The biggest challenge I have when students work in groups is I want everyone having the same responsibilities, often encounter students who do not want to do anything and I assign an important task within the group which motivates them to cooperate.
Group Think! I try to keep them focused on the project and award accordingly.
The most common challenge we all find is the unbalanced work load of the students, but I agree with some of the responses on here about assigning each group member to a specific task. This ensures everyone's participation.
To make sure one student does not do all the work . To have everyone participate
Pauline,
yes sometimes having a very structured guide for discussion or timetable for deadlines can help.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
A challenge I have is they tend to get off track and the group is non productive. I change the group dynamics and this does not help.
One of the biggest challenges I've had when it comes to working in groups is the "typical" this person isn't pulling their weight. Another challenge is if a student or students end up dropping the course.
I find it's challenging dealing with students who feel their way is the better way to go when doing projects. I can most easily deal with this by clearly outlining what the project entails (for example some computer work, some research work, some creative or artistic work etc.) and pointing out how each group member must tap into the strong areas of other group members. This helps those students who want to do it all realize that others may have better skills in certain areas, and, it helps those group members who may be shy or hesitant to contribute ideas feel that they have a skill that can be of great value. Plus, in continually monitoring the group work during the class, students know that I can see who is doing more or less work than others. It still can be a challenge but it's easier dealt with that way.
Mary,
I agree that this is a good approach. While we are developing skills for the workplace, many students are not yet mature enough in these skills to split up duties on their own. When we can help with this structure & division of duties it typically helps the projects & the groups to be more successful.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I teach in a career institute. The biggest problem I have had with "group work", is the "snobbery factor", "I'm smarter (or better) than you". Yes, I understand we all come from different background, but learning tolerance and working together is very important to me. How do I communicate that to students? Obviously I cannot force change in thinking/actions, and trying to lead by example is not always successful. I'd love to hear from those of you who have had the same experience.
Mabel Shirk
The biggest challenge to me was to make sure the students share responsibilites as well as the workload. Some students are stronger than others and will take the lead for the group, whereas others will just sit back and basically do nothing. I find that assigning certain tasks to specific individuals will lighten the load and enhance overall participation.
Israel,
this is a great strategy. Give each member of the group a specific task to complete so all have something for which they are accountable & can be graded.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I like to use of student groups , and i know that it can be difficult because most of the time it is going to be on or two students doing most if not all the work while the other members of the group just sit back a chat. So what i find that really helps is that i give each student an assingment or responsibility to complete, this makes sure that they all ahve to pull their own weight and be acountable to their team.At the end of the presentation their peers will evealuate their assingment as a whole.This realy helps when dealing with student groups.
Ryan,
this is definitely a challenge & it also poses a great teaching opportunity. The students need to learn to overcome personality conflicts as they move forward in their chosen careers & we can help them get a start on this while in our classes.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
In the past I've noticed that personality conflicts within a group is the greatest challenge to be overcome.
Denise,
this is definitely one of the biggest challenges of student groups. I would suggest exploring one aspect of the grading being for the group as a whole & then one aspect being a peer review grade that is individualized.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Kari,
this is definitely a challenge & I would encourage you to consider adding a peer review grading aspect to identify those who don't pull their weight.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I find that some of the challenges are that only one person does all the work. Also it is hard to grade each student as an individual, because you can grade one student higher than the other and it could be looked at as favoritism.
I find that some of the challenges are that only one person does all the work. Also it is hard to grade each student as an individual, because you can grade one student higher than the other and it could be looked at as favoritism.
I haven't started teaching yet, but from my own college experience I struggled with group work when you had an individual that didn't want to pull his/her load for the group.
