TEAM CONTRACT

for ___________Charles_________ & _________Kylie___________

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: Everyone needs to contribute
 Equal work

We expect our team mates to: So we are on the same page

 Listen/Be engaged

We expect our team mates to: So we aren’t rushing at the end

 Time Management

We expect our team mates to: So we can all get our work done
 Be independent

We expect our team mates to: So we can effectively work together

 Respectful

We expect our team mates to: So we are on the same page about everything
 Communicate
 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.

Find more work or help others

 You need help with some of the tasks you are assigned.

Ask for help

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

Offer to help

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

Ask why and offer help

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

Kindly say that they need to back off a bit

We share these expectations, and agree to these procedures.

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

Charles nesch
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
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.