Working together in a group where people have different skills and speak different languages is difficult.
Here are a few tips to make it easier.
- Have fun! Try to do something fun together that’s not about the project, to help you come together as a group.
- Respect each other’s skills and backgrounds.
- Use “accountable talk” to exchange ideas and comment on each other’s suggestions. Listen attentively to each other, face each other when you speak, ask questions. Do check out the linked resource – it has many sentence starters and explains what accountable talk is.
- Use paper and pencil, images, or acting to explain what you mean, when language is a barrier
- Use “talking sticks” to ensure everyone gets a chance to speak – the person who has the stick is the one who’s speaking. This is particularly helpful in groups where one or two members still need a little time to formulate what they want to say in English, or where one of the members likes to think carefully before they speak. There are many other ways of organising your discussions – why not try a few?
- Determine what each of you is best at. Use the jigsaw technique, where everybody works on a different task, and then come and piece the jigsaw back together.
- Bring dictionaries, so that you can easily look up words, and show the other people in your group the definitions you’ve found. They can help you pick the right translation.