groups
groups are good and help students work together
Hi Victoria! You're right! Many instructors suggest having groups establish ground rules for participation and responsibilities from the beginning - even a team member contract in which a breach would constitute negative consequences.
Thanks for your comments!
Jay
ED106 Facilitator
groups are good. However they must be watched carefully to ensure that everyone is participating. It can be tempting for some students to fade back, and on the flip side some students will try to take total control.
They help students to understand teamwork and multitasking as well.
I think that groups are also good it helps students to develop a trust for their teammates and realize that the work that they are doing is not going to only affect them but the whole group. I think that teamwork also builds confidence because no matter what the dynamic among team members there may be a few who slack off and do put in as much effort as the rest of the group. It forces other members of the team to speak up and voice their concern if the consequences of this person are going to affect them as a whole.
I agree, groups are effective in having the learners understand the value of teamwork.
Student learning groups can be a great educational experience if well monitored with clear guidelines and goals established.
I agree!
When I was going to school, we had group projects in every class (even programming).
Gets them ready for the real world
I believe that groups can be very useful but they must be constantly monitored. I like to meet with the groups regularly to monitor their progress, and to make sure that everyone is participating. I have seen situations in which some students take over the group, and some do not participate at all. I also allow the students to complete "anonymous" evaluations of their group so that I know what is really going on.
When carefully monitored, I agree groups can help indivdual students stay focused and task oriented.
