GROUPWORK

Collaborative learning has been adopted as a teaching technique in ESL classes in last three decades. Teachers use CL based on recommendations of researchers and linguists who wrote very positive feedback on the same. Students' attitudes and feedback to collaborative learning, i.e. group work are highly crucial to determine an aspect of success in the teaching-learning process. 1 This research is an attempt to investigate the attitudes of students towards group work activities they perform in English language classrooms.

Abstract: Worldwide the numbers of older people in the population are increasing. Simultaneously the need for treatment programmes increases as more alcohol dependent people are growing into old age. Literature reviews revealed that groupwork programmes ...

The International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) proposes Standards of social group work that are intended to act as minimum standards that can be applied internation- ally. The aim of this article is to examine group work practices in Quebec in the light of IASWG Standards. To address this question, secondary analysis of existing data from a study undertaken in Quebec is presented. Results indicate that group work practices in Quebec tend to be rather structured (e.g., selection criteria, norms). The discussion shows that the IASWG Standards are useful for crit- ically examining Quebec practices but also provides information that could contribute to the improvement of these Standards.

Codeswitching is reported to be a common feature of group work in EFL classes, particularly those with learners sharing the same native language. On the other hand, there is little research on codeswitching in group work in EFL contexts. This study aims to investigate the reasons why codeswitching is employed in EFL group work interactions among learners who share the same native language. The data were collected via observations of group work processes and open-ended questionnaires given to the students and thematically analysed. According to the findings, codeswitching in group work served mainly four types of purposes: i) search for equivalence, ii) meaning clarification, iii) following task procedure and iv) emotional expression. The task type being a spontaneous speaking task or an outcome production task and the students' being in an on-record or off-record mode also affected the extent of codeswitching. Another finding was that the instructor's use of L1 in the classroom might derive students to switch codes. The students reported that they switched from English to their native language particularly due to their lack of proficiency and the fact that they found L1 communication a convenient way of expressing their concerns and emotions. Codeswitching was found to be a builder of solidarity and a means of achieving task targets as well as interactional fluency, implying that it can serve pedagogically useful purposes in group work in EFL classes.
Keywords: codeswitching; codeswitching in group work; codeswitching in EFL classes; group work; reasons for codeswitching

One of the basic assumptions underlying all traditional definitions is that diversity is a characteristic of an individual or a group, which is a problematic to groupwork. This paper explores Phases 1 and 2 of a multi-method research project exploring groupworkers’ understandings of diversity and how their perceptions impact their approach to group processes, with implications for group practice advancement. The project consists of sequential phases following a mixed-methods design. In the initial phase, in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted individually with 24 groupworkers. While the second phase (phase two) consisted of 4 focus groups involving theoretical and criterion sampling strategies to interview experienced therapeutically-oriented groupworkers in Western and Eastern Canada. The analysis was guided by Glaser and Strauss’s (1967) constant comparative method involving open-coding, followed by axial coding, and concluded with selective coding. Groupwo...

Parental support is an important protective factor in preventing suicide among trans youth. However, parents often struggle to accept their child’s gender transition.  Having access to a group and to meeting other parents facilitates the acceptance process, but support groups are rare and even more so outside urban areas. The research project discussed in this article was developed to understand specifically the experience of parents of francophone trans youth living in rural and remote communities in Quebec. A Self-Directed Group approach (Mullender, Ward and Fleming 2013), combined with Social Action Research (Author et al. 2015) was initiated to offer a platform for parents to explore the specificities of parenting a trans child in rural francophone Quebec.  Parents were recruited through social and traditional media and a series of group meetings was planned to collect data and as well as to facilitate the parents' mobilization.  Despite applying the Self-Directed Groupwork ...

Abstract: Earlier in this decade, two graduate students and one faculty member in social work facilitated a participatory photography project at an alternative high school. Our project sought to garner the unique viewpoint of urban youth on assets and issues in the community. We met with a group of adolescents twice a week over the course of 10 weeks to go on community photoshoots and conduct photodiscussions. This article aims to provide a critical reflection of our experience with this project. We have incorporated some additional information about the implementation of our project alongside our reflection. The relevance of our social work training and its influence on our perspectives are discussed.

One of the basic assumptions underlying all traditional definitions is that diversity is a characteristic of an individual or a group, which is a problematic to groupwork. This paper explores Phases 1 and 2 of a multi-method research project exploring groupworkers’ understandings of diversity and how their perceptions impact their approach to group processes, with implications for group practice advancement. The project consists of sequential phases following a mixed-methods design. In the initial phase, in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted individually with 24 groupworkers. While the second phase (phase two) consisted of 4 focus groups involving theoretical and criterion sampling strategies to interview experienced therapeutically-oriented groupworkers in Western and Eastern Canada. The analysis was guided by Glaser and Strauss’s (1967) constant comparative method involving open-coding, followed by axial coding, and concluded with selective coding. Groupwo...

