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1.7
Taking Inventory of Collaboration Skills
Submitted by Shannon Wheatley Hartman & Jack Byrd Jr.
This activity introduces key collaborative discussion skills and invites participants to reflect upon their own skill development. Participants have the option of working in small groups to support one another in skill development. The survey can also help facilitators support individual or group needs.
Learning Goals
Develop awareness of collaborative discussion skills.
Self-evaluate collaborative discussion skills.
Instructions
Set Up: Prepare for the Activity
Invite participants to evaluate their collaboration discussion skills using the Taking Inventory of Collaborative Discussion Skills Questionnaire.
Step One: Share Group Assessment of Collaborative Discussion Skills (10 min)
If participants completed the survey in advance, share the group’s assessment of their skills (do not share individual results). Share the major areas of strengths and areas for growth. Share this visually on the board or screen so that they can use it as a reference point for later. Then, move to Step Three.
If participants did not complete the digital survey in advance, then distribute hard copies of the Taking Inventory of Collaborative Discussion Skills Worksheet. Follow the directions. Participants will be asked to assess their skills. Describe each category:
F – Fulfillment: You are completely satisfied with your abilities.
C – Comfort: You feel confident in your abilities but wouldn’t mind working on refinement.
D – Developing: You recognize this is an area of growth and welcome the opportunity to improve.
L – Lacking: You recognize a deficiency, but you are not yet comfortable developing this skill and/or do not believe it to be valuable at this time.
Step Two: Develop a Composite View of Assessments (10 min)
In small groups (3-4 ppl), ask participants to review their worksheets together to get a sense of where the group feels like it has strengths (Fs and Cs) and where there is room for growth (Ds and Ls).
Step Three: Identify Areas for Growth and Support (20 min)
In small groups (3-4 ppl), invite individuals to identify 3-4 skills that they would like to improve. Explore how the group might help support growth in the respective growth areas. Save these support statements using the Collaborative Discussion Skills Growth Commitment Worksheet.
Step Four: Debrief as a Full Group (10 min)
Possible prompts:
As a group, which collaborative discussion skills do we seem to be the most comfortable expressing?
As a group, where do we see the most room for growth? Why do you think this is?
During our time together, how might we refer to our commitment worksheets?
TIME
50
min
MODULE
Introduction to Collaborative Discussion
This activity can be completed by any discussion group.
This activity can be easily modified for asynchronous learning. See Sample Asynchronous Certificate Program Design to illustrate sample sequencing.
This activity can be used to support facilitation skills. See Sample Facilitation Certificate Program Design to illustrate sample sequencing.
This activity is suitable for professional or more formal learning environments.
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0 Comments
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 1:41:01 PM
This is also known as "Identity Pie." It's a great warm up and way for participants to get to know one another. I would use this early in a group setting to help build connection.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 1:39:24 PM
I think we all know that creating guidelines is important. I introduce activity 1.1 What is Collaborative Learning? first and then use the positive and negative attributes that they generate to help form our group guidelines.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 1:36:43 PM
I always recommend that folks start off with this activity and pair it with 1.3 Creating Guidelines. It is a great way to set the tone and emphasize the importance of collaborative discussion.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 9:39:23 PM
Activity 5.4 uses the fun method of role playing and builds on other activities to help participants develop questions and practice gathering information to collaborate effectively with communities as partners. This activity involves working together in small groups and as a large group. It also includes multiple additional resources for participants to continue learning methods and skills to build community partnerships.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 9:39:00 PM
Activity 1.8 provides a very useful survey to gather information on and help support participants' different discussion styles and needs, exploring various areas like preferences for group size, ways of participating in discussions, any fears relating to discussions, etc.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 9:34:46 PM
Activity 5.8 further explores direct democracy by proposing the idea of "legislative juries" to improve the current initiative process through collaboration and deliberation. This activity uses role playing to have participants practice deliberation as part of a mock legislative jury to craft ballot initiatives on a given issue.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 9:27:35 PM
Activity 5.7 uses a fun and tactile activity like building LEGOs to explore the effects of coming together to colloborate and discuss, while also participating together in another physical activity.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 9:22:49 PM
Activity 5.6 uses memes and futuristic zombie scenarios to develop ways to change people's minds, while exploring various aspects of the methods used to change minds, like assumptions behind ideas, sticking to the facts versus stretching the truth, appealing to emotions etc.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 9:16:44 PM
Activity 5.5 uses a fun and visual/craft activity to help participants explore the many different types of knowledge, how they are valued, and the role/importance of each type of knowledge in their own lives.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 9:11:54 PM
Activity 5.3 gives participants to use writing, drawing, and/or speaking to share and discuss the various communities they belong to and/or feel excluded from, the various aspects that define community, as well as the practices of inclusion or exclusion and power distribution in these communities.