Effective Group Work

The approaches to groupwork used on the SPRinG (Social Pedagogic Research into Groupwork) project were developed by collaborative discussions with teachers and the evaluation of their classroom activities by teachers and pupils. The focus was on developing an approach that could be fully integrated into the fabric of the school day. The key messages that emerged were as follows. 1. Ease pupils gently into groupwork In the early stages of working in groups, it may be best for students to work in twos and threes. At KS2, groupwork was found to be most effective when it involved no more than five pupils. Group sizes need to relate to the age and experience of pupils, as well as to the complexity of the task they undertake. 2. Develop a supportive ethos It is worth putting time and effort into developing a supportive ethos. A process of briefing and debriefing at the start and end of lessons is useful, so that pupils can reflect on the skills that they need to improve their collaboration. 3. Recognise that skills are involved Groupwork skills have to be actively developed if students are to communicate effectively through listening, explaining and sharing ideas. ‘We cannot just put children into groups and expect them to work well together.’ ‘Groupwork,’ the researchers found, ‘is unlikely to be successful without a lot of hard work and preparation, and this will need to extend over the course of a school year.’ 4. Organise the classroom Teachers taking part in the project received guidance on classroom-seating arrangements, and characteristics of groups such as their size, composition and stability over time. 5. Address conflicts and assist pupils in resolving their problems Conflicts need to be addressed if they are not to lie below the surface and inhibit learning. Groupwork is a context which brings emotions to the fore. Without opportunities to experience and develop the skills to handle conflict on their own, students are not going to develop the capacity to do this independently of the teacher. 6. Stay on the sidelines Teachers can best support learning by acting as facilitators. Confronted by dependent and passive learners, teachers need to encourage students to: consult books and other sources of information ask other pupils for help and suggestions take greater responsibility for their own ideas and decisions. 7. Integrate groupwork into the fabric of the school day Each class taking part in the research project was expected to undertake at least two one-hour groupwork sessions every week. 8. Ensure that groupwork is adopted by the whole school When teachers work without support from colleagues, the likelihood is that some teachers will not implement groupwork fully. 9. Adapt groupwork to class needs Teachers need to develop the freedom and confidence to take ‘ownership’ of the approach. Adapting grouping strategies for different purposes and tasks is the only way of ensuring that the needs of whatever groups they work with are addressed. This is particularly important when working with pupils who have special needs, or in schools facing challenging circumstances. The teachers involved in the project felt that their own professional skills and confidence had evolved as a result of taking part in the activities. The development of pupil group skills freed staff from many of their ordinary duties, giving them more time ‘to reflect on, and think strategically about, their teaching.’ 10. Teachers need training Teachers need to internalise a variety of skills to do with problem-solving classroom management and personal relationships before they can instigate effective groupwork in their classrooms. The current one-year PGCE course offers insufficient time for trainees to develop these skills. Teacher Jodie Corbett on working with a Year 4/5 class: ‘For a few weeks, I and my two colleagues – a teaching assistant and a learning support assistant – observed the children working. We quickly identified the pupils who saw groupwork as a ‘free ride’ and those who would need support. We tried different combinations of children and, following a few tweaks, we had the groups firmly established. 'Now came the difficult part. We watched and supported groups of children as they argued, shouted and sulked. We were very tempted to split them up, but the researchers said it was important that the children worked through these difficulties with adult support. 'For a long time, all we could ‘see’ was noise and disruption. But after a while we realised that the noise we could hear was actually productive noise. They weren’t arguing or talking about last night’s EastEnders, they were actively engaged with the work.’ Effective Group Work Strategies for the College Classroom Love or hate it, group work can create powerful learning experiences for students. From understanding course content to developing problem solving, teamwork and communication skills, group work is an effective teaching strategy whose lessons may endure well beyond the end of a course. So why is it that so many students (and some faculty) hate it? Although the students may not state their objections verbally, the nonverbal reactions are truly eloquent. They just sit there; only with much urging do they look at those sitting nearby and move minimally in the direction of getting themselves seated as a group. This lack of enthusiasm is at some level a recognition that it is so much easier to sit there and take notes rather than work in a group and take ownership. The resistance also derives from past experiences in groups where not much happened, or where some members did nothing while other did more than their fair share of the work. Often very little happens in groups because students don’t tackle the tasks with much enthusiasm, but group ineffectiveness also may be the product of poorly designed and uninteresting group tasks. This special report features 10 insightful articles from The Teaching Professor that