The UK government’s Health and Social Care Bill (Department of Health 2011) proposes that the delivery of care, including mental health services, will be organised through a range of different providers including social fi rms and charities. General practitioners (GPs)will be at the core of this process (GPonline, 2011). This paper explores the group based practices of two voluntary social enterprise projects in one of the most impoverished inner city areas in England (Sheffi eld City Council, 2004). This paper results from a realistic evaluation project which explored how the service delivered benefi ts for members, using focus groups, a wellbeing survey, and interviews. The fi ndings and thematic discussion show that both services are characterised by groupwork underpinned by local involvement and community feel. The groups have been developed so as to allow a low key, mutually negotiated level of engagement, focussed on attendance, support and enabling participation.

Effective group leaders acknowledge that group work requires a set of leadership skills, exposure to techniques as well as a strong theoretical grounding. When I think of the diverse theories in group work, I envision different lenses. Each theory provides a framework that consists of underlying principles which have been verified to some extent. They inform the practice of group work which helps to evaluate and modify approaches to group counselling. Similarly just as a lens seeks to transform our vision, theories can provide a unique focus.

The literature on groupwork largely lacks exploration of how to effectively use initial contact with a prospective group member to set the scene for efficacious engagement in group therapy, with the groupworker and fellow group members. By considering initial contact as a starting point for therapy, groupworkers can maximise clients’ chances of engaging readily with a group to start working towards a positive outcome. This initial contact - ‘intake interview’, or ‘invitation to engage in group therapy’ - gives scope to early expressions of difficult emotions and provides group members with the tools they need to begin communication with their group and in exploring their emotions and needs effectively

This article is a product of collaborative work between three university instructors that specifically focused on developing and enhancing students’ output using groupwork in their English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes. The experimental part of this paper was based on the method commonly known as lesson study and aimed at observing and analyzing the use of language input covered during the classes by students. To provide favorable environment for the language practice, greater timewas allocated for the production part of the lesson, where students did a role play activity in groups. The experiment proved that groupwork indeed enhances student output and engages more of them. At the same time, it was revealed that providing more time for the production part does not always lead to an increase in student talking time. Low performing students’ output as well, did not necessarily improve during such activities.

A book review of a collection of 14 chapters that tell the story of Railside High School, a school where mathematics teachers successfully transformed their mathematics department to create classrooms in which all the students could successfully tackle challenging mathematics.

Many different kinds of groups are spontaneously developed through community based activities. Some of these groups may contribute to the life and culture of a particular locality for years but can easily be overlooked because their activity is largely unknown, sustained along the margins of mainstream culture. Informal and organic structures, very local organisation and the ephemeral nature of the materials which record their actions, contribute to their lack of visibility. Some examples are to be found amongst the groups which belong to writers group networks. This article, which is based on focus group interviews with members of worker writing and community based publishing organisations, explores how such groups organise, maintain themselves, and meet the challenges which arise from their marginalisation.

RESUMO: Neste artigo, exploramos as complexas relações entre tarefas e atividades pedagógicas, sendo estas inerentes ao âmbito da execução de um curso e aquelas, ao âmbito do planejamento. Os dados analisados se inserem em um curso inteiramente online de português para falantes de espanhol e foram gerados por pesquisa-ação, com observação participante e gravação de materiais e atividades realizadas nos ambientes digitais daquela edição do curso (Moodle e Skype). Refletimos sobre modos de atualização das noções de gêneros do discurso, letramentos e aprendizagem enquanto práticas sociais tanto no design educacional quanto nas ações sociais dos participantes do curso, explicitando a relevância da distinção entre tarefa e atividade para o design de cursos e para a formação de professores que desejam atuar em cursos de línguas adicionais a distância.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE : DESIGN EDUCACIONAL; AÇÃO SOCIAL; GÊNEROS DO DISCURSO; LETRAMENTOS.

TITLE: EXPLORING THE INTERTWINING BETWEEN TASKS AND ACTIVITIES IN AN ONLINE ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE COURSE
ABSTRACT: In this article, we explore the complex relationships between pedagogical tasks and activities, being the former in the scope of course planning, and the latter in the scope of course implementation. The analyzed data are part of an entirely online Portuguese course for Spanish speakers and were generated by action research, with participant observation and recording of materials and activities carried out in the digital environments of that edition of the course (i.e. Moodle and Skype). We reflect on ways of updating the notions of speech genres, literacies and learning as social practices both in the design and in the social actions of the course participants, highlighting the relevance of the distinction between task and activity for course design and for online teacher education.
KEYWORDS:​ EDUCATIONAL DESIGN; SOCIAL ACTION; DISCOURSE GENRES; LITERACIES.

