TOPIC

FOSTERING TRUST IN CLASS THROUGH GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES

Presented by ELHADJI MAMADOU BA

Outline
A/Definition of the two Key Terms: Trust- Group
B/Tips for a Successful Group Work
C/Proposal of Some Team Bonding Activities
D/Workshop
A/Definition of the Key Terms
 Trust: ‘’The purpose of schools is to develop a place where all students learn at high levels. In order to achieve this, we
must establish meaningful relationships. (…) An essential component of meaningful relationships is trust. Trust is safety.
Trust is comfort. Trust is feeling that someone has your back. Trust is an environment where individuals can be their best
selves’’ Brown, L. (2014).
 Group: ‘’A group exists when two or more people define themselves as members of it and when its existence is recognized
by at least one another’’ Brown, R. (2000).
‘’Class groups are characterized by considerable interaction amongst the students; they are distinctly recognizable units
with which learners typically identify strongly; they have an official purpose; they usually operate for months if not years; they
are highly structured and a student’s good or bad achievement/behavior usually reflects well/badly on the other class
members’’ Dornyei, Z. and Murphy, T. (2003).
B/Tips for A Successful Group Work
Say whether the below tips are correct or
incorrect
1/Help students to think of the classroom as a place that belongs to everyone .
2/Give the group norms and rules and allow one member in each group to read it out.
3/Group Work better establishes classroom trust when grouping is self selection
(students choose the mates they work with).
4/Seating arrangements can influence learning in group.
5/Better allow just few students to have a chance to speak.
6/Large groups are always to be encouraged.
7/Groups can benefit from revisiting or resetting the norms of the group. This can be
done at any time learners work in groups.
8/Ask students to make name tags that stay on their desk so that students can call
each other by name.
9/Just set a timing for each activity from time to time. Not all the time.
 Answers

1/= Correct
2/= Correct
3/=Incorrect
4/=Correct
5/=Incorrect
6/=Incorrect
7/= Correct
8/= Correct
9/Incorrect
C/Team Bonding Activities
ACTIVITY 1: Fun Facts About the Class

Level: Lower to Advanced Language Practice: Present simple or Superlative

Duration: 10 – 15 minutes
Material: Questionnaire
Procedure: Divide the class into groups of four. Have each group answer the questions in the
below questionnaire to practice the present simple. Next, have students ask the follow up
questions in the questionnaire and determine who in each group sets each record ( who has the
longest name, who gets up earliest…) to practice the superlative. Compare students’ responses to
identify those who set the class record for each follow up question.
Purpose: This activity aims at providing students opportunities to reveal their personal
information in a genuine way, thereby promoting trust and rapport with friends. The discovery of
interesting facts about their peers fosters interaction. For example, if one member gets up
earliest or goes to bed latest, other students would want to know the reason. This curiosity
encourages students to know their friends better, which fosters trust and obviously the desire to
learn together. In addition, students may find their class more interesting when they discover
that others have rather strange habits.
Activity 1: Questionnaire

Questions Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4

1-What is your
full name?
2-What time
do you go to
bed?
3-What time
do you get up?
4-How often
do you
exercise?
Activity 1: Follow up Questions

Questions Answers
1-Who has the longest name?
2-Who goes to bed latest or earliest?
3-Who gets up latest/earliest?
4-Who exercises the most?
Activity 2: Our Group Identity

Level: Lower to Advanced Duration: 15-20 minutes Language Practice: Expressing likes and
preferences
Material: Question list
Procedure: Divide the class into groups of four. Give to all students a question list (see the sample
below). Ask them to write their answers, then have them ask the same questions to their group
members. Tell students that if all group members give the same answer to one of the questions they
should write that in My Group column. For example if all group members report English as the subject
they are interested in, then the group members would write ‘English’ in My Group column. There might
be some blank in that column if all group members do not have the same likes.
Once students find their similar interests, tell them to ask questions like ‘Why do you like English ?’ to
get a deeper understanding of one another’s interest. Finally, ask students to give their groups a name to
demonstrate their similar likes, for example ‘English lover’.
Purpose: This activity is particularly useful to build a sense of connection within a group if all the team
members share several things in common. The idea of a group recognizing similar interests promotes
group identity, making students realize that their group is different from others and cultivating a sense
of group solidarity. In terms of language development this activity facilitates expressing likes and
preferences through the use of structures: ‘be interested in, be fond of’.
Activity 2: Question List

