Too much group work is a bad thing?
Many avenues of education encourage group think, and group task for learning. Today's students are socially driven.
is this truly appropriate for industries that function on individual thinking,problem solving, and accomplishment?
I find many of my students seemingly unable to "think for themselves" when asked to stand apart from their group or class.
Are we pushing this group thing too much?
Marlene,
great point made here & yes we don't want to overuse them. Like any teaching method, groups can be overused or overdone & then they start to lose their effectiveness.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I don't think that group work is a bad thing, if not used too frequently. Students need to be a part of a team, and be able to work as a group in nursing, so I feel that group work helps students succeed in a career. Also, it certainly helps break- up the day. Students don't like an ALL lecture day. They like to get involved.
This has been one of the biggest challenges with group learning, in my experience. As a rule of thumb, in an attempt to counteract this, I've always required individuals to be able to outline for me exactly what their contributions to the overall project were.
Thomas,
you make a good point here that I'm hoping is clear--group work is not the solution for everything nor should it be used in every situation. There are times when individual work is best.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have had similar experiences. Perhaps the work that is given is enough for two but not enough for three. Therefore the third person always seems to be just standing there or walking around the room. I don't think group work is appropriate for everything though. If I am teaching a cakes class and one person built the cake and the second person iced it. Neither one of them can make the entire cake from start to finish which will inhibit their value in the industry. However I am not opposed to letting them work together to make the components. I merely make it a requirement for each student to assemble their own cake.
Kenneth,
I encourage groups larger than two, but you have to monitor the groups & also I encourage a division of duties to help with work avoidance by group members.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have found that a group of more than two is ineffective - 2 will work well but the other(s)slough off.
Lynae,
yes, yes, yes! This is an excellent point & one that has to be taken to heart. Too often, group work is used as an excuse to take a break but this is not the case at all. As you pointed out, group work requires careful & active monitoring & inolvement by the instructor.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
It is important to point out that just because students are engaged in group work doesnt mean the responsibility of the instructor is diminished. On the contrary, I find monitoring group work as challenging as instructor led work.
You have to identify the leaners and lifters and strive to have each student pull their load.
Yes I feel as though we might be. I mean a group is only as strong as its make-up of individuals. And I also have observed how a few students feed off anothers students plate without knowing or learning their own receipe??!!
I personally will not put 4 weak students with say 6 other strong students.
I would put all the weak students together and try to get all of them to step-up to the plate. I would assign each student a role, and how that role plays out in the group would be very imperative that each student:research, study and review their set material prior to the presentation of that group.
This helps each student to hold their own, and learn on their own abilities.
Either they will rise to the occassion or fail miserably...its all up to them.
cory,
it could be pushed too much, but many of our industries today depend on working in a team environment & using the strengths of the team to accomplish. The key would be to help our students learn how to work in a team environment without giving in to the dangers of group think.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
