TEAM CONTRACT

Nicole Deys
for ____________________, Jelena Kish
____________________, Jaedyn Habke
____________________, Kayleigh Klima
___________________

PART 1 – GROUP EXPECTATIONS: identify the behaviours that your group expects from each member.
Expectations for a This is important to our success because:
member of our team
We expect our team mates to:
 Treat each other equally, by In order to make progress in our project, we
listening to each other’s ideas. need to trust each other.

We expect our team mates to:

 Learn from the mistakes we We will not repeat our negative patterns, but
have made as a group, and change to positive things to lead us to achieving
change our actions in order to our goal.
help process and fix.

We expect our team mates to:

 Finish this course with the This will make our goal final, pushing us to work
same goals in mind. hard.

We expect our team mates to:

 Participate equally. Making us equally responsible for success or
failure of our project.

We expect our team mates to:

 Continue to spread awareness To bring hope and longing to all members of our
of our project’s topic. school.

We expect our team mates to:

 Set a great example for an This will persuade people to participate for
organically cultured change.
community.
 PART 2 – MANAGING EXPECTATIONS:
In this section you will be asked to describe how you will navigate some of the complex situations that may present themselves when
working in a group.
As a group, discuss and record how you will POSITIVELY handle a situation where:
 you finish your assigned tasks ahead of time.
- Consider additional methods of adapted learning for our audience

 You need help with some of the tasks you are assigned.
- Talk to classmates and public for feedback, and use the knowledge of mentors

 You see a group member struggling with their assigned task.

- Offer advice as to how to make the assignment appealing and functional (to spark thoughts and ideas)

 A group mate is not completing their tasks on-time.

- Remind them of deadlines and goals

 A group mate is taking charge of your group in a negative way.

- Remind them that our group goal is the exact opposite of the behaviour that they are demonstrating.

We share these expectations, and agree to these procedures.

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Team member’s name (please print) Team member’s signature

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Team member’s name (please print) Team member’s signature

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Team member’s name (please print) Team member’s signature

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Team member’s name (please print) Team member’s signature
 What are the benefits of group work?
From: https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/benefits.html

“More hands make for lighter work.” “Two heads are better than one.” “The more the merrier.”
These adages speak to the potential groups have to be more productive, creative, and motivated than individuals on their own.

Benefits for students

Group projects can help students develop a host of skills that are increasingly important in the professional world (Caruso & Woolley,
2008; Mannix & Neale, 2005). Positive group experiences, moreover, have been shown to contribute to student learning, retention and
overall college success (Astin, 1997; Tinto, 1998; National Survey of Student Engagement, 2006).
Properly structured, group projects can reinforce skills that are relevant to both group and individual work, including the ability to:

o Break complex tasks into parts and steps

o Plan and manage time

o Refine understanding through discussion and explanation

o Give and receive feedback on performance

o Challenge assumptions

o Develop stronger communication skills.

Group projects can also help students develop skills specific to collaborative efforts, allowing students to...
o Tackle more complex problems than they could on their own.

o Delegate roles and responsibilities.

o Share diverse perspectives.

o Pool knowledge and skills.

o Hold one another (and be held) accountable.

o Receive social support and encouragement to take risks.

o Develop new approaches to resolving differences.

o Establish a shared identity with other group members.

o Find effective peers to emulate.

o Develop their own voice and perspectives in relation to peers.

The Importance of Communication skills

Adapted from: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/tips-students/being-part-

team/teamwork-skills-being-effective-group-member

To function successfully in a small group, students need to be able to communicate clearly on intellectual and emotional levels. Effective
communicators:
 can explain their own ideas
 express their feelings in an open but non-threatening way
 listen carefully to others
 ask questions to clarify others’ ideas and emotions
 can sense how others feel based on their nonverbal communication
 will initiate conversations about group climate or process if they sense tensions brewing
 reflect on the activities and interactions of their group and encourage other group members to do so as well

Regular open communication, in which group members share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings, is a must for successful group work.
Unspoken assumptions and issues can be very destructive to productive group functioning. When students are willing to communicate
openly with one another, a healthy climate will emerge and an effective process can be followed.

Skills for an effective group process

Besides knowing how to develop a healthy group climate, students also need to know how to function so that they are productive and
accomplish their tasks effectively. An effective process will emerge as students exhibit these skills:

 Individual responsibility and accountability: All group members agree on what needs to be done and by whom. Each student then
determines what he or she needs to do and takes responsibility to complete the task(s). They can be held accountable for their tasks, and
they hold others accountable for theirs.

 Constructive Feedback: Group members are able to give and receive feedback about group ideas. Giving constructive feedback requires
focusing on ideas and behaviours, instead of individuals, being as positive as possible, and offering suggestions for improvement. Receiving
feedback requires listening well, asking for clarification if the comment is unclear, and being open to change and other ideas.

 Problem solving: Group members help the group to develop and use strategies central to their group goals. As such, they can facilitate
group decision making and deal productively with conflict. In extreme cases, they know when to approach the professor for additional
advice and help.

 Management and organization: Group members know how to plan and manage a task, how to manage their time, and how to run a
meeting. For example, they ensure that meeting goals are set, that an agenda is created and followed, and that everyone has an
opportunity to participate. They stay focused on the task and help others to do so too.

 Knowledge of roles: Group members know which roles can be filled within a group (e.g., facilitator, idea-generator, summarizer,
evaluator, mediator, encourager, recorder) and are aware of which role(s) they and others are best suited for. They are also willing to
rotate roles to maximize their own and others’ group learning experience.