will help you create more effective group learning activities and grading strategies as well as tips for dealing with group members who are “hitchhiking” (getting a free ride from the group) or “overachieving” (dominating the group effort). Here’s a sample of the articles in the report: • Leaders with Incentives: Groups That Performed Better • Dealing with Students Who Hate Working in Groups • Group Work That Inspires Cooperation and Competition • Better Understanding the Group Exam Experience • Use the Power of Groups to Help You Teach • Pairing vs. Small Groups: A Model for Analytical Collaboration In short, Effective Group Work Strategies for the College Classroom will change the way your students think about group work. Maryellen Weimer Editor The Teaching Professor A lthough the use of small groups can provide a welcome change to the regular classroom routine, the results are rarely all positive. Invariably, one or two students in each group, because they are shy or lack self-confidence, are reluctant to share their input. These are often the same students who have to be coaxed to participate in large class discussions. Because of group dynamics, the student who usually emerges as the group leader, either by default or proclamation, is often not sensitive to the need to engage the quieter students in the conversation. As a result, the more outspoken students may unwittingly extinguish the very dialogue that the small group is intended to promote. I have found that paired collaboration consistently produces better results than small group discussions do. Having students engage a question in a one-on-one exchange encourages stronger participation by both parties. Rarely do small groups generate equal contributions to the dialogue or problem solving, while pairing creates an intellectual partnership that encourages teamwork. Paired collaboration can easily be modified to work in a number of disciplines. In my literature classroom, the following model, which I use about once every three weeks, seems to be particularly effective. At the beginning of class, I ask each student to place his or her name on a sheet of paper and to write a question about the work that we will be discussing that day. I then collect all of the questions and redistribute them so that each student has someone else’s question. Students then break into pairs and together formulate a response to one or both of the questions, depending on the time allotted for the exercise. They are required to cite textual evidence in support of their arguments. After a period of time, usually 15 or 20 minutes, each pair reports its findings to the larger group. Even if some of the pairs end up answering similar questions, they rarely have similar answers. And, if by chance each member of the pair has radically different interpretations, they are invited to share their individual responses. The exercise can actually be helpful in illustrating the variety of critical readings that one literary work can engender. And, depending on the direction that discussion takes, it can provide the foundation for discourse on a number of theoretical approaches to the text. Experience has convinced me that the benefits of pairing are numerous. Working together provides an opportunity for problem-solving on a more intimate scale than small groups allow. Students tend to form an alliance as they work together to compare—and share—their interpretations. They are more likely to come to class prepared to engage the reading, as they know that they might be called upon at any time to share their knowledge. Finally, a paired model not only allows quiet students to find—and use—their voices, but it also teaches mutual respect and cooperation. Paired collaboration is a small adjustment to the typical group discussion that can yield big results. Effective Group Work Strategies for the College Classroom. • www.FacultyFocus.com Pairing vs. Small Groups: A Model for Analytical Collaboration By Denise D. Knight I have found that paired collaboration consistently produces better results than small group discussions do S uccessful professionals need to be able to both cooperate and compete. Educational experiences need to help students develop both skills. Attle and Baker, authors of an article on the subject, cite survey data from employers indicating that 80 percent of all employees in America work in teams or groups. But competition continues to be the way to succeed in the global economy. Attle and Baker have developed learning experiences that combine the two. They outline an instructional strategy that brings together “components of cooperative learning with the positive aspects of motivational competition through inter-group competition between collaborative teams” in sport management, the field in which they teach. (p. 79) Specifically, they assign students to groups; within those groups, students participate in a grant development project. The instructors work to make the project as “real-world” as possible. They contact a local organization and find out what that organization might need. The groups then develop grant proposals that seek funding for the project. Each group presents its proposal to a panel, and that panel “funds” the proposal of only one group. The article also contains other examples of courses and content where these faculty members have used this cooperative-competitive model. The authors make a number of important points about activities that combine cooperative and competitive elements. They note that cooperation and competition are neither “inherently good or bad in supporting the learning process how instructors employ these strategies in order to enhance student learning determines their value in preparing welleducated soon-to-be professionals.” (p. 77) They say that the exercises’ design must be undertaken carefully, with the instructor attending to how the groups will be formed, their composition, the dynamics that affect