Case study
Hicham has been working as a teacher since September. He really enjoys teaching his subject and is getting better at it. Recently, he also became a learning team supervisor. What a learning team is, he understands. How he gets the group of students themselves to work, he is not so sure. At the moment, he has the feeling that he mainly does a lot of preparation himself and just teaches a small group. That can’t be the intention, can it?
What do we mean by a learning team?
A learning team is a long-term partnership. The basis of this connection is the learning questions of team members who meet in a small, fixed group, and on a regular basis, guided or unaccompanied. Such is the official definition. What this looks like in practice varies a lot from programme to programme. There are programmes where the student learning team is the heart of the programme and the learning teams meet weekly. There are also programmes where the learning team is less deployed and the meetings are also less frequent.
Extra information
The HU vision on Education and Research (August 2022) states the following:
“We work at HU with learning teams. Learning teams ensure (re)connection with other students to the programme and the HU. Students learn together, fulfil different (team) roles in relation to each other, utilise each other as peers and are each other’s ‘critical friend’. Because we do not have class teaching systems at HU, for example, as well as offering opportunities for flexibility, learning teams ensure that everyone has a safe home base. Through learning teams, we shape the HU community.”
Learning team as home base
The learning team is a safe home base for students. The learning team supervisor is often the first point of contact. The learning team provides a sense of connection and commitment to the programme: the student is ‘seen’. Within the learning team, students learn together, and learn to fulfil different team roles.
Learning team as an exercise for practice
Working together within the learning team is an exercise for practice in which (interprofessional) collaboration is increasingly common. It also provides students with a safe place where they can work on developing their personal and professional skills as HBO professionals.
Competencies practice
The Dublin descriptors set final qualifications for an HBO professional for overarching competences. This is done on a programme-by-programme basis. For example, a HBO graduate should have self-knowledge, be able to communicate, present, reflect, have research skills, be able to give and receive feedback, and have learning skills.
In a learning team, these competences can be practised. They may vary to a greater or lesser extent from one programme to another.
The learning team supervisor
A learning team supervisor is a coach and process facilitator. He/she:
- Coaches students on how to develop a personal and professional profile using various forms of work.
- Encourages students to take control and act autonomously.
- Gives space for own initiative and provides feedback on developing competences.
- Facilitates and guides students to be each other’s critical friend, and in giving peer feedback within the learning team. He/she does this by asking many open-ended questions himself/herself, and encouraging team members to ask each other questions.
The learning team supervisor is also a learner and is a member of the learning team as much as possible. It is an equal relationship between student and learning team coach. This requires the coach to dare to let go of the teacher role (increasingly).
The learning team meetings
In learning team meetings, activities focus on learning from and with each other. Each learning team member is expected to contribute. Examples of learning team learning activities are:
- To (learn to) give and receive peer feedback.
This could include learning questions, elaborating on them and reflecting on them. - Brainstorming:
– intervision
– discussing case histories
– role plays
– demonstrating, or practising working forms/methods from the programme
– reflective activities to promote ‘deep learning
– discuss current social themes
The team members decide which activities take place during the learning team meetings. The learning team facilitator advises and may propose ideas himself. Learning team interaction focuses on students’ next step in their personal and professional development. They keep control of their own learning process.
Composition of learning teams
The optimal size of learning teams is five to eight students. This way, participants all contribute sufficiently to the interaction, they dare to speak freely and mutual trust is built.
Forming heterogeneous groups is advised: deeper forms of interaction then develop, according to studies. These then ensure better learning outcomes.
Especially in the initial phase, supervisors should pay a lot of attention to the group formation process, and to creating a safe learning environment. Then all students will feel free to express themselves.
How to coach a learning team?
Lingsma’s team coaching model (1999) answers the question of how to coach a learning team. Lingsma’s book ‘Aan de slag met teamcoaching’ describes development levels of teams. (M stands for maturity).
The team stages
- The M1 team is in the first phase. This is the phase of a collection of individuals. There is no emotional attachment to each other yet, a lot is expected from the supervisor.
- In the M2 team, interpersonal relationships are tested, conflicts are entered into and subgroups emerge.
- The M3 team is close-knit. There is mutual agreement on goals. The team learns from each other and feels responsible.
- The M4 team achieves results independently, but team members are also open to outside influences. They think and act outside the box.
The learning team coach can help the team develop to the next stage. Here, remember that certain behaviour triggers the other. If the coach keeps solving problems for the group, the participants will continue to sit back.
Role of the coach in the team phases
How can you as a coach help take your team to the next level?
Phase 1 Noses in the same direction
An M1 group is still loose sand, there is no commitment to each other yet. Extensive informal introductions are important to create connection. To get everyone on the same page, it helps to be clear about goals, procedures and planning. Expectations towards each other are agreed. A useful tool is to make a joint contract about these agreements.
A certain lightness in this period is also nice: do introductory games, small exercises, and an outing. This creates a connection with each other. The coach can use exercises to make a connection with study or internship. This gets the team into a joint learning mode.
Phase 2 Giving and receiving feedback
In an M2 team, more attention can be paid to the interaction between group members. This is an appropriate time to learn to give and receive feedback. In this phase, you ask the following questions in a team: ‘How do we interact? What do we consider important in the way we work? The contract can also be revisited: ‘Do these agreements match how we want things to go?’ Communication and interaction are important. The coach can make interaction patterns visible, or name meta-communications.
Phase 3 Team takes ownership
Once a team is in the M3 phase, the coach can finally ‘sit on his hands’. The team takes responsibility for its own content, procedures and process. The coach can, however, help the team to think more outside the box, and name the process.
Phase 4 Team coaching itself
An M4 team actually no longer needs a coach. The students coach themselves and each other.
Coaching a student learning team
Coaching is often seen as ‘sitting on your hands’ and letting the group do the work. This only comes into play in the third phase, as the above interventions show. Until then, the learning team coach is alternately teacher, entertainer, facilitator and process facilitator.
The trick is to see in time when you take on which role. Also stay aware of the effect of your role on the learning team members, they react to what you do.
Encouraging self-direction and autonomy
Students determine the content of the meetings. Beginning learning teams, for example in the first year, do not yet have experience with this. Then it helps to work with a chairperson role, and rotate it. The chairperson is responsible for the agenda and is discussion leader. The facilitator can then already take more distance.
Follow-up case study
Hicham discussed the purpose of the learning team at a subsequent meeting. He also suggested appointing a chairperson. The students identified the tasks of the chairperson, and what they expect from each other. Next time, the chairperson will hold a ‘How’s it going’ round and introduce a current topic of discussion. Hicham asks questions if things fall silent for a while, or if he thinks the conversation is straying too much. At the end, the learning team members evaluate together. Conclusion? They were more active and engaged.
Extra information
Edes, I., Kortas, J., Knieriem, C., & Mertens, M. (2016). Learning teams for professionals in training. Utrecht: Education Innovation Programme, learning team learning expert team Utrecht University of Applied Sciences.
Lingsma, M. (2005, 5th revised edition) Getting started with team coaching. Publisher Nelissen: Soest.
Lingsma, M., Bolung, M. & Brabander de, R. (2005, 3e revised edition) Werkboek teamcoaching en nu echt aan de slag. Publisher Nelissen: Soest.