When I was completing the third year of my undergraduate degree, I was assigned a major group project. For said project, my group and I were instructed to create a major power point presentation, present on a given research topic, and write an accompanying paper. The presentation was one of the cornerstone projects for the course, and would occur on April 1st. I have always been a relatively ambitious student, and, wanting to ‘do my bit’ so to speak, offered to accept each group member’s research notes, add them into the power point, and create a small research paper based upon what I assumed would be completed paragraphs handed to me by my peers.
I think you can imagine how this anecdote ends. After days of attempting to collect the notes of some rather lackadaisical team members, I was finally able to assemble a motley collection of hastily scrambled, Wikipedia copy and pasted notes from my various group members. It was 5:00 on the evening of March 31st. I spent the entire evening single handedly creating the group project on my own. Unfortunately, that evening was my oldest daughter’s fifth birthday, and I completely missed it. It was a low moment in my parenting career, but I was left feeling out of options. I quickly developed a distaste for group work. Certainly, this is the negative extreme on the group work spectrum. I have also been a part of group work where ideas are wrestled with, thinking flourishes, and students build upon one another’s perspectives and creative processes. I am convinced that done correctly, group work can allow students to team up stronger and struggling students, encourage healthy debate, engage differing perspectives, and allow more well-rounded, nuanced learners who can go beyond mere facts and correct answers to grasp those “Big Ideas” with clarity and confidence. Additionally, group work allows students to reciprocate their learning to each other, reinforcing core competencies and inspiring a student’s confidence as they impart knowledge and take on a teacher-like role. Finally, being able to work well with a variety of people (even difficult people) to create a greater vision will aid in a greater understanding of a student’s self-identity and personal growth. On a broader scale, being able to collaborate to create something good is a building block in building a more peaceful and more knowledgeable world. In my opinion, group work is most effective when expectations are clearly established at the beginning of the activity or project. The teacher’s goals, objectives, and lesson plan should be clear. This way, students will not have to spend valuable time worrying about understanding the assignment, and more time collaborating effectively. Class time should be made available for students to meet for group work, as schedules can be difficult for busy students to sync. The teacher can also request interim reports (such as reference lists, notes, etc…), and students should be required to briefly share how they have been contributing to their group’s success. The final report should include a brief snapshot of how each individual member added to the project, and peer assessment should be considered part of this process. Done with accountability and under some gentle, joyful guidance from the educator, students can enjoy the collaborative benefits of group work, learn to work as a team, and create impressive projects that can be a source of a student’s confidence and academic success.
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