Group Norming Exercise

Goal: By the end of this exercise, participants have a better understanding of how their group will operate. Participants need to be made aware of their charter and try to operate within it. You should also revisit it from time to time. The charter will help you establish some ground rules and goals.

Procedure
1. Participants sit together and complete exercise as a group; please compose a charter.

2. Debrief: What have you acheived by doing this exercise?

3. Throughout the life of the group, refer back to your charter.

Steps:

• 1. Appoint a "scribe".
• 2. What are the ground rules. Aim for 10.
• 3. How can we best support each other?
• 4. How can we best serve our agency?
• 5. Wants?
• 6. Pet Peeves?
• 7. How will you deal with conflict? Unmet expectations? How do we deal with members who don't participate enough, participate too much, or distract the group from its task?
• 8. Rules about multi-tasking?
• 9. How are we going to make decisions?
• 10. Who will we elect as team captain?
• 11. How often, when, and where will we meet?
• 12. How will we contact each other? Be specific.
• 13. When are you available to meet with the community partner to sign the project contract? List all times you are available M-F from 9am until 4:30pm.
• 14. Look at your community partner's project needs. What particular skills/ experiencedoes each group member have that would help in meeting those needs?

Once the charter is drafted, please name your group, add a new page with your group's name under S-L Writing Groups. Post your group's charter there with each member's name attached (serves as electronic signature). Next, share your reserach about your agency with your group members, and set goals for the next week. Your group has until 9/14/07 tomeet with your community partner and sign the Service-Learning Project Contract, the Image Agreement, and the Confidentiality Agreement. Your on-site fieldwork, (observations) should begin the week of September 17th.