Group work“Teaching without learning is just talking’’

What is a group?• Hundreds of fish swimming together are called a

school. A pack of foraging baboons is a troupe. A half dozen crows on a telephone line is a murder. A gam is a group of whales. But what is a collection of human beings called? A group. …. collections of people may seem unique, but each possesses that one critical element that defines a group: connections linking the individual members….members are linked together in a web of interpersonal relationships. Thus, a group is defined as two or more individuals who are connected to one another by social relationships. Donelson R. Forsyth (2006: 2-3) [emphasis in original]

What is group work?

• Various names have been given to this form of teaching, and there are some distinctions among these: cooperative learning, collaborative learning, collective learning, learning communities, peer teaching, peer learning, reciprocal learning, team learning, study circles, study groups, and work groups.

Benefits of group work• Group projects provides opportunities for developing

generic skills such as: – organization, – negotiation – delegation,– team work, – co-operation,– leadership,

- Following(These skills are not automatically picked up but are skills

that must be explicitly taught and critically evaluated just like essay writing, and critical reading}

Benefits of group work• With a small group of students exploring a topic

in a limited time frame, there are opportunities for their collaborative product of their studies to go to greater depth and breadth

• Group work can be used for real world work on authentic real world projects

• Group work is useful for encouraging social interaction for isolated, shy, introvert, and overseas students

• Group work can be used for real world work on authentic real world projects

Benefits of group work

• Group assessment is more public and accountable for its intentions and judgments.

• If the student learning output is a group effort it will reduce the assessment workload by a factor of the number in the groups and thus can be a more efficient means of assessing.

When to use group work

• As suggested by Gary Poole• When quality is more important than efficiency

Groupwork can be inefficient. It should be used to improve the quality of student product.

• When the total amount of information processed or generated is more important than ideas.Using techniques such as group brainstorming can reduce the number of ideas generated as students discuss the ideas rather than come up with new ideas.

• When the task lends itself to a division of labour

Why use Cooperative Learning?

Research has shown that learning in groups -

• promote student learning and academic achievement • increase student retention • enhance student satisfaction with their learning

experience • help students develop skills in oral communication • develop students' social skills • promote student self-esteem • help to promote positive race relations

Designing Group Work

• Create group tasks that require interdependence

• Make the group work relevant• Create assignments that fit the students' skills

and abilities. • Assign group tasks that allow for a fair division

of labor. • Set up "competitions" among groups. • Consider offering group test taking

Structured Learning Team Group Roles

• Leader • Recorder• Reporter• Monitor• wildcard

Types of group work

Conflicts • A certain degree of conflict is useful and is a sign that the

group is functioning healthily. • Too much conflict suggests communication problems which

must be resolved. • No conflict suggests apathy or lack of input from the whole

group. • Conflict usually arises from unclear aims and objectives. To

avoid this, set down the aims and objectives of the group for the whole project at all levels as early as possible.

• Disagreements should never be personal. • Conflict raises the level of discussion, critical thinking and

reasoning skills.