Sophie,
I was asked a similar question by a colleague using TBL in another discipline a couple of weeks ago. I’d not had this problem before so I had to think about it for a day or two and discussed it with a colleague. Here’s what we came up with:
1. Write an impromptu, discipline-related task (as an application exercise) that challenges the teams to solve a similar problem, but in the workplace i.e. looking forward to a time that they are in practice. This task might include others tasks as well but build in an appropriate problem e.g. a colleague in the work team that isn’t pulling their weight or a client that won’t engage or talk during a case review/hearing or a case that demonstrates the need for all team members to pull their weight in the workplace. A 4S case that challenges the teams to come up with a solution might create some useful class discussion afterwards and provide the team with some ideas. Jeff might even come to realise that actually the workplace is all about teamwork and reflect a little on his behaviour to date?
2. Consider using the ‘Jeff Case’ you describe below as an application exercise when introducing students to TBL for the first time in the future. Setting the teams a similar challenge about how they would engage with and challenge a possible ‘Jeff’ in their team will create some really useful class discussion and acts as a kind of preventative, pre-emptive strike in case there are any possible Jeffs out there. If someone isn’t engaging later on in the course, then the teams might be able to draw on this discussion and handle this themselves, possibly just with the phrase ‘come on, talk to us, don’t be a Jeff!’ Deep down, no one really wants to think that they are being the ‘Jeff' in their group….
Hope this makes sense and good luck with Jeff!
Perhaps you could share with the Listserv how and if this problem is eventually resolved?
Best wishes
Simon
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Simon Tweddell BPharm MRPharmS FHEA
Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice
Curriculum Development Fellow
Centre for Educational Development
University of Bradford
Bradford
United Kingdom
BD7 1DP
Tel. +44 (0)1274 235241
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Twitter: @simontweddell
Skype: simon.tweddell
Accredited Consultant-Trainer in Team-based Learning
From: "Sparrow, Sophie" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Reply-To: "Sparrow, Sophie" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 19:56:41 +0000
To: <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Subject: Team dynamics problem
Greetings TBL colleagues -
I could use some advice.
For the first time in the 8 years I have been using TBL, I have a team that is not working well. One of the team members (I’ll call him Jeff-not his real name) does not talk to, make eye contact with, or engage with the team unless they are working on a tRAT. When they are engaged in team applications during class, he does not turn to face the rest of his teammates, does not contribute and does not listen to them. As with all students, he knows that team contributions count for 15% of the final grade.
Context:
This is a first year graduate US law course, and I am working with teams of 6.
On this particular team, half the students have come straight from undergrad,and 2 of the others have worked for a while before coming to law school. Jeff is a bit older than the others, has a PhD in science and was educated in EU in predominately lecture-based settings. In his team he has voiced his dislike of all the assessments in this course, and said that he wished it were like some other law school courses, where the only grade is on the final exam.
Students in this class have given and received anonymous midterm peer feedback (now 2 weeks ago). Several of the members of the team have several times come to talk to me about how to engage this student. In the feedback he received, Jeff was asked to participate more. That has not happened. The students had ideas about how to try to engage him more, and he has not been responsive. At this point, two of the students are very frustrated as they keep trying to get Jeff to work with them, but they are finding that they are spending a lot of time trying to get him involved when he appears to have no interest in doing so. They don’t want to “write him off” and not engage him during team applications, but they – and I – are not sure how best to handle this. A couple of team graded team applications are coming up over the next month, and we have 2 more tRATs to do.
I am not sure how to respond to this situation, and would love your ideas and suggestions.
Thanks much,
~ Sophie
Sophie M. Sparrow
Professor of Law
University of New Hampshire School of Law
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603-513-5205
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