Module 2: Group Learning
We are defining groups as three to six students working together on one assignment which is a small part of the course, usually lasting between one to two weeks. Groups are sometimes self-selecting, sometimes organized by the instructor, or the topic they are studying. Although students will have worked in groups before, many of them have not been taught the competencies needed to make group work enjoyable or rewarding. Take time in class to teach some of these skills (and some of the PAIR skills too if they have not practiced these) and give students time to practice. It will help the student adapt more quickly to teamwork later.
COMPETENCIES
There are six main competencies that students need to practice to work in groups successfully. Make these competencies transparent to the students and encourage them to practice them, especially while working collaboratively. Click on these boxes to see some activities to give students practice developing these. Try to integrate this practice into the class content.
BEST PRACTICES
Rationale. Explain to students why you are using this methodology, and get buy-in from them about the benefits of being productive collaborators. This is a cute video that you can share with your students showing the advantages of working together.
Course Design. Let the course choose the methodology, not the methodology the course. Use group learning when the assignments will produce a better solution because they are done in groups and you have time to teach skills needed for group work.
Having Time. As an instructor it is best to see your groups working together to help them work well together, answer questions and monitor their collaborative skills. Set aside time in class for them to work on their assignments so you can talk to them and observe the team dynamics. Watch this video to see how Kristie Loescher made class time to include group work.
Developing Relevant Assignments. Group assignments should be short term “problems” that will be better solved by a group of people rather than one person. Develop your assignments so there is an individual aspect but most importantly the product is a synthesis of what each group member has learned to produce a final product. To get buy in from students develop the assignments so the most important parts are the brainstorming of ideas at the beginning and the synthesis of information at the end, which is done by everyone. Group work is not about “divide and conquer” but about efficiency and cohesion.
Presentation of the Product. Think about whether groups will share their products with other students. Listening to multiple groups presenting PowerPoints is not always the most productive use of class time. A round robin type presentation or putting products online for a few groups to review takes much less time.
Assessment. Tie assessment to your stated learning outcomes for the assignment. Because group assignments are short in duration, they will usually be assessed just for the product. This can be done using rubrics Links to an external site. so the students know what is expected.
There should be two separate assessments for group work. 1. Individuals should be assessed for their contribution to the group 2. Groups should be assessed on their synthesis of the information to develop the final product. Depending on the assignment, it is sometimes beneficial to have a reflective piece on the quality of the product and a self-assessment of some of the skills they still need to work on.