It is a real challenge to get students to work in a diverse group. However I have seen these type of groups work together very well. I think the instructor has a lot to do with setting the proper example. Most students will follow if the instructor sets clear expectations and leads by example.
The obvious ones are when members of a group do not get along and also one or two people doing a majority of the work.
I think it is a good idea to have the students work in groups. They need to learn to get along with one another.
They seem to discuss the topics that are class driven and then diverge into personal conversations.
My students would rather select their own group to work in, however in my class all the topics that we will be working on are put in a basket. I write the subject matter on a piece of paper and will put 1 or 4, 2 of 4 and so forth so they know how many partners they have. Then they find who their partners are and have to learn to work as a team. I feel this is great experience for the work force, as there will be many times you will have to work with others that you do not know or are not close to, and having to do this assignment teaches them how to do that.
I am extremely interested in using Student Groups in the math class I am currently teaching. One of the challenges I am concerned about, however, is the lack of participation by the students with weaker skill levels. There are a few who do not want to ask questions or ask for help. I'm hoping that putting them with stronger students will help create a "safe" learning environment where peer tutoring can occur. The other concern I have is that these students will be embarrassed and not utilize the learning opportunity that is being given. I'm still willing to try this approach, however, to see if the benefits will overcome the challenges. Thanks for the ideas!
I find that most student groups, especially at the freshman level, are full of students who aren't sure they want to be in college. The serious students will participate wholeheartedly in a group while other less devoted participants sit and simply on-look. I directly confront those students, and they almost always have a ready answer as to why they are letting only one or 2 students accomplish the group's tasks. Perhaps I'm not giving them the right type of assignment, or I need to make sure that I grade them individually as I see them participating or not.
Hi Alan!
You have clearly identified some very real challenges involved with group activity. Do you think there is a way to identify who not to put in a group? If so, would you share? I think we all struggle with group work about as much as any teaching/facilitating activity that we do.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Greetings!
The number 1 biggest challenges of using student groups. I wish we could find a good solution.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
work ethic is a tough one. i've often said that 90% of the work gets doen by 10% of the people in a group and have sometimes seen this actually happen
One of the big ones is do they like each other? If a group can't get along, very little will be accomplished. However, I will not break up a group just because member "A" and "B" are whinig. These students are about to enter the real world and if they can't get along here then it is going to be a real problem in the field. I try to coach them and help them become a cohesive team. Another one is if they like each other too much. If they all hang out together and party, this can be just as bad as it usually ends up being a discussion of the previous night's activities. Too many or too few in a group can be a challenge also. If there are too many then only a couple actually do the work and the others just stand there. I set up groups and then monitor activities by moving around from group to group giving input and asking questions so they know I am involved.
I actually find that one of the biggest challenges for me dealing with student groups is trying to NOT intervene. It is important that the students learn to solve problems or deal with conflict on their own. At the first sign of challenge students often immediately turn to me to resolve the issue. I will guide them as necessary, but I also turn the issue back on them and most times they can actually resolve the issue themselves if they just take the time to work it out and think it through.
A challenge I have faced recently has been students performing individual parts of a project and feeling as if they weren't learning the others' parts. I think this was mainly due to the nature of the assignments, so I took the components and divided them into smaller pieces. Having more small projects gave more incentive to utilize each others talents and input.
One of the biggest challenges with student groups is the "weak link" in the group. Getting the students to understand that this is a common factor in any group and working together so everyone is pulling their fare share of the responsibilities is very gratifing when it comes together.
Hi Deborah!
You are correct - group work can be difficult because there are so many different personalities.
I have been giving group work a great deal of thought and one thing that occurs to me is that perhaps we make the project too long. A group project is typically not due until the end of the semester and we wait until mid semester to give the assignment. Maybe it should happen first half with a very short preparation time. This short duration "may" prevent all the personality stuff to happen. Divide them by first letter of first or last name. Just a thought - I haven't actually tried this but I think it could be very interesting.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
Ed
Some challenges are that one or two take control of the group and begin to dictate. That's why when using groups I try to incorporate small mini-lessons using cooperative learning (sink or swim together). I find that with young students they don't know how to work together because they are so tied up in solitary on-line games,etc.
With group work I also have the students grade each other on their participation within the group.
Since I have a very small class (3 students), I have not yet conducted any group assignments, but I think that perhaps one problem may be being able to monitor how much effort each person puts forth toward the final "project".
Putting students together in work groups can be tricky. If you let them pair up, they tend to group in a social way--friends with friends. This defeats the purpose of the group.
When you make the group diverse, personalities sometime clash. Sometimes a leader will emerge but the rest of the group tends to go with this leader. If no leader emerges, the group flounders.
I agree that grading group work is difficult. I use groups that share a common goal like finding an answer to a problem that is not threating to them.
Hi Jill!
From the posts that I have read and responded to, there is not a clear cut answer. I know we instructors think that we are supper human, but we can't change human nature.
Does anyone else have any suggestions for Jill?
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Don!
I feel your pain! Group work for a grade is not an easy process with a group of students with different backgrounds, with different needs and different learning styles.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
