One of the questions educators consider is how to get students to invest themselves in their classes. A classroom that recognizes and supports the individual's need to both belong and contribute can lead to the formation of a community in which each student is more likely to invest. Studies show that the greater the participation of individual members in any group, the greater their levels of interest and investment in that group. The individual moves from self-interest only to being interested in the well-being of the group, and a sense of community emerges.

None of what I'll say here is really new. It is something most of us have known since we were young-both intuitively and experientially-and yet all too often, our current systems of education seem to have either ignored or forgotten what so many of us know. Take a moment to think of a time when you were an integral and valued member of a group: how engaged were you, what kind of investment did you make in the group, and what did it feel like? And then think of a time when the opposite was true, when you were a member of a group but not an integral or valued member: how engaged were you, what kind of investment did you make in the group, and what did it feel like? Our own experiences make each of us experts.

While there are no definitive rules to ensure group success, we can create conditions that will facilitate group processes in a way that can increase the likelihood of success. Indications that people have come together and formed a group are that they refer to the unit as "we" and those outside the unit as "they," are interested in the success of the unit as a whole, speak freely, offer help and feel that they can gain the help of the other members, participate regularly, and, perhaps most importantly, they know their contributions are valued.

A group's desire for success can be strengthened by setting clear and realistic goals, being sure members understand both their roles and the benefits of membership in the group, making clear the necessity of interdependence, emphasizing the unity of the group and each member's responsibility for its success, and affirming that success when it occurs. In most groups, the interest in belonging is increased when a member has a particular need that s/he feels the group can meet. The obvious application here would be the student's grade, but the group can also offer support in tackling difficult tasks, giving respect for work that is done, and creating good will. Another factor that increases group cohesiveness is when members who are feeling positive toward the group make sacrifices for the group. When students are required to meet outside of class to collaborate on an assignment, for example, they make a sacrifice that can deepen their investment in the group. Assigning roles to each member of the group can help to ensure that everyone participates. These roles can be modified and changed as individual capabilities emerge, at first to match capability with task and then to encourage participants to stretch beyond their levels of comfort, to facilitate growth and learning.

Groups can come into conflict, of course, that interfere with group functioning. Developing clear and specific group norms and procedures can bring order and help to alleviate those conflicts, as can being explicit about group processes. When difficulties remain unexpressed and unresolved, interpersonal criticism or attack can result, exacerbating the conflict, so designating time to discuss and work through difficulties is essential for effective group work. It is useful to talk about the relationship of friendship and antipathy in groups: We tend to agree with those we like and disagree with those we don't like, even when the ideas expressed by both are the same. Putting patterns like this on the table can facilitate awareness about the process and give group members more conscious choice about what they do.

The group values the voice of every member, but that is not to say that the teacher abdicates the leadership role. The form does change, though. As the group progresses, the gap between the leader and those being led would lessen. This makes room for students to play increasingly significant roles. The 2500 year-old Chinese text Tao te Ching illustrates this with comments about what an ideal leader is, "When the Master governs, the people/ are hardly aware that he exists," and: The Master doesn't talk, he acts. When his work is done, the people say, "Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!

Collaborative skills grow more vital every day in a world in which there is ever-increasing technological complexity, and this means fewer areas where individual contribution is enough. Collaboration can make work more satisfying and productive, leading individuals to invest in the success of the group. And while this approach requires time and energy, the product-and also the process-are worth it. A successful group is more than a collection of separate IQ's; it is a place where the participants can focus, coming together to inter-weave their individual strands of talent and intelligence. This can result in an ability to see differently, when the group is able to point to the gaps in what the individual might previous have thought was a complete picture.

And finally, modern physics gives us a metaphor that applies to this discussion. Subatomic particles behave like they are in communication of some kind with one another. These particles seem to be in a kind of interdependent community, in ways that are more relational than autonomous. Science no longer sees separate particles and separate substances as it once did but relationships and interdependence. Physicists cannot study subatomic particles without altering them by the act of observing them. The observer and what is observed are connected, and any statements about what is observed cannot exclude the nature of the observer. Our need to connect with one another can be seen as a strength, and consciousness of our interdependence can be the bedrock on which we build. We invest in our connections with one another, and reap the many benefits, not the least of which is the greater investment we are then motivated to make in what we do.

By Shirlee Dufort

Works Cited

Bennis, Warren and Patricia Ward Biederman. Organizing Genius: The Secrets of
Creative Collaboration. Reading: Addison-Wesley, 1997.

Knowles, Malcolm and Hulda Knowles. Introduction to Group Dynamics. New York:
Association, 1972.

Luft, Joseph. Group Processes: An Introduction to Group Dynamics. 3rd ed. San
Francisco: Mayfield, 1984.

Lao-tzu. Tao Te Ching. Trans. Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper and Row, 1988.

Palmer, Parker. The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Landscape of a Teacher's Life.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998.

Zander, Alvin. Making Groups Effective. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1982.