Groupwork

What and why?

Groupwork in CEWw is based on the idea that students can learn language and information from each other. The principle of cooperative learning is basic to classroom education. It also allows the opportunity for teachers to help with individual problems, for stronger and weaker students to work at their own PACE (see MONITORING AND GUIDING) and for more students to get more practice.

Practical ideas

• Before students begin groupwork, make sure they know exactly what they are expected to do. Make the focus clear with a definite outcome (for example, to write something or to make a list of something).
• During the lesson note which students are working together so that you can encourage them to work with different people next time.
• After working in groups, students can be cross-grouped. This involves groups re-forming with representatives of the other groups (for example, if students are labelled A, B, C and D in their groups, cross-groups can be formed by all the As coming together, all the Bs, all the Cs and so on). In their cross-groups, students can compare ideas.
• Three or four are probably the best numbers for groupwork.
• There are many ways to set up groups. Try to vary the basis on which you group students: (1) students can choose who to work with; (2) they can turn round and work with the students behind/in front of /next to them; (3) they can be grouped according to ability; (4) they can be grouped alphabetically, according to birth months; (5) they can be grouped to maintain a balance of boys and girls; (6) they can be grouped by numbering students 1, 2, 3, 4 around the class; (7) you can cut up some postcards and distribute the pieces round the class - students have to find who has the pieces which go with theirs and thus form a group; (8) you can give out cards with names of animals (four of each) - students have to walk around the class making the noise of the animal to find out who is in their group.

Researching the classroom

• Vary the way in which you set up groups (see above). Monitor how the students work when they are grouped differently.
• If groupwork is not functioning well, ask the students to draw up their own 'Rules for Groupwork' which they will agree to follow.
• Monitor the type of TASKS which you give students in groups. Which kind of tasks produce most interaction? Do closed or OPEN-ENDED tasks produce more discussion?
• Keep a record of how the students appeared to work in their groups Ð well, cooperatively, noisily, unfocused, and so on. Also keep a record of the details of the groupwork: who was working with whom, what they were doing in groups, what time of day it was, when they did it in the lesson, what preceded the groupwork and so on. After a few lessons, you may be able to see a pattern in what affects the groupwork.
• Studies have shown that the way students are labelled can affect how they perform. For example, students labelled 'good students' tend to work hard, while students who are labelled 'weak' tend to find their work difficult. (This is known as 'the self-fulfilling prophecy'.) You can give each group a name which flatters them, to see if this affects the way they work. For example, 'Brilliant Students: red group', 'Brilliant Students: green group', and so on.
• If you put students into ability groups, tell the weakest students that they will find the work you give them very easy. You can see if this increases their confidence in their work.