There is a wealth of literature available suggesting the benefits of team working, and there are a number of aspects which can influence team performance, e.g. the diversity of team members, social facilitation, task type and team motivation, however for the purposes of this essay I will focus on team skills training. “Team skills” are the “collective qualities that are critical to an effective team environment and overall success” (Tenenbaum & Eklund, 2007). If we take the phrase “team skills” to mean, as defined by (Pritchard, Stratford & Bizo, 2006 p.256) as “the ability to work collaboratively together so that group activities enhance, rather than hinder learning,” so “team skills training” is the training needed to improve this. Group performance refers to the measurement of group behavior; this can be good or bad. Within this essay I will critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of such training, in relation to group performance, including reference to its effect on collaborative learning and groups in educational contexts, as well as the effects on memory and experience of the workload. It is involved in group skills training when “students work in groups on tasks reflecting on integrative and developmental reactions establishing key learning points to apply to the next task” (Pritchard, Stratford & Hardy, 2004 p.11). A group can undertake team skills training to help students achieve a better teamwork experience, enabling them to transfer skills, as well as explore potential benefits to academic performance (Pritchard, Stratford & Bizo, 2006 p.9 ). This is important as it is the general consensus that "teams perform indi...... half of the document ......m-skills training: preparing students to work in teams". British Journal of Educational Psychology [Online] 76, 119-140. Prichard, J. S., Stratford, R. J., & Bizo, L. A. (2006). 'Team skills training improves collaborative learning. Learning and Education, [Online] 16, 256-265. Prichard, J. S., Stratford, R. J., & Hardy, C. (2004). "Training students in teamwork: why and how?" York: LTSN Psychology.Prichard, J. S., & Ashleigh, M. J. (2007). “The effects of team skills training on transactive memory and performance.” Small Group Research [Online] 38, 696-726.Prichard JS, Bizo LA and Stratford RJ (2011) “Evaluating the Effects of Team Skills Training on Subjective Workload.” Learning and Instruction, [Online] 21, 429-440. Tenenbaum G. & Eklund RC (2007) "The Handbook of Sports Psychology" 3rd edition, John Wiley and sons inc. New Jersey.