# Learning effectively through teams ![Matt Andrews, Edward S. Mason Senior Lecturer in International Development](/sites/g/files/omnuum12666/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/vpl/files/andrews_240.jpg?itok=729WUqCZ) **Matt Andrews, Edward S. Mason Senior Lecturer in International Development** at Harvard Kennedy School, is the faculty director of the [Building State Capability](https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/) program in the Center for International Development at Harvard and trains students in [Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA)](https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/tools/toolkit/) for solving complex policy and management problems alongside his co-instructor, [Salimah Samji](https://growthlab.cid.harvard.edu/people/salimah-samji). PDIA is a step-by-step approach – developed over years of applied action research - that helps students break down a problem into its root causes, identify entry points, search for possible solutions, take action, reflect upon what has been learned, adapt, and then act again. It is “a dynamic process with tight feedback loops that allows students to build their own solution to a problem.” This approach is most effective, Andrews believes, when “learning happens in groups.” ## The benefits While traditional classroom approaches may focus on transmitting information and prompting reflection on new concepts, Andrews notes that policy and management takes place in an “active arena” where team dynamics are crucial to success. Andrews creates opportunities for students to “go out into the real world and try ideas with a group then have them come back into the classroom to have a conversation about what happened.” This “complete cycle of learning” allows for students to compare their experiences and reflect on practice in real time. > ***“There's learning that happens at the level of the individual. There's learning that happens in the classroom. And then there's learning that happens when people interact with other people, and when they interact in an active sense with the real world. It's not one or the other. It's all those things combined that help people learn how to do applied things.”*** ## The challenges Many students have experienced negative team dynamics in school or their professional settings, so their collective reaction to learning through a large group work component is typically “a big sigh.” Effective teamwork relies on trust and accountability, which are both difficult to establish quickly. ## Takeaways and best practices ### Facilitate norm setting early. “Set norms early in the process,” Andrews encourages, noting that he also “facilitates a session early on in which groups generate their own sets of norms and expectations for how they will work together,” rather than providing them with a prescribed set of norms. ### Incorporate collaborative work into class time. Give students opportunities to work with their team during the course meeting time, so that this logistical barrier is removed, and all students are guaranteed to participate. ### Check in frequently. To gain insight into group dynamics, Andrews notes that open-ended questions are the most fruitful. Keep the process simple and allow students to feel more agency as team members. Andrews bases check-ins on the following questions: What did you do? What did you learn? What are you struggling with? What's next? ### Bottom line Teams-based learning is an effective tool for applying knowledge to complex real-world situations and gives students an opportunity to develop skills in negotiation and collaboration that are necessary in most professional contexts. ## Related research [### Use of an Online Social Annotation Platform to Enhance a Flipped Organic Chemistry Course ](https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1mdq5o5/TN_cdi_openaire_primary_doi_3edf0cc0257f3e772cd7cb62f76426bd) An online social annotation platform, Perusall, was incorporated into a flipped organic chemistry course sequence. The platform provides an interactive chat enhanced with social media features that facilitates student engagement with each other as they... [### Collaborative Online Annotation: Pedagogy, Assessment and Platform Comparisons ](https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1mdq5o5/TN_cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_561f4103b464423d81e5a3fdee908a44) Annotating a text while reading is commonplace and essentially as old as printed text itself. Collaborative online annotation platforms are enabling this process in new ways, turning reading from a solitary into a collective activity. [### Use of a Social Annotation Platform for Pre-Class Reading Assignments in a Flipped Introductory Physics Class ](https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1mdq5o5/TN_cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_2a22610bbac2444c8d335e9804bd22cd) In this paper, we illustrate the successful implementation of pre-class reading assignments through a social learning platform that allows students to discuss the reading online with their classmates. We show how the platform can be used to understand how... [ More Research arrow\_circle\_right ](/intopracticeresearch) ## Related resource [### Ask a Librarian ](https://ask.library.harvard.edu/) For questions related to course materials that may not be immediately available through social annotation tools like Perusall, Ask a Librarian. [### Interested in hearing from a faculty member using Perusall? ](/links/interested-hearing-faculty-member-using-perusall) Interested in hearing from a faculty member using Perusall? Watch this video of Professor Eric Beerbohm from VPAL’s Debate as Pedagogy event explaining how he used the platform to launch class discussions. [### Introductory video from Perusall’s founders ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PfAc0D2erk) Interested in learning more about Perusall? Check out this introductory video from Perusall’s founders [ More Resources arrow\_circle\_right ](/intopracticeresources) See also:- [ HKS ](/featured-faculty/hks) - [ Into Practice Issues ](/practice-categories/practice-issues) - [ collaborative learning ](/topics/collaborative-learning)