When Looking Is Allowed: What Compassionate Group Work Looks Like in a UK University

Gilbert, Theo

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-57783-8_13

Cited by 15 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Overall, in contrast to control groups, the compassion-focussed pedagogy (CfP) described above, appears to have had three effects (Gilbert, T., 2012(Gilbert, T., , 2016a2017b).…”

Section: Students' Use Of Compassionate Micro Skills In He Team Workmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Compassion on university degree programmes at a UK university

Gilbert

Doolan

Beka

et al. 2018

JRIT

Self Cite

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the neuroscience that underpins the psychology of compassion as a competency. The authors explain why this cognitive competency is now taught and assessed on modules of different degree subjects in a UK university. Design/methodology/approach The paper is divided into first, an exploration of recent psychology and neuroscience literature that illuminates the differences, and relationship, between empathy and compassion for safeness building in teams. Within that, the role of oxytocin in achieving social and intellectual rewards though the exercise of cognitive flexibility, working memory and impulsive inhibitory control (Zelazo et al., 2016) is also identified. The literature findings are compared against relevant qualitative data from the above university, so far, nine years of mixed methods action research on compassion-focussed pedagogy (CfP). Findings These are that the concept and practice of embedding compassion as an assessed cognitive competency in university group work is illuminated and rationalised by research findings in neuroscience. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the study are that, so far, fMRI research methods have not been used to investigate student subjects involved in the CfP now in use. Practical implications The paper has implications for theory, policy and practice in relation to managing the increasing amount of group work that accompanies widening participation in higher education (HE). Social implications The social implications of what is outlined in the paper pertain to student mental health, and academic achievement; to policy and practice for HE curriculum design across subjects and disciplines; and for the HE remit to serve the public good. Originality/value A review of this kind specifically for student assessed group and its implications for student academic achievement and mental health has not, apparently, been published.

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“…Overall, in contrast to control groups, the compassion-focussed pedagogy (CfP) described above, appears to have had three effects (Gilbert, T., 2012(Gilbert, T., , 2016a2017b).…”

Section: Students' Use Of Compassionate Micro Skills In He Team Workmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Many of these skills are non-verbal. An example is the compassionate management of one's own and others' eye gaze in the groupinclusive, excluding or avoidant eye gaze (Gilbert, T., 2017b).…”

Section: Students' Use Of Compassionate Micro Skills In He Team Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compassion on university degree programmes at a UK university

Gilbert

Doolan

Beka

et al. 2018

JRIT

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We always opened our online classroom early for 'coffee and chat'; Garrison acknowledges the need for this varied dialogue, including social conversation, in order to build trust and respect. Cohort diversity is a great strength, and indeed resource, and we tried to encourage appreciation of this with a focus on the discipline of noticing (Mason, 2002) and work on compassionate group interaction (Gilbert, 2017). We hoped that participants would build a conversational approach into their own working contexts.…”

Section: The Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Powerful conversation for learning

Clark

Jarvis

Yip³

2021

jldhe

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“…It became clear that group work leaders have a specific role in setting the tone and expectations for the group and then modelling the desired behaviour. It is important that group work facilitators clarify the expectation that students are considerate and respectful of each other and that it is the responsibility of each student to ensure that all of their group are included in discussions and decision making, reinforcing the benefits of a truly inclusive approach [18].…”

Section: Students' Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enabling Inclusive Group Work

Pearson¹,

Collins²,

Clarke³

2019

ICERI Proceedings

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Group and team work promote key employability skills, required by many degree accrediting bodies, and are viewed as active and authentic ways of learning, supporting the construction of knowledge among peers. However, managing expectations, group dynamics, and assessing group and individual contributions is challenging. Group work approaches that consider diversity and promote equitable participation by all students, enhance the culture of the learning environment and are more likely to lead to productive group interactions. Here, we focus on the development of guidance on inclusive teaching and learning for university lecturers and students involved in group work (both face-to-face and online), as part of an anticipatory approach for including students with disabilities. A collaborative approach with a range of stakeholders across our institution was taken to scope and iteratively develop a set of guidance materials. Initial discussions involving students with disabilities from different disciplines identified a set of issues and some recommendations. Interviews conducted with relevant staff corroborated and extended these ideas, which were used as a basis for developing professional development resources for staff leading group work activities. The resources developed were then trialled and refined based on staff feedback. The student focus group and staff interview findings were then reviewed to refocus on issues relevant to the design of group work activities. The findings provided a basis for critically reviewing the group work activities with the designers of a recently developed module, and to make recommendations for the designers creating group work activities for a new module. This process of working with academics to review and inform group work designs, is currently being abstracted to produce recommendations for group work designers. A further iteration with students is also underway to extend guidance materials for students working in groups, to raise awareness of student diversity and approaches to accommodate students with disabilities. Engaging stakeholders in the iterative development of guidance for inclusive group work has revealed issues but also offered solutions. For example, students identified the benefits of having information in advance to help reduce anxiety and allow them to plan (e.g. for extra study time). Students also noted that how group work is initiated affects the extent to which they feel included throughout the activities. It became clear that leaders have a specific role in setting the tone and expectations for the group (e.g. the need to be considerate and respectful of each student) and then modelling the desired behaviour. Aspects of module design that were determined as being essential for inclusive group work included the choice of tools for communicating; scheduling enough time for reading and thinking; establishing a range of roles and agreeing tasks within the group (e.g. data gatherer); and designing contingencies into tasks that minimise the impact of delays or in...

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When Looking Is Allowed: What Compassionate Group Work Looks Like in a UK University

Cited by 15 publications

References 15 publications

Compassion on university degree programmes at a UK university

Compassion on university degree programmes at a UK university

Powerful conversation for learning

Enabling Inclusive Group Work

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