According to chapter one there are two important features to effective groupwork. The first of these is that students are expected to work together without the direct supervision of a teacher. This allows them to be responsible and to struggle (which is a very important part of learning). The second feature is that the task that is assigned needs to be difficult enough that no one student can do it individually. This reminds me of how proud I would feel when I finally understood something that I really struggled with.
Chapter two mentions several reasons that groupwork is superior to individual work, and research that supports this position. Some of these reasons include that the students can learn some concepts more effectively through certain hands-on activities and watching and talking to other students, students can become resources to one another, and students can help each other by using their collective skills (where each individual does not contain all of the skills required to be successful). It also teaches students to listen to other peoples perspectives and try to understand what they are saying, creates positive relationships among students, helps students develop skills to solve complex problems (like they will need to do in life outside of school), and it allows the teacher to work with students who need help while the rest of the class is still being productive and learning. I am curious when groupwork will become a more positive part of school that engages more students.
Chapter three discusses some of the potential problems that arise when students work together in small groups. These problems are related to status being assigned to students. The status that is assigned often dictates how actively a group member will participate and is often assigned for reasons that are irrelevant to the task at hand. In my CPI experience I saw a groupwork activity in which the students were definitely aware of the status that each member had. The student who had higher status knew how to do what was being asked but would not help his classmates. How do I address a situation like this besides forming different groups?
I am interested to see what the book suggests as a solution to the potential problems. Also, I am curious which is more important appropriate grouping of students or laying a strong foundation for the expectations of all members of a group?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I really encourage groupwork in the classroom. However, I am still courious to know and learn more effective techniques when incorporating groupwork in the class. Throughout my observations, too often do I see students slack off, do the minimal amount of work, and get distracted when working in groups. Thus, I see the benefits in theory, but more often do I see the downfalls of groupwork in the actual classrooms.
ReplyDelete