Group work can be a fantastic addition to any classroom regardless of the age of the students or the subject being studied, however like everything else in education, if done incorrectly it can be a waste of time and energy. The good news is that getting group work running well in your classroom is all about organisation, and something that anyone can do. 

 

 

Why do group work?

 

Gone are the days when teachers would stand at the front of the class and dictate notes. Our expectations of teachers have gone up, but so have our expectations for students. We no longer expect them to be good at mathematics and English only, but also effective communicators, valuable team members, confident speakers, and much more. Including group work in your lessons is a way in which we can foster all of the above, while meeting standard lesson objectives. Check out some of the benefits of group work, below. 

 

• Students can share ideas and learn from each other. This is really helpful for lower level students, as it’s an opportunity to learn from their peers.
• Students develop teamwork and communication skills. 
• Students learn how to manage their time, and work through a problem.
• Group work allows students to take ownership of their own learning. 

 

There are many other benefits and so in theory it looks like a no-brainier. Of course we would want all of this to take place in our classes, right?  So, why are some teachers reluctant to include group work into their practise?

 

 

Why are teachers sometimes reluctant to do group work?

 

Teachers sometimes comment that group work takes too long. We take two lessons for a group work activity, when the objective from the book could be covered with a worksheet that takes ten minutes. However, it is important to remember that when we do group work, we aren’t just achieving the book objective, but teaching valuable skills and allowing students to practise them. That math activity is doing a lot more than teaching the concept of ‘scale’, but teaching communication skills and independent learning skills. 

 

The main reason teachers don’t enjoy leading group work activities though, is behaviour. At one time or another, every teacher has presided over a brilliantly-planned group work activity that has gone horribly wrong in practise. Most of the time, it’s due to behaviour problems and students going off-task. The good news is that this is relatively easy to fix and comes down to organisation.

 

 

Organising Group Work

 

For years, my group work activities were either a hit or a miss. They either went really well or really badly, depending on which class I was teaching and at what time of the day. A lot of factors effect student behaviour, but we know that when students are free to communicate with each other in a way that is not structured, chaos can ensue. For this reason, it is important that you put the process into place before you begin.

 

Step 1 – Grouping

 

The first issue that can make or break a lesson is grouping. It may seem easier to let students choose their own groups, but this sometimes starts the lesson off with bad-blood between students. Maybe they couldn’t get into a group they like, have to work with a student they don’t like, or even worse, maybe they weren’t chosen by their friends to join their group. Choosing them yourself either strategically or randomly is usually a better way to go. If you are choosing, try to mix ability levels so that students who might need help can get it from their classmates. This allows them to support each other’s learning. Teacher-created groups are a great way to teach students about working in teams, resolving conflicts, and is more like ‘real life’. We don’t always get to choose who we work with in the real world, do we?

 

 

Step 2 – Ensure Understanding

The second issue is ensuring students know what they should be doing. It is important to take time at the beginning of the lesson to explain what’s going on and what the outcome should be. Having the task on the board to be able to explain it is a good start, as is printing it out and giving the instructions to each team. 

 

 

Step 3 – Allocate Timing

 

Group work enables students to have a lot of freedom regarding the way in which they work through a task, however one thing they cannot have freedom with is timing. From the outset, students must be aware of how long they have to complete the task, whether it’s 30 minutes, one lesson, or multiple lessons. In my experience, the best results can be found by breaking the task up into parts. For example, students have 10 minutes to discuss how they are going to complete the project or task, 20 minutes to write their plan etc. This is especially useful for students who haven’t done much group work before, as it shows them how to structure their time effectively. As students learn how to engage in group work, you may find you need to do this less and less, however I would recommend it with new classes or with students who haven’t done group work before. 

 

 

Step 4 – Keep Students On Task

 

Most behaviour issues when doing group work arise as a result of students being off-task. Often, one or two students will take the lead and do the work, while the rest mess about. Inevitably, the students who are left with nothing to do will be the students who are either below level or those who sometimes have behaviour problems anyway. This can result in chaos and wasted time. 

 

Many years ago, a fellow educator taught me the POGIL Method as a way to keep students on task, and I’ve been using it ever since, although I have adapted it to suit my classrooms. The POGIL Method (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning Method) is one where students are allocated roles within their small groups. Giving each student a role within the group ensures that everyone has something to do, and that every member contributes positively to the group. The roles in the POGIL Method are:

 

• Manager/Facilitator – the student who makes sure everyone is on task, the group are making progress and are sticking to the times allocated, and that everyone is involved.
• Recorder – the student who takes notes of the group discussions, keeps a list of who is in the group and the roles that they have been assigned. 
• Presenter/Spokesperson – the student who presents the ideas to the rest of the class, and who communicates with other groups if necessary, as well as communicates with the teacher if needed.
• Reflector/Analyst – the student who questions the process, and helps team members come to a common conclusion. 

 

For younger students, the names can be adapted into simpler ones such as the Manager, the Writer, the Speaker and the Questioner. Younger students also benefit from a visual reminder of their roles, and so different coloured wrist bands for each role, or even badges, work well.

 

The distribution of roles can either be done randomly or based on student ability. A good way to start is to have packs of cards for each team with a role written on each one. Deal the cards face down onto the desks and let luck be the deciding factor. You may find that students who wouldn’t normally be confident will excel when given the chance to be the Speaker, or students who usually just sit back will find their voice if being assigned the role of Questioner. If you want to ensure that students try out different roles for the purpose of developing a skill you have identified as needing some work, you can allocate them yourself. 

 

 

The POGIL Method completely changed the way group work played out in my class, and is something that I now wouldn’t embark on a group work assignment without. By ensuring you group your students correctly, explain the task well, give a time limit, and allocate roles within the groups, teamwork will take on a new meaning in your classroom.