GROUP WORK

Group Work Other names:

•cooperative learning•collaborative learning•collective learning•peer teaching/learning•reciprocal learning•team learning•work groups

LEARNING

Research:

• More content and better retention than in other formats.

• More satisfaction with classes. • More sociable, better decision- makers and

problem-solvers.

• Group work : a form of task-based learning

Definition of a Task

According to Rod Ellis (2007), a task has 3 main characteristics:

• Has a primary focus on (pragmatic) meaning.

• Has some kind of ‘gap’.

• Has a clearly defined outcome.

Some Characteristics of Tasks • Activities with an objective • Carried out in competition or in collaboration • Outcome may be concrete (e.g. presentation,

report) or intangible (e.g. solution to problem).

Further Characteristics of Tasks • Involve communicative language use rather

than structure. • Should be authentic (close to real world) • Should involve learners in activities where

they negotiate meaning and make choices.

Plan:

• Decide which topics might lend themselves to group work.

• Think about how to organize students into groups:either by T or by SS

• Explain to class how groups will operate and how SS will be graded

• Explain task objectives, time, roles etc.

• Provide feedback and evaluate outcome

• Give SS the skills they need to succeed in groups:

– Inquiring– Asking for information– Asking for elaboration– Helping one another with content– Giving and receiving constructive criticism– Active and tolerant listening

Designing Group Work

• Tasks requiring interdependence. SS "sink or swim" together. each member important for whole group (Kohn, 1986).

• Fair division of labor.

• “Competitions" among groups e.g. designing a model: Prizes

Organizing Learning Groups

• Be conscious of group size. • Groups of four

A. The less skillful the members, the smaller the groups

B. The shorter the time, the smaller the groups

• Ask each group to devise a plan of action: who will be doing what and when.

Evaluating Group Work

• Give SS opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of their group.

• Decide how to grade members of the group. Assign all SS in group the same grade

• Dealing with Student Concerns about Group Work:

• "I come to learn from a professor, not to have to work with my classmates, who don't know as much."

• Explain your rationale

Dealing with Teacher Concerns about Group Work:

• "If I do group work, I won't be able to cover as much material during the session as I do when I lecture."

Research:• SS working in gps develop increased ability to

solve problems/understand material better

Aims of group workDevelopment of:

• intellectual abilities and skills• cooperative skills e.g. planning • personal growth (self confidence)• professional growth (professional standards)• independence and responsibility for learning• reflective practices (planning for the future).

• Implementing Group Work in the Classroom Suggestions:

• Specify objectives • Make the task challenging • Monitor the Task and the groups • Avoid lecturing• Be slow to share what you know • Clarify your role as facilitator• Expect a lot from your SS • Model how you want SS to participate • Ask SS to reflect on the process

MonitoringTeachers need to observe

• who is involved

• which members are influential

• which members help accomplish task.

Forming the groups:

• 4 members

• 1 overall task + 4 sub-tasks

• Assign roles or let SS do it themselves

• Group discusses overall task

• Members report on their specific sub-tasks

• Realistic outcome: design, chart, cover etc.

Task: World War 1 and II

4 members:

• Pre-war events• Impact of the war• Casualties of the war• The war in cinema

• Draw a chart showing the casualties (dead and wounded) of the two wars, the countries they came from and whether they were military or civilians. Compare/contrast the two wars.

• Problem-solving

Example:• Think of three alternative solutions to the traffic

problem in Alexandria.

• List the advantages and disadvantages of each.

• Decide which would be the cheapest, the most innovative and the most environmentally friendly.

• Report to another group and discuss which would be the best to put forward to the local government.

• References• Brookfield, S.D., & Preskill, S. (1999). Discussion as a Way of Teaching:

Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

• Gross Davis, B. (1993). Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.Jaques, D. (2000). Learning in Groups: A Handbook for Improving Group Work, 3rd ed. London: Kogan Page.

• Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K. A. (1991). Cooperative Learning: Increasing College Faculty Instructional Productivity.

• Race, P. (2000). 500 Tips on Group Learning. London: Kogan Page.• Silberman, M. (1996). Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any

Subject. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.• Slavin, R. E. (1995). Cooperative Learning: Theory, Research, and

Practice, 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

• Beckman, M. "Collaborative Learning: Preparation for the Workplace and Democracy" College Teaching, 1990, 38(4), 128-133.

• Connery, B. A. "Group Work and Collaborative Writing." Teaching at Davis, 1988, 14(1), 2-4. (Publication of the Teaching Resources Center, University of California at Davis)

• Cooper, J. "Cooperative Learning and College Teaching: Tips from the Trenches." Teaching Professor, 1990, 4(5), 1-2.

• Cooper, J., and Associates. Cooperative Learning and College Instruction. Long Beach: Institute for Teaching and Learning, California State University, 1990.

• Fiechtner, S. B., and Davis, E. A. "Why Some Groups Fail: A Survey of Students' Experiences with Learning Groups.“

• Goodsell, A., Maher, M., Tinto, V, and Associates (eds.). Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education. University Park: National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, Pennsylvania State University, 1992.

• Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K. A. Cooperative Learning: Increasing College Faculty Instructional Productivity. ASHE-FRIC Higher Education Report No.4. Washington, D.C.: School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University, 1991.

• Light, R. J. The Havard Assessment Seminars: Second Report. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University, 1992.

• Slavin, R. F. "Cooperative Learning." Review of Educational Research, 1980, 50(2), 315-342.

TASK :TYPOLOGY

SAMPLES

We believe …

TASKHow do you view teaching and learning? According to this view say how you want to teach the four skills.

4 members = 4 skills

Movie of the Year

Think of a movie title you want to film and hope to be a success.

You may want to consider viewer type, plot etc.

• 4 members

poll

• Survey colleagues to find out what they think about a particular topic e.g. The Revolution of the 25th of January.

• Design a questionnaire• Analyse the results • Report to class.

4 members

Teachers’ raise criteria

• You want to assess teachers’ performance at your school for a raise. What are your criteria?

4 members

Decision-Making

1. Who do you save?

2. Who do you marry?

3. Which books to print?

4. Which subjects to study?

Creative

• Create a new product. Give it a name and plan a marketing campaign.

• Write a song that aims at uniting people.

• Design a record, book, or magazine cover for Alexandria.

• Develop a menu for a new restaurant using a variety of healthy foods.

• Create a television commercial Create a thirty-second television commercial that advertises acertain product.Create a slogan for the commercial. When presenting your ideas, act out the commercial.

• Evaluating writingMarking student’s written text according to given criteria.

The Mediator• Provide a scenario or ask SS to invent one that

presents a conflict and needs a solution.

• Role-play involves "conflicting parties" and a "mediator“ (maybe a witness).

4 members

Culture Shock

• A British tourist came to visit Egypt and was culturally shocked by two things. What might these be, do you think? Help your friend understand.