Academy Curricular Exchange
Columbia Education Center
Social Studies

TITLE:  TRAITS NEEDED FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP PROCESS

AUTHOR:  Muriel Hill; Ridgecrest Elementary, Puyallup, WA

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:   Appropriate for grades 4-8

OVERVIEW:   Cooperative learning requires more than just cognitive skills.
It also requires specific character traits. These traits enhance both the
group process and the child's social development. Unless particular
attention is paid to their development many students do not learn them
and the cooperative learning setting is marred.

OBJECTIVE(s):   Students will:
1.   Compile a list of 10 desirable traits for working with others.
2.   Learn to evaluate which traits are needed for specific jobs.
3.   Describe these traits in work settings.
4.   Make plans for developing them.
5.   Seek parental involvement.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED:
1.  Help Wanted ads. Try for a wide variety.
2.  Chart paper or overhead for final list.
3.  Copies for each child.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1.  To prepare for the main discussion students need to collect come raw
data. To do this they should ask one or more adults: "Besides schooling
or training kind of things what would help a person do a good job
of ______? (blank to be filled in with being a mechanic or teaching or
whatever the adult's job is.)  Demonstrate by telling the qualities
necessary for being a teacher--patience, sense of humor, caring, etc.
Students should list job and any characteristics the adult gives them.

2.  Compile the information on the blackboard in squares with the job at
the top and the characteristics listed below.

3.  If there are some jobs unrepresented have the students speculate as to
what characteristics are needed.

4.   Then have the students look over the lists and choose the ten
characteristics most often mentioned.

5.   Make a class chart of the 10 most listed.

6.   Using clipped "Help Wanted" ads ask class to identify how the lack of
one or more of the traits would affect your ability to do the job.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
1.   The list stays up. Often during the year/term refer to it. If a problem
arises in group process try to identify which characteristic might have
helped avoid the problem When successes occur identify which traits were
in operation.

2.   The list goes home. Ask the students to discuss it with their parents.
Ask them to identify time when they were successful in achieving these
behaviors.

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