Group Work Activities and difficulties with Empathy
Remember, disability is a highly individualised experience. People with the same disability may have very different capabilities and/or needs, so it is always best to discuss any adaptations to practice, the environment or equipment directly with the disabled person themselves rather than making assumptions about what adjustments may be suitable.
Group work is a form of cooperative learning which aims to develop students knowledge, generic skills, (e.g. communication skills, collaborative skills, critical thinking skills) and attitudes. The ability to participate effectively in group work or team work is seen as a desirable employability skill and should be considered part of every learner’s educational experience.
Empathy and trust are a platform for effective understanding, communication and relationships. They are essential skills for developing ideas and solutions, solving problems, effective communication and avoiding or diffusing conflict.
Building Trust
Establishing trust is concerned with listening and understanding, without necessarily agreeing, with the other person. A useful focus for students to work on is developing the skill of listening to another person, trying to understand how that person feels, and trying to discover what it is that person wants to achieve. Group work could be focused on encouraging students to understand what others want and trying to help them see ways to achieve this as well as working collaboratively to solve problems. In doing so, students will develop trust in their peers.
Listening
Listening is by far the most important of all communications skills. It doesn't come naturally to everybody and students will need to work at developing this skill effectively in order to stop them from jumping in and offering their opinions when it isn't appropriate. Most people don't actively listen to others, rather they take turns to speak, and are more interested in announcing their own views and experiences rather than really listening and understanding others.
Being able to understand another person’s point of view is essential to the negotiating process when engaged in group work. People who have been diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum or having Aspergers Syndrome usually have little or no appreciation of the feelings of others. Those with schizophrenia or depression may have a reduced ability to empathise with others; also, people with depression are frequently inward focussed and may need a lot of support and encouragement to cooperate with others to complete tasks.
The autistic person understands the world at only a literal level, they will not understand humour, irony or metaphors. They avoid eye contact, and need to be given clear, unambiguous specific instructions.
It is helpful if people with these difficulties allow the disclosure of their condition to the group, as this will enable the teacher to explain something about the condition to the other group members and give clear guidance on how best to communicate with the individual.
