I agree! I have avoided group work on many occasions because of a particularly sluggish participant.
I think the main challenges are giving students equal but unique roles so dominant students cannot take over the project, helping students manage and assess accountability of peers, and the challenge of absence when key parts need to be done in class.
Having students work in groups can really point out someone who is not a team player. Some times you'll have one student doing the majority of the work, while some others get by doing the easy portion of the assignment. I've also found that if they have to present a project together, they sometimes don't work well together and mesh their presentation and styles of delivery. I think teaching team work is a very important thing, especially since I teach medical assisting. My students need to have the skills required to effectively work together with others. I am very careful, however, to make sure I know what student did what on the project. You always must remain fair and make sure the student who went above and beyond isn't punished in any way by one of the students not pulling their weight.
The over-achieving student can be as destructive to group harmony as the loafer or under-achiever.
Carl
Sometimes students loose focus and begin to socialize more than work on the task at hand.
One challenge is dividing the work evenly and that "plays" to the different strengths in the group. If students think that one student has most of the work and others have little to do they quickly quit trying. When they can see that all jobs are important and all jobs come together for a finished project, everyone is much more satisfied.
Another problem is that one student who refuses to pull their own weight and often refuses to do anything at all. The other students truely resent this individual. First make sure they understand - no work; no grade. Then if all else fails remove them from the group and put them on their own. It defeats the purpose of the group but it keeps the remainder of the group from counting on someone who will not participate.
I agree -- unless the students are fairly advanced (as in final term), I always use random selection.
The biggest problem for me is the social loafer, the person who just sits there and doesn't participate. Sometimes I also observe the student who just agrees with everyone else. Sometimes I think it is because they are shy, but sometimes I think it is because they don't know and don't want to look "less than" the others in the group.
I see one of the biggest challenges with our student population is that if someone has a background somewhere in the medical field, as I teach Nursing, then the student with experience tends to want to teach everyone else and monopolize the group. Needs gentle re-direction and placing students back on track.
I've found that the challenge I see is that some students don't put forth the effort in the group. A few members of the group end of carrying the assisgnment. I do use groups but I use them very carefully.
Hi Elizabeth!
I think if instructors were surveyed about the biggest challenges of group work, these would number 1 and number 2. So how do you help students work through these challenges?
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
When assigning group projects, etc. there is always the case of someone(s) not pulling weight and the instructor not being able to tell..
I think the suggestion that the group self evaluate members' work--something for the
instructor's eyes only--might be a way to
insure at least a reasonable level of contribution. I agree that you don't want to
establish more than 6-8 students for a class-
oriented project; also keep no more than 3 if
more personal or student oriented project.
Some challenges with groups are clicks. Working with small groups, some age or experience difference some students "stick" together, therefore leaving some students feeling left out. For that reason, I prefer the "count off" method, in groups no larger than four-five people.
Greetings Thomas!
So you become the arbitrator for the groups?
The one thing that I don't hear instructors provide students with is the group process - forming, storming,norming,performing and disbanding. I would like to think that group work is as much about the process as it is the assignment.
Thanks for letting me share those thoughts and keep up the good work.
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
One of the biggest challenges that I have encounter with student groups is equal participation among group members. Another challenges is, the lack of or failure to communication on tne part of some (usually one or two) group members.
sometimes everyone wants to be hear and you can have some coflict in trying to complete the task. So i would be there to be the third party communicator just to smooth things so they can move forward and stay on point.
Hi Sue!
Engagement definitely helps students in becoming an important part of the process. I am curious who is the monitor - student or teacher?
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
The challenge of the student group situation depends on the expected outcome of the group project.
If the group is meant to turn in an assignment, clear instructions must be given otherwise the dominant personalities in the group will do the work and the passive personalities will not participate.
However, over time sometimes the roles switch amongst the cohort and the outcome is an unexpected surprise of success.
When students work in groups they each need to have clear expectations for participation. For example, ask that each student present one idea generated by the group to approach an issue or problem. The monitor can also be instumental in assessing each group member's participation and if someone in the group is quiet and appears disengaged, the monitor can ask them a question to encourage participation.
Some challenges to be aware of are noise levels, and dominating students.
