Groups

Hello everyone,

There are a variety of ways of having students work together. They may work in pairs (assigned or ad hoc); they may be in small groups (reciprocal learning groups or cooperative learning, both assigned and ad hoc); they may work on projects as groups of varying sizes (assigned or ad hoc); they may meet as study groups outside class (also assigned or ad hoc).

There are also a variety of reasons for having students work in groups. Current thinking is that, since they want to socialize anyway, we ought to make their socialization work for their education. Sometimes they are doing things in class that require them to work in groups (experiments, some performances, editing groups, sports).

You may have more than one way of assigning whom they work with and how they work. They may partner up according to the seating chart; you might assign them according to ability (matching high with low, for example); they may choose to work with their friends; you may assign them completely at random; they may choose numbers and you match them according to number.

You have a wide variety of choices to make on how large to make the groups. Everything from two to half the class can work.

Having the students work in a group is a useful tool, but you have to know how to use it to have it be most effective. Even so, don't be afraid to experiment.

The larger the group, the more necessary it becomes to appoint a leader of the group. Give the leader extra credit (if necessary) for the extra work required; always do your work through the leader or the leader's appointed representative. (This strengthens the leader and gives you relief from many administrative headaches.) Your leaders can gather supplies, suggest individual grades in the group, delegate assignments, control behavior, and explain content--or delegate any of those things to someone else. Leaders may be chosen by the group, by the teacher, or by random. Have an alternate for days when the leader is absent.

Decide if everyone in the group gets an individual grade or a group grade, then decide how to keep everyone accountable for the grades.

You may use fixed groups--unchanging for the entire year--, or you may use a variety of different groups over the course of the year.

Tomorrow, we'll treat some special problems in group work.

Jeff Combe