Overview of the Tutorial Group Work Process
- The design and methodology of the 10 x 2 hour tutorials is
primarily experiential rather than didactic. This approach
arguably
differs from the way university tutorials are traditionally
conducted The underlying goal is to engage in rich, authentic,
meaningful
group experiences which enhance personal and collective understanding of social psychological principles and
phenomena.
- Precisely what is meant by this goal is open to
interpretation and dialogue and it cannot happen simply by
delivering content "X" without also paying close attention to
group members' feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. In this
sense, there are two key sources of
primary learning material in tutorials: a) Content "X" (i.e., the
topic and material presented) and b) the reactions,
cognitions, emotions, and behaviours which students have in
response to Content "X" and the ways in which group members
respond. Group exercises, videos, and discussions will take place
with the goal of conveying useful academic content, but
also a means for individual and group
exploration of real social psychological phenomena, i.e., social
psychology in action.
- In case this is too waffly, consider that at least 50% of the tutorial
focus should be examining reactions, responses, processes and
dynamics that are occuring within the group, and about 50% of the
focus should be on studying and examining the abstract.,
objective, academic
knowledge/information.
- This philosophical and practical method of group work
consciously draws
from the group work principles developed during the late 1940's through to the early 1970's (and
still occurring to some extent currently) with
T-groups,
Marathon Groups, and the
Tavistock Model, based on Bion's theory. According to
Bion, a group has set a conscious tasks, but it also has a set of
unconscious urges, feelings, and cognitions which drive irrational
contributions. In group work, it is possible to allow the
unconscious aspects of groups to be brought forward, discussed and
worked through, leading potentially to a group which is more able to
function more freely and openly. Not all groups succeed in
gradually revealing and processing their unconscious life, so we will see what happens in reality.
- The facilitator in this approach is considered to be a group
member who is caste in the role of guiding the process, but this
role should be seen as fluid since this role can wax and wane such
that others may also guide discussions and interactions.
- Ten percent of the course assessment is allocated to the degree
of student "engagement and contribution" to the tutorial and
bulletin board experiences.
In the first tutorial, a group contract (mutual understanding)
will be established to determine what the marking criteria.
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