Course

Working with Others in Groups

Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Department
Child and Youth Care
Course Code
CYCC 2320
Credits
3.00
Semester Length
15 weeks
Max Class Size
32
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
Students will have the opportunity to explore and apply the skills of group participation, design and facilitation. Models that promote empowerment, mutual aid, and self-awareness will be presented for examination and application to practice with groups.
Course Content

The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

  1. Self-awareness regarding one’s personal style, values, effect on others, skills, and learning from past experiences, are essential prerequisites for skilled leadership and participation in groups.
  2. Group work is a powerful medium for growth, change, learning or task accomplishment. Groups are of many types, for examples: counselling, self-help, therapy, growth, discussion, teaching, mutual support, work teams, task, social, and ad hoc.
  3. Groups are effective for accomplishing tasks.  Understanding group dynamics and mastering group skills allows practitioners greater choice, control and flexibility in their work.
  4. Effective communication, counselling, consultation, and problem solving skills that are relevant to work with individuals are also relevant for work with groups and for application to everyday life. Group work differs in that participants must be simultaneously concerned with individuals in the group as well as the group as an entity.
  5. Technical skill is necessary but insufficient in itself for competent practice.  Technical proficiency must be balanced with a caring attitude, acceptance of a wide range of behaviour and cultures, and respect for the rights of others including their right to self-determination.
  6. Effective group leaders and members are versatile and continuously work to mature a wide range of skills that can be used depending on unique individual, situational and cultural variables. Effective participants have more options for interpersonal problem solving.
  7. Effective group leaders know how, when and why a given skill is used, and they have theassertiveness to use it when appropriate.
  8. Groups are effective to the extent that:
    • they have clearly defined purpose
    • a climate of trust and safety to take risks is established
    • members successfully negotiate a working relationship of mutual aid or support
    • tolerance for conflict and a means to resole it are created
    • individual/group needs are met
    • leaders and members have a variety of strategies and structures for problem solving
  9. Group activity involves a quest for equilibrium between task-centred work and work to strengthen the effectiveness of the group.  Such equilibrium does not require equality of group energy or time, but appropriate attention to the needs of each.  Groups are successful to the extent that these activities are balanced.
  10. Groups are dynamic; they grow and change over time.  Groups tend to evolve through a number of phases (planning, beginning, work, ending). Each phase involves common as well as unique tasks and worker skills and the phases are developmental, with success at one phase dependent in part on success at previous phases.  A knowledge of phase theory allows practitioners to both anticipate and to facilitate change and development.
Learning Activities

Lecture/practice

Means of Assessment

This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations.

Typical means of evaluation will include a combination of written research assignments, case evaluation, testing, and group presentations. This is a Graded Course.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Group Design and Structure
    • identify typical applications of groups in integrated curriculum settings
    • describe the advantages, disadvantages and risks of groups
    • identify critical considerations for planning different types of groups where you are member or a leader
    • identify variables associated with effective groups.
  2. Group Dynamics
    • identify and describe group dynamics, including:
      • norms
      • cohesion
      • process and task functions
      • power and influence
      • trust
      • “group think”
      • decision making/goal setting
    • identify the phases of group development
      • preliminary/planning
      • beginning
      • work or action
      • ending
    • describe essential skills and tasks for each phase of development.
  3. Application of Communication/Helping Skills
    • demonstrate a range of communication skills for use in groups, including:
      • supportive relationship building, including defining role, task, and purpose
      • exploration/probing
      • assertiveness
      • problem solving/teaching
      • conflict resolution
  4. Group Leadership
    • describe models/types of group leadership
    • describe the advantages and disadvantages of different styles of leadership
    • examine personal leadership style
    • demonstrate an ability to lead a small group
  5. Obstacles to Group Functioning
    • describe the characteristics of effective and ineffective groups
    • identify potential obstacles to group functioning, including:
      • silent members
      • monopolizing members
      • hostility
      • controversy and conflict
      • scapegoating
      • hidden agendas
      • abuse of power and authority
      • conflicts of interest
    • demonstrate strategies for addressing and overcoming obstacles

 

Textbook Materials

 

TBA

Requisites

Prerequisites

No prerequisite courses.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer Details for CYCC 2320
Langara College (LANG) LANG GNST 2XXX (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) No credit
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) DOUG CFCS 2333 (3) & DOUG CYCC 2320 (3) = UFV CYC 168 (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV CYC 168 (3)

Course Offerings

Winter 2024