DO
WE CARE ABOUT GROUP WORK?
Probably there are no
teachers nowadays who would not include group work in their lesson plans. Have
you ever thought why you do it? Obviously, there is rich literature which tell
us that some activities can be better performed in groups.
Field research evidence support the idea.
Finally our common sense informs us that if language is social property
and is used for social interaction, it therefore should be practised through
social interaction. Even if we are still not convinced we at least know it is
„in” and try not to drop behind our colleagues. On the other hand, having
asked your pupils to embark on a group activity, have you then never
complained about the way the task was performed? So what are the gains and
losses of the group work? How can it promote learner autonomy? Why should we
care about group work at all?
I often encourage
students to work in groups, therefore I had to make it clear to myself why I
want them to exchange their habit of individual work for a more co-operative
style. I drew up a list of arguments to support my practice and to share it
with other teachers.
Why should
we care about group work?
- students can better
overcome obstacles to speaking: shame, lack of confidence, fear of being
criticised;
- students are engaged
in some real activities and in real communication;
- they not only
observe but also contribute to the task;
- they learn from
others in the group;
- they learn to work
together;
- they learn to
express their own opinions and to accept their peers’ opinions;
- they learn to
contribute to the group success;
-
it creates more opportunities for speaking;
- it encourages
co-operative, instead of competitive, learning;
- it develops
interdependence and independence;
- it develops
responsibility;
- it is just fun
- the last but not least important argument.
I have, however, heard
from many teachers that in spite of all these benefits, the list of drawbacks
to this learning/ teaching mode is as long as the list of advantages and I am
sure they are perfectly right.
Why do
teachers not like group activities?
- chaos;
- noise;
- not everybody wants
to contribute;
- better students work
for weaker ones;
- mother tongue used;
- takes a lot of time;
- students do not know
how to distribute work;
- less teacher control
over students work;
- difficult to
evaluate;
- students know too
little to work on their own;
- some students prefer
to work individually;
- they are not
responsible enough;
- some students
disturb the class;
- some are not engaged
in the work;
- physical setting in
the classroom inconvenient.
The problems included
in the list of disadvantages cannot discourage us from making effort
to stimulate group work, but they also cannot be ignored. Our task is
not only to encourage students to group work but first of all to help them
understand the value of co-operation for now and for the future and to help
them acquire skills necessary for successful group work. We cannot expect our
students, whatever age they are, to be able to work together successfully at
the first attempt.
First of all we should
remember that some of the problems mentioned arise in any learning context, no
matter what teaching method is being used. Noise, chaos, lazy students, shy
students, mother tongue used - these are too often an inconvenience in our
daily routine.
Recently there has
been a growing tendency to train students to use learning strategies. Working
in groups, which actually is also a strategy /a social strategy/ needs the
same training. Below there are a few hints for a group work training. You can
adapt all or some of them to the age and language level of your students and
to your classroom context.
How to
make group work easier?
- Remember that a
shift from individual to group learning is a process, not a single event.
Students need time to adjust to it. You
need patience and devotion to help them.
- Start with the
smallest group size (pair work) and then expand the groups to more members.
Four is probably the best number with younger students. The group size will
depend also on the type of the task.
- It is good to know
students’ preferences about their learning style. It will help you
understand them better as well as understand reasons for their failure in
working together.
- Students should be
informed about the purpose of group work. You can discuss with your students
why it is useful to work together, which activities can be performed better in
groups and which individually.
- It is useful to tell
students they will need this social skill in the future and outside school:
family, work, camp
holidays, etc.
- Before you embark on
a group activity discuss with students all the factors that influence group
work quality: expressing opinions, planning the work, distributing work,
respecting set deadlines, working as well as they can, doing what they were
supposed to do, respecting other students work.
- In order to be clear
about who is doing what groups may write group contracts submitted to a
teacher. Such a group contract can be also an introduction to students
monitoring their own work, which consequently helps them with self-assessment.
Self-assessment is necessary for at least two reasons. Firstly, students learn
to reflect on what and how they were doing. This reflection should obviously
end with some resolutions for their future work. Secondly, self-assessment
gives students a sense of completing the task.
- Before you assign a
group activity inform students how you are going to evaluate their work.
Prepare a set of criteria. First you can do it yourself with students help,
then they can do it themselves with your help. Include not only linguistic
criteria, but also those referring to group work, e.g. Did all group members participate in the work?, Was it easier for you to
work on the task in a group than individually?, Would you rather work
individually?, Did you respect your friends opinions?, Did they respect
yours?, Did you learn anything from your group mates?
- For some activities,
to make group work easier, students may choose their responsibilities within
the group, e.g. secretary, time-keeper, materials-keeper, discussion leader.
These are only a few
suggestions how to start group work with more gains than pains. However, there
are no hard and fast rules, which would work in every classroom. Therefore the
teacher’s role is to experiment, to observe, to reflect and draw conclusions
for the next attempt.