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.
 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
 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.