1. Understand principles and practices of learning and development in groups
1.1 Explain purposes of group learning and development.
Generally group learning is cost effective for employers, employees/learners and providers. Enabling continued and multi use of materials, resources and facilities. Group learning also ensures a consistent, common message and programme.
It allows groups to use the situation in the learning environment to develop their social interaction skills e.g. meeting new people, and share ideas. This enhances the group’s experiences, promotes collaboration, can develop their social relationships skills and allows opportunity for peer teaching and assessment within the group/groups though team work.
This in turn helps group learners to also use their shared experiences (peer teaching) as examples to illustrated and cement a learning point. Group learning develops and promotes group problem solving skills with team building skills both with individuals and groups. Good group learning is inclusive and promotes different approaches/styles to learning to encompasses and ensure diversity and equality.
1.2 Explain why delivery of learning and development must reflect group dynamics.
All good learning must take account of group dynamics, RCT depends on the team process of working, and it delivers results with both small and large groups and allows them to function in a known pattern. People play different roles in group activities and in group learning. Understanding that teams work best when the roles within them are balanced and ensuring the team gets opportunity to plays to its strengths and the trainer plus the group actively manages any weakness.
Tuckman’s Module lays out the 5 phases in team’s life – Forming- storming- norming- performing, adjourning, for each of the phases he breaks them into tasks and behaviours.
Whist Belbins Roles identifies