Relationships are a prominent topic in queer studies today; the notion of queer challenges the norms of how we interact and the ways in which we relate to each other, both in everyday life, but also (I suggest) within the classroom. Queer pedagogy, in particular, has been fascinated with the role of the teacher within the educational process. Some suggest that in order to do queer pedagogy, we should take the teacher entirely out of the process, symbolically killing the Lacanian Father and freeing us from the rules of society and of language. A professor of mine in graduate school, upon hearing that my research area was queer pedagogy, conjectured that the queerest pedagogy of all would be to not show up to class at all, and put a sign on the door saying " no professor is coming; you'll have to teach yourselves. " From this chaos, I suppose, students would create their own chaordic leadership and then teach themselves the course material. 1 In this fantasy, teacher/student hierarchies would be abolished (as there would no longer be an instructor) and other educational hierarchies would evaporate as well. In reality, students would likely establish their own new hierarchies , even without the teacher/Father present.

This article is based on a recent re-visiting of published data related to the ‘sharing’ processes between members of two strikingly different types of self-help/mutual aid groups (SHMAGs) run by and for peers who share the same situation.    Data from taped meetings and observations with a stress-coping Carers’ groups is compared with observational data from an identity changing Alcoholics Anonymous group and discussed in relation to Bohm’s (1987, 1996/2013) concept of dialogue as an alternative communication process that facilitates inquiry and the accumulation of knowledge. Groups were at extreme opposites in terms of their expected goals, strategies of help, and organisational characteristics yet unexpected similarities were found in relation to the authority of sharing lived experience which was in both cases respectful, supportive and non-judgemental. Group members did not openly disagree with each other but expressed a difference in opinion by the juxtaposing of a personal st...

Research into factors and theories of cooperation and into managing relations between human communities and ecosystems has blossomed in recent decades, yet few published works examine how these advances may be conveyed to students of resource and environmental management. We question whether ongoing changes in sociocultural and biophysical environments will lead to self-perpetuating crises or to precedent-setting types and scales of cooperation? Will higher education and university curricula continue to be part of our ‘environmental problem’ or emerge as essential parts of responses to the failure of resource management institutions? Are graduate students in environmental fields being prepared to meet the challenges they will likely face as resource management researchers and decision makers? We examine these questions through the lens of a course we have taught to over 300 graduate students in Simon Fraser University’s School of Resource and Environmental Management. The course emp...

In India, data point to a considerable number of children leaving or running away from their parental homes in rural villages and migrating to urban areas. Many end up in cities like Delhi where they are exposed to a number of risks and vulnerabilities. While many of these children reach cities with dreams of ‘making it big’, the reality of living on the street is fraught with challenges and danger. Against this backdrop, this study looked at the lived experiences of migrant children in Delhi using a group method- an innovative approach that is increasingly being used in research with children. Innovative techniques such as drawing, storytelling, and the like were used to initiate discussions with and among migrant children to help explore their pre- and post-migration experiences. At the end of the group sessions, many children reported that they felt heard and listened to, that their voice mattered, and that they had developed a sense of self-worth. It also produced rich data that...

This article presents an experience of inter-cultural groupwork with women survivors of domestic violence, drawing on the author’s experience of facilitating a support group as part of a wider research project ‘Domestic Violence and Minoritisation: Supporting Women to Independence.’ It considers the emergence and significance of religious and faith discourses as part of the groupwork. It explores the potential of such discourses to act as affirming women’s rights to live free from violence as well as their potential to act as patriarchal controls on women’s freedom. This is analysed in terms of attention to brokenness, to the experience of leaving home and migration and the creation of women’s space. Feminist approaches to inter-cultural groupwork with women are elaborated and extended and the importance of the politics of location to feminist groupwork is explored .

This article highlights one approach used to solidify social support and bolster mental wellness for newcomer women through community, arts and connection. Core values of the program are presented along with examples of successful programming that has been experienced by hundreds of newcomer women in Southwestern Ontario. By using a trauma informed lens, staff and participants are able to share lessons and create community. Women were able to come together to learn how to connect across linguistic and cultural divides to unearth shared experiences of womanhood. The precursor to this article was presented at the international social work and social development conference, swsd2018 in Dublin, Ireland.