Questions My Answer My Group

1-What subject are you
interested in?
2-What color do you like?
3-What animal are you
fond of?
4-What TV program do
you like?
Activity 3: My Little Secrets

Level: Intermediate to Advanced Duration: 15 – 20 minutes Language practice: Making

suggestions or Giving advice
Procedure: Divide the class into groups of four. Ask students to think of their challenges in
learning English, such as difficulties with listening or speaking skills, or vocabulary or grammar.
Then, have students share issues and give advice or make suggestions to their peers in their own
groups within five minutes. While students are discussing their learning challenges, walk around
the classroom to facilitate discussion. Next, have students share with the class their obstacles in
learning English and ask individuals from different groups to give advice or make suggestions.
Purpose: The ultimate aim of this activity is to create a sense of empathy, as many students
encounter similar language- learning challenges. When they share their learning tips, a sense of
caring and support is built up through encouraging words and thoughtful suggestions. This, in
turn, is important for building a sense of belonging afterward, which is very useful for
establishing trust among group members. Moreover, students feel somewhat more confident in
themselves when working as part of a team because they know that their friends are still learning
English , too, and they all come to this class to improve their skills.
WORKSHOP/Activity 4: Bio poem

Level: Intermediate to Advanced Duration: 15- 20 minutes Language practice: Adjectives or

Vocabulary and sentence structures.
Procedure: Have students sit in pairs, then give to each of them the bio poem template and
boxes (see the below template and planning). Each student inspires from the template and boxes
to collect personal information about their partner. After, each of them writes a poem about their
partner using the collected information and reads it out to the class. Next, have each pair of
students meet with another pair to form a group of four. Allow each student to ask any group
member questions in order to get details about his/her personal information. Questions can be :
‘Why do you feel compassion for the poor?’
Then, let students stick their bio poems on the class wall, so each student can read personal
information about any mate and know who it is since their names are written on the papers.
Purpose: This activity aims at building affinity or rapport between students. When students
collect information from one another, they get closer and feel more confident in learning
together while sharing. What is most important in this activity is the fact that each student
reads out to the class the personal information of their partner, this allows all students to know
one another. So, there are no more obstacles preventing close connection between learners
hence the reinforcement of classroom trust.
Activity: Bio Poem Template

First Name ----------------------------

3 words that describe the person --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who enjoys -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who is able to --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who feels -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who wonders ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who fears -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who cares about ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who dreams of -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Activity 4: Bio Poem Boxes

Name (Student who writes) ---------------

Person (4)
Adjectives (whothat
givesDescribe
information)
Person Who enjoys ----------------------------
---------------------------------------------

Who feels ------------------------------ Who wonders ---------------------------

Who fears --------------------------- Who cares about ----------------------

Who is able to ----------------------- Who dreams ---------------------------

REFERENCES

Brown, L (2014). The Importance of Trust. www.teachforall.org/news/importance-trust

Candler, L. (2012). Teaching Resources. www.lauracandler.com
Dorney, Z and Murphey, T. (2003). Group Dynamics in the Language Classroom. The Press Syndicate
of the University of Cambridge. The Pitt Building, Trumpington street, Cambridge United Kingdom.
Jain, T. (date unfound). What is Group Dynamics and How It Can Help A Teacher in Classroom
Transcation.
Phu Quy, P., H.(2017). Group Dynamics: Building A Sense of Belonging in the EFL Classroom. English
Teaching Forum. PP 14-21. americanenglish.state.gov/English-teaching-forum
Schwarck, C., B. (1951). A Study of Group Dynamics As a Classroom Process. A paper in partial
fulfillment of the Master degree.
www.3plearning.com/blog/building-trust-with-students
www.Kickboardfiorschools.com/blog/post/pbis-positive-behavior-interventions-support