Strategies for Working in Teams

Many courses at U of T involve some aspect of teamwork (e.g. group presentations or

capstone projects), so openly discussing strategies for collaborative learning with your
peers as you begin an assignment can be helpful. Every team is slightly different in terms
of its dynamics and goals, so these are just a few suggestions that we encourage you to
adapt and personalize for your specific situation.

First off, why can teamwork be so challenging? What are some benefits of teamwork?
• Many students can share stories of dealing with • Even though working in teams can require
free riders or people who unexpectedly “ghost” additional coordination from you and your
a project. Other students might have dealt with group members, there are many benefits to
leaders who end up controlling every aspect of the collaborative learning:
workload (i.e. “dominators”), leaving little space • When students talk through problems
for equal participation. Both types of negative purposefully, rehearse content, and elaborate
experience can influence confidence and a sense on their course material, these tasks can
of trust on a new team. Consider talking openly support their long-term memory of the subject
about these concerns with your group members matter (Rolheiser & Stevahn, 1998).
so you can mutually create a culture of
collaboration that works for all of you. • Collaborations can prepare students for future
professional environments by refining their
• Conflicting schedules, geographical distance communication strategies (Brent et al, 2004).
from campus, and varying time zones can all
make collaboration difficult for students. Before • Group work also has positive impacts on
dividing the workload, coordinate with your team student achievement, motivation for learning,
so you can find a balance between synchronous intergroup relations, and critical and creative
discussion (e.g. in-person or virtual meetings) thinking (Baloche & Brody, 2017).
and asynchronous collaboration (e.g. editing • For a visual sketch note about the benefits of
documents on a shared drive). teamwork, check out “What Do Students Learn
• In a team, you are often being evaluated by your When They Engage in Collaborative Projects” by
course instructor or TA as a whole group, not as John Spencer ([Link]/
individual students. If you are concerned about collaborativeprojects)
this aspect, discuss each team member’s time
commitment and expectations for the project
together – you might find that you all feel similarly. Rolheiser, C., & Stevahn, L. (1998). The role of staff developers in promoting
effective teacher decision-making. In C.M. Brody & N. Davidson (Eds.),
And if all members cannot contribute equally due Professional development for cooperative learning: Issues and approaches.
to other responsibilities or issues, State University of New York (SUNY) Press.
your team can then adjust the workload as Brent, R., Felder, R.M., Elhajj, I. & Oakley, B. (2004). Turning student groups
early as possible. into effective teams. Journal of Student Centered Learning, 2 (1), 9 - 34.
Baloche, L., & Brody, C. M. (2017). Cooperative learning: exploring
challenges, crafting innovations. Journal of Education for Teaching,
(43)3, 274 - 283.
Strategy 1

Before splitting up the work, discuss your communication styles and preferences for team roles.
• When students are placed in a group assignment, • What personalities do you have when collaborating?
they often start by breaking down the workload For example, do you enjoy leading meetings? Taking
and assigning tasks. Before beginning this process, meeting minutes? Do you really dislike setting up
consider an initial meeting where you get to know calendar invitations? Do you absolutely love engaging
each other and discuss your vision for the project. with technological platforms such as OneDrive or
For example, you could openly discuss what worked Google Drive? Strategically assign roles based on
well in your past teamwork projects and what didn’t. strengths and interests, but consider rotating them
• Take some time to individually reflect on how you if your group members have a desire to practice
communicate and then share back with your team different skillsets as well.
members. For example, do you learn better by talking • Check out this article called “Great Teams Are About
through ideas out loud? Do you need moments of silence Personalities, Not Just Skills” ([Link]/2017/01/
to digest ideas first? Are you a fast talker who jumps in? great-teams-are-about-personalities-not-just-skills)
Or do you wait for a pause before speaking? Addressing in the Harvard Business Review for some ideas to discuss
these nuances can help you better appreciate each with your group. Which personalities do you identity
other’s default communication approaches and with? Which ones might be useful for this project?
lessen the chance of misunderstandings.

Strategy 2

Agree on collaboration practices that work for everyone in the group

• Often, there can be an emphasis on verbal • Make sure the systems and platforms that you’re using
collaboration in groupwork (e.g. speaking up during work for everyone in the group. For example, are there
meetings; jumping onto a Zoom call; rehearsing students in different time zones or geographical
presentations). However, there are other ways to areas who might experience technological barriers?
participate that are also valid: taking notes; writing Are frequent meetings always better? Can everyone
ideas in a chat box; or even sometimes by listening. always meet in-person? Chat through the different
• Acknowledge different ways to participate by asking needs of the group before solidifying an approach.
team members what their preferences are. For • It’s not always about work! Remember that there
example, some team members might need to work is value in setting some time for team-building
independently and add ideas to a shared document exercises and recreational activities. Is it possible
before actively collaborating. In a meeting, some to meet for coffee on a biweekly basis? Or rewarding
students might value some reflective writing time yourselves periodically with an online game? Events
for a few minutes before verbally contributing. like these help you learn more about each other and
create more group cohesion.

Strategy 3

Develop a community agreement together to set goals and reduce future conflicts
• Developing a community agreement - which can also you keep on track for meeting your goals and
be called a “group contract” - is an effective way for reflecting your core team’s values. If you think it’s
you and your team members to assign your roles no longer supporting your team to succeed, consider
and responsibilities, set deadlines and expectations, discussing it again at a team meeting where there
and formalize other practices. This document can can be consensus in making adjustments.
also outline some back-up plans if things don’t go • Talking about potential conflicts or possible future
according to schedule or even strategies for how disagreements can be an awkward task. However,
to deal with disagreement in the group. proactively having practices in place to resolve these
• What else can be included in a community issues can make your overall teamwork experiences
agreement? Almost anything! You might want to much smoother and help you all bounce back from
discuss communication practices such as the best potential challenges more quickly.
platform for asynchronous collaboration (e.g. email • For more suggestions and tips about the benefits
or instant messaging). Or you could address how of creating community agreements and to download
your meetings will be structured (e.g. structured some templates you can adapt for your team,
with an agenda or spontaneous with a notetaker). check out this page on Making Group Contracts
• Keep in mind that a community agreement doesn’t ([Link]/centre-for-teaching-excellence/
need to be a prescriptive and rigid document. Think teaching-resources/teaching-tips/developing-
of it as a co-designed and responsive tool to help assignments/group-work/making-group-contracts)