Learning Communities - Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing

Psychologist Bruce Tuckman first came up with the memorable phrase "forming, storming, norming, and performing" in his 1965 article, "Developmental Sequence in Small Groups." He used it to describe the path that most disparate people go through on their way to becoming a group. Later, he added a fifth stage, "adjourning" (which is sometimes known as "mourning").

The following video and model details have been adapted from MindTools, a website designed to help careers, however the information is just as useful to the development of learning communities.

Forming

In this stage, most learners are positive and polite. Some are anxious, as they haven't fully understood what the lessons will involve. Others are simply excited about the new collaborations ahead.  As the teacher, you play a dominant role at this stage, because students' roles and responsibilities aren't clear.  This stage can last for some time, as people start to work together, and as they make an effort to get to know their new classmates.

 

Storming

Next, the class moves into the storming phase, where people start to push against the boundaries established in the forming stage. This is the stage where many groups have problems.  Storming often starts where there is a conflict between group members' natural learning styles. People may work in different ways for all sorts of reasons but, if differing learning styles cause unforeseen problems, they may become frustrated.

Storming can also happen in other situations. For example, members may challenge group authority, or jockey for position as their roles are clarified. Or, if you haven't defined clearly how the students will work, people may feel overwhelmed by their workload, or they could be uncomfortable with the approach you're using.

Some may question the worth of the goal, and they may resist taking on tasks.  Students who stick with the task at hand may experience stress, particularly as they don't have the support of established processes, or strong relationships with their colleagues.

 

Norming

Gradually, the team moves into the norming stage. This is when people start to resolve their differences, appreciate classmates' strengths, and respect your authority as the teacher.
Now that your students know one another better, they may socialize together, and they are able to ask one another for help and provide constructive feedback. People develop a stronger commitment to the learning goal, and you start to see good progress towards it.

There is often a prolonged overlap between storming and norming, because, as new tasks come up, the group may lapse back into behaviour from the storming stage.

 

Performing

The group reaches the performing stage, when hard work leads, without friction, to the achievement of the goal. The structures and processes that you have set up support this well.  As the teacher, you can delegate more, and concentrate on developing group roles.  It feels easy to be part of the group at this stage, and people who join or leave won't disrupt performance.

 

Adjourning

Many groups will reach this stage eventually. Courses generally last for only a short period.
Students who like routine, or who have developed close working relationships with classmates, may find this stage difficult, particularly if they are unable to continue their learning.