Field trips: collaboration in the field

Structure small-cohort research projects so every student contributes and develops a shared researcher identity within a supportive team⁴.

Set up effective teams

• Support balanced team formation—considering comfort levels, field experience, and group dynamics—to help ensure no student feels isolated where possible¹⁴.
• Offer a team contract template that prompts students to agree on communication methods, shared expectations, and what they need from each other to work well together¹³.
• Facilitate brief team-building activities at the start of the trip to build rapport.

Structure the collaborative work

• Consider using role rotation (e.g., via a visible chart or wheel) as one option for structuring tasks, while recognising that some students may need consistent or mobility-appropriate roles, especially in the field context.
• Hold 5-minute nightly team reflections; review to identify teams needing support.

Why it matters—Clear roles and reflective practices give each student a meaningful contribution, build interdependence, and foster a supportive community.

General tips for facilitating successful group work

• Explain to your class that groupwork can be challenging for everyone, but learning to work well in teams is one of the most important skills for any scientist (actually, this applies to nearly all jobs). The days where major scientific advances are made by individuals toiling alone in dark rooms are long gone – the big advances in science now are most often made by teams that include a diverse range of people – people with different fields of expertise, and people with a range of different perspectives and ways of thinking. That is, the most successful groups include people with different expertise and training, genders, ages, cultural backgrounds and ways of thinking. Neurodiversity can be a superpower – e.g. if it allows a group member to think of things in a different way to the rest of the team, or spot something everyone else overlooked.
• Some students have equitable learning plans that allow for them to have an alternative to group work, and might need to work alone. However, learning to work as part of a team is a really important skill, so if at all possible, try to find ways to help your students to get involved. There are several things you could do to facilitate neurodiverse student participation in groups, including
  • Helping students to join a group (see setting up effective teams, above), or allowing them to work with one or two people they know and are comfortable with
  • Allowing students to work in smaller groups
  • Helping students to find a particular role within a group
  • Encouraging groups to set up group chats so that students can contribute in a written format if they don’t feel comfortable speaking
  • Allow groups to sit in a quieter spot outside during groupwork (which can get quite loud inside).
• Encourage students to talk to their groupmates about what helps them to work at their best.
• Encourage groups to set clear expectations and roles.
• Emphasise the importance of making sure that all group members feel valued, included and engaged. Tell groups that if they notice that one of the group members is not participating, they should not assume the worst, but instead tactfully ask what is going on for the student, and see if the group can do something address the issue (e.g. group members often stop participating if they find their early contributions are not taken seriously, or if they are dealing with anxiety and feel out of their depth).

Downloads and links

• Promoting inclusion in ecological field experiences
• Role Rotation Wheel Template
• Keeping Whole Field Teams Safe

REFERENCES