 10.2 22.7 27.3 36.7 Judicial 1.6 12.5 28.9 43.8 13.3 Monarchic 14.8 39.8 29.7 12.5 3.1 Hierarchic 1.6 6.3 18.8 48.4 25.0 Oligarchic 31.3 46.9 18.8 3.1 0.0 Anarchic 0.0 17.2 31.3 44.5 7.0 Democratic 3.9 8.6 28.9 40.6 18.0 Global 0.0 14.8 47.7 27.3 10.2 Local 7.8 32.8 41.4 17.2 0.8 External 0.8 1.6 12.5 41.4 43.8 Internal 11.7 29.7 35.2 15.6 7.8 Progressive 0.0 7.8 17.2 32.0 43.0 Conservative 12.5 26.6 25.0 23.4 12.5
NB figures must be adjusted to the class
The table shows the distribution in percent of the class on the strength categories of each learning style so that there is a total of 100% in each style (row%)
You can use the table to say something about how the distribution of the class on the individual styles compare to the criteria for team formation, since reality is not ideal and naturally the class cannot be distributed on the learning styles so that maximum/perfect diversity can be achieved
The red accentuations show where there is over-representation compared to a criterion
The blue accentuations show where there is under-representation compared to a criterion
Say something about what can be seen the colours lead on to the next slide
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
* Distribution of class compared to criteria Functional styles:
Over-rep. on Legislative style more in each team
Level styles:
Under-rep. on Local style some teams without strong
Leaning styles:
Under-rep. on Conservative style some teams without strong
Scope styles:
Under-rep. on Internal style some teams without
Form styles:
Over-rep. on Anarchic style more in each team Consequence: teams are formed as diversely as they can get given your ”dispersion” on the styles
NB slide is animated
NB must be adjusted to the class
NB shows more or less the same as the previous slides, however put in words
To this may be added details as required
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
*
This slide is empty in order to draw attention to the following alternatives for inclusion of exercises:
1) If exercises have been done with the students earlier in this session (fx slides 1-5 + possibly slide 11 in the slide series ”3 exercises”), the second part of the exercises can be placed here (slides 6-11 in the slide series ”3 exercises”)
2) If exercises have not been done with the students earlier in this session, they can all be placed here (cf. the slide series ”3 exercises”)
3) Alternatively, you can refer to the work and reflection book that students can download and work with themselves as an individual development tool (slides 6-9 + slide 11 in the slide series ”3 exercises”)
see the slide series ”3 exercises” at www.cbs.dk/learningstyles, the page slides & exercises)
URL: http://uk.cbs.dk/research/departments_centres/projekter/learning_styles/menu/for_teachers/slides_exercises
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
* Knowledge on own LS
Do we want to “share” our profiles?
Knowledge on/understanding of diversity
Who has which LS strengths and weaknesses (as we understand it)?
Why do we participate in the teamwork as we do?
What do we value with regard to LS?
Understanding fewer conflicts?
Possibilities for development
Team ”contract” in the light of LS
Enhanced flexibility
Team competencies
NB slide is animated
There are many possibilities for application of learning styles in team/group work, and therefore also many possibilities for benefiting extra from having taken the learning styles test The prerequisite is, of course, that the members of the teams can agree to ”share” their profiles with each other (here you can refer to workbooks that enable teams to work individually with group profiles, found at www.cbs.dk/learningstyles, the page group materials for students):
This work can both lead to knowledge on and understanding of the diversity in a team, which can lead to greater acceptance and understanding between team members and thereby also fewer conflicts
The work can also lead to enhanced flexibility in the teamwork and the development of team competencies for the individual
The work can also be extended by the team talking/writing an actual contract in the light of the team’s profile
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
* Planning
Objective (+ apart from academic)
Level of ambition
Product: the assignment Preparation
Individual resources
Expectations for good collaboration
The conditions of the collaboration (manners, well-being)
Work structure (when, how often)
Product: internal work conditions + external work structure Implementation
Information flow
Initiative-taking
Regulation (sanctions) Product: management Evaluation
Product evaluation
Production evaluation (procedure & process evaluation)
Product: development/learning model for agreements at start of teamwork
NB slide is animated
NB you can use a different model for team contracts here than the one shown above
Planning: in this part of the contract preparation, you work with the level of ambition and objective of the team work and with individual resource analysis. The product of this work together with the formulation of the problem constitute the actual ASSIGNMENT of the teamwork. in general, LS can enter into this since how you perceive problems/learning situations is also co-determining for your level of ambition
Preparation: Using the individual expectations for the good teamwork as a starting point, in this part of the contract preparation you work with the common conditions of the teamwork. And using the de individual practical conditions as a starting point, you work with the actual preparation of the teamwork. It is thus the INTERNAL WORK CONDITIONS and EXTERNAL WORK STRUCTURE of the teamwork that appear as the product of the work here. LS enter particularly into resources since parts of a person’s resources are constituted by LS + Expectations for good collaboration the same (perhaps particularly the INTERNAL-EXTERNAL styles, but also the others)
Implementation: In this part of the contract preparation, you work with clarification of significant conditions in connection with the implementation of the teamwork. They can be conditions such as information flow, initiative-taking, regulation of speed and direction, evaluation etc. Here, it is therefore the MANAGEMENT...
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
* When you leave … Consider and discuss in the teams:
Do we want to include LS in the team work?
Do we want to talk team “contract”?
How else can we use our composition with regard to learning styles constructively?
NB alternatives to the above:
Here, you can refer to workbooks that enable teams to work individually with group profiles, found at www.cbs.dk/learningstyles, the page group materials for students
Or you can continue in the next session/class by introducing the group profile material and letting the students work with it during or after the teaching (cf. the slide series ”LS in groupwork_teacher materials” at www.cbs.dk/learningstyles, the page slides & exercises)
All that is left is then to introduce the generated teams to the students
Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
* Teams 1-4, class … Team 1:
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Oo
Pp
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Team 2:
Nn
Mm
Oo
Pp
qq
Team 3:
Nn
Mm
Oo
Pp
qq
Team 4:
Nn
Mm
Oo
Pp
qq
This slide can be used as a starting point for introducing the generated teams
Subsequently, instructions are given as to how to find each other (cf. ” Guide_to_Team_formation ” at www.cbs.dk/learningstyles)
http://frontpage.cbs.dk/ll/04_LearningStyles/learningstyles_sitet/guide_to_team_formation.pdf
Extra references
Drach-Zahavy, A. and Somech, A. (2001) Understanding team innovation: The role of team processess and structures. Group dynamics, Theory, Research, Nad Practive. 5(2), 111-123.
Hermansen, M. (2005) Relearning. Copenhagen, Danish University of Education Press. Tine Nielsen, CBS Learning Lab
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