What is up with life being so hectic, I've been wondering? Has it always been like this or is it me being particularly meditative as of late? Mind you, not that this meditative state has produced any great insights, but alas...
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Can you relate?
Between the new concorso, the conclusion of Speak Better Teach Better and the end of year rush (6 weeks to go, folks!), I feel like I can't catch a break. If we're in the same boat, and I suspect that we are, just know that this too shall end and that it's okay to rest a little π
Also, just in case you've missed this, I've been working on a new final revision course for you to get the boost you need before the next written exam: 100+ quizzes, 90 authors, 4 hours to revise together.
Over 120 people have signed up already, which feels massive, so: thank you! If you haven't joined but you want to feel that final bit of support and confidence right before the exam, you're still in time to sign up π
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Now, following on this month's theme of "relationships", today I thought I would discuss a topic that's common to most teachers: group work.
Love it? Hate it? Whatever your stance (and by the way, can you guess mine?), it will be part of your teaching at some point, and chances are, it won't be unproblematic.
So, in this newsletter, I will tell you about:
the most common issues and complaints about group work
5 strategies I have tried to make group work better
Get yourself a little coffee or tea and let's get started! π
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Group work: the villain in education?
Let me start with a disclaimer: as a student, whenever I heard the words "group work" - or, even worse, "assessed group work" - I would visibly grimace.
And I don't think I'm alone in this feeling, as is evidenced by even a cursory search for "group work" on Google images:
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OK, so group work gets a bad rep generally speaking: but why is that, exactly?
In my experience, some of the most frequent complaints I've received from students include:
One person doing all the work: this is probably the most common one (and it's the reason I personally hated group work as a student).
It would be easier to do alone: students may be "lone wolves" and prefer to complete tasks on their own, particularly if they are to be assessed. They don't see the point in doing group work, so they become demotivated.
Group grades being unfair: with different group members contributing differently, how is it fair for everybody to get the same grade?
Uncertainty: what is each person meant to be doing? When? And how? Uncertainty about the distribution of tasks can lead to frustration and delays.
Personality and social conflicts: it's easy for students, particularly if they're teenagers, to clash in a group due to their conflicting personalities... or plain dislikes.
Chaos: the evergreen factor that can lead any group astray. Group members chitchatting, not focusing and ultimately failing to reach the goal of the group work.
Do these sound familiar? Can you think of any others? But more importantly: how to make group work... work?
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5 strategies to make group work... work
If you can relate to any of these issues, here are 5 straightforward strategies I have tried and tested over the years, with younger and older students (i.e. from 12 to 25 years of age).
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1. Choose the right task
Group work can be very appealing for teachers: it (supposedly) fosters community and communication, and it can reduce the amount of marking. However, a source of frustration for students can be the fact that they really don't see the point in doing a certain task in a group. And I would suggest: maybe they're right?
Before assigning a group task, analyse the task: does it need to be a group task? Or does it at least benefit from being done in a group? For example, unless you're only and explicitly assessing collaboration, a task like writing an opinion essay will be more suited to individual work.
Tasks that specifically benefit from being done in groups include:
scenarios that resemble real-life situations involving collaboration, such as working in a team to create a product
activities in which students with different backgrounds or specialisations can contribute their special knowledge or skills
tasks in which you purposefully want to implement peer tutoring
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2. Start from group formation
Many issues of conflict down the line can be prevented with judicious group formation at the start. Experiment with different techniques depending on the group: should the students get in groups autonomously? Are cliques likely to form or specific students likely to be excluded? If so, would it be best for the teacher to choose the group members?
A technique that combines teacher choice with student preferences is the one recommended in this article. Before the start of the group project, each student writes a short "resume", in which they say what they're good and not so good at (e.g. leadership, proofreading, visuals) and which classmates they would like (or would not like) to be grouped with. The teacher analyses these cards privately and groups the students accordingly.
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3. Get organised
Some days I think that if I hear "... so teacher, what should we do?" again, I will start banging my head against the wall incessantly, cognitive consequences be damned. Now, to prevent this sort of issue, you want to implement an organisation system that will keep the students on track. Explain the task, ask students to repeat the instructions back to you; have them break down the task into sub-steps; for longer projects, ask them to create a timeline for completion with milestones. Years down the line, your students will only be grateful to you if you teach them the valuable skill of making a Gantt chart!
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4. Model success
Do your students who despise group work realise they've likely already done group work successfully? Remind them of the times they have, for example, played team sports and won a game. That's group work. You can also do smaller, sample activities in groups before you set out to do the bigger group project so that they can achieve a small goal and realise that yes, they can actually work in groups.
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5. Foster accountability
One of the biggest risks in group work is that one or two students will take the bulk of the work and do it for the whole group. This is unfair and can lead to even stronger students becoming resentful and disengaged. A few tips to prevent and manage this:
Assign roles: give each group member a specific role and monitor how they manage it throughout the project.
Track individual work: each group member should have a role and specific assigned tasks, and they should give evidence of how they are performing these tasks in something tangible, like a shared Google document. Make this a compulsory and assessed part of the group work. Monitor the document and if you notice someone does not seem to be pulling their weight, it might be time for a chat with them.
Use peer evaluation: during the group work, and again at the end, have learners fill in peer evaluation forms. Knowing that others are evaluating them will help them feel more accountable.
Split the grade: unless there is a specific reason for having only one grade for the whole group, consider splitting up the final grade into an individual grade, plus a group grade. You can also weigh them (e.g. 60% individual grade, 40% group grade) if you think it will make more sense for your specific situation.
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And with that, comes the end of today's newsletter! What's your take on group work: are you a lover, hater, or something in between? What strategies have you used to make it work? If you use any of these strategies, let me know!
I wish you all the best for a lovely Sunday.
Take care, dear teacher β¨
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β¨Cool things I heard this week
Thankfully I can do the course with you - I'm running out of time for my exam so I really need someone to help me focus!
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