Sara VanDerWerf

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100 Numbers to Get Students Talking

task 1 group work

New UPDATE – October 2022 – with new 100 Numbers form at end of post (scroll down)

Update august 2020:  is it possible to do the 100 number task in distance learning  i have a new post answering this question.  check it out here.

UPDATE May 2020 – Several super creative educators are re-imagining this activity for the COVID-19 era.  Scroll to the bottom for links to their ideas.  

UPDATE! (8.17.17) There are 3 new versions of this activity – scroll to the bottom for links/downloads.

I have 5-10 things that other math teachers ask me for again and again. (eventually I’ll blog about all of them).  The item in this blog is one of them.  This one is different though because I also get tons and tons of feedback on how useful it is.

My friend Megan Schmidt ( @veganmathbeagle ) blogged this week about Making Groups Work  using a task she got from me. She encouraged me to blog about the same task she did. The following post will have some similarities to Megans with a few additions.  Make sure to read her post. ONE SIDE NOTE:  MARILYN BURNS (math goddess) commented on her post on this activity, so this activity must have something you may want to look at – just sayin.

January 2017 update:   Thom Gibso n recently made a video about him using this task with his students.  Check it out here and read further for my take on this task.     

A quote that has longed haunted me from a presentation I saw several years ago is ‘ He/she who does the most talking does the most learning’ . I had heard versions of this before, but 10 years ago I decided to get serious about changing the percentage of time I talk in class and increase the percent of time EVERY student in my class was talking.  I changed lots of things.  This post is about just one tweak I made.  The results of all these tweaks was a noticeable increase in the time EVERY student in my class talked about math out loud.  My goal is to get all students talking – about math – every day.

A TASK to get every group to look like this Day 3 of school.

If I am going to get students to talk every day of class, then I need to teach them how to work in groups and teach them how to talk to one another.  This is my goal week one of school.  Lots of years ago, Beth Esposito gave me this task (I think it is an AVID task) that I’ve adapted.  It is magic.  It makes groups look like the pics above with little effort on my part.  I’ve used this activity in both middle and high school and it works great at both levels.  Here is the task.  I call it the 100# task.

Implementing the task:

  • Group students any way you like (my groups week one are alphabetical). Groups of 4 work best for this task.  Groups of 3 and 5 work too.
  • This task takes a minimum of 25 minutes and can last up to a 55 minute class period depending on how you implement the task.  I spend longer with middle school students and it seems to go more quickly with HS students.  I’ve done this task on the 3rd day of school the last several years.
  • You will need one highlighter per student and 3 copies per group of the first page of this task.  1-100_group_work_activity   (Note:  This document is a set of directions I attached to my districts curriculum guides that has some of the information written below  1-100 Task Directions or Teachers
  • Tell your students that in this class they will be expected to talk about math out loud everyday.  Many days they will be talking and working with either a partner or their group. Today we are going to practice what it is like to work in groups.

highlighter pi

  • Put a 3 minute timer up front.  (note to teachers, groups generally find 20-40 numbers the first time they do this activity).  Say go.  While students are working, GET OUT YOUR PHONE and start taking pictures of the groups as they work.  I take pics of every group in round 1 and 2 of this activity.
  • At 3 minutes, say ‘hands up’.  Ask groups how many numbers they found.  Tell them we will be doing this activity again.  Have students talk with their group about a strategy to do better the next time. Give groups 2-5 minutes to talk.  Have a few groups share out what went well in round 1.
  • This is where you have some choice.  You need to do this 3 minute activity at least twice, but can do it 3 or 4 times.  I do the 3 min round twice with HS students and 3 times with MS students.

100 quadrant

  • In round 2 (and 3) tell students that their goal is to get more than round 1.  (Note, I love how Megan implemented this part and recorded their results in round 1 and 2 and calculated the % increase. I’ve not done it that way yet, but I will).  Set the timer for 3 minutes.  Say go and TAKE PHOTOS again.
  • At 3 minutes day ‘hands up’.  Collect the results.  I’ve always had EVERY single group’s result go up.

notice what was going on around them.  I say, this is what I want group work to look like EVERY time we do group work in my class.

  • I have every student get out their notebook and do a individual quick write on the question “What does great group work in math look like?”  Students share their ideas with their groups and groups share out ideas with the class as I record their ideas.

group work list 2015

  • UPDATE 9.14.18:  I get asked all the time for other tasks to use with students.  If you have one, please share what you use.  One recent person emailed asking about tasks for 5th grade.  My good friend, Laura Wagenman, responded that she loves using Jo Boaler’s Four 4’s as a first task after the 100 #’s group modeling task.  She shared all of her upper elementary beginning of the year stuff HERE .  (thanks Laura).

group exit ticket

  • I recommend printing out and posting the pictures you took of groups working.  Every time you do group work, point to the pictures and say ‘Today we are doing a group task, what do I expect your group to look/sound/feel like today?’
  • You can use this task mid year too.  If you do, I recommend using it at the start of a quarter or semester.

That’s it.  The 25 minutes I spend on this task at the start of the year pays off big time I do group or partner work.  Students know what group work should look like, as a result more students talk in class.  I have more tricks up my sleeve to get students talking, but this is one of the first I do each school year.

UPDATE! (8.17.17) There are 3 new versions of this activity!

task 1 group work

I switched up the starting quadrant (quadrant 4) and the direction (counter-clockwise) compared to the original.  I am a bit worried about starting with 10 to the zero power for 1, we will see how this goes.  I will be using this the week of August 28th.  I’ll update you on how this activity goes.

Here is the Word-doc of my new version with factor/expressions:   100# task FACTORS

Let me know if you find mistakes or have suggestions for improving this task.  Have a great start to your school years.

UPDATE 9.14.17

I thought I’d show you how I display the photos I take of my students as they work on the 100# task.  I just put this years photos up in my classroom for our Open House tonight.  I love to have the photos on my walls so I can refer to them whenever we do a group task and ask “What are 4 things I am looking for all groups to be doing while we work today” as I point at the pictures.  (for more on how I hung these up, see my post ‘A peek inside my classroom ‘)

I’d love to hear what you think.  Email me at [email protected] or Tweet me @saravdwerf or Comment below.

UPDATE January 21, 2019

I get asked often about other activities you can use if you’ve already used the 100 number task. Check out this twitter thread for other ideas…Click the tweet below to see other’s ideas.

Does anyone have good first day of the semester tasks that involve students working together in groups? I've done @saravdwerf 100 task and Building 3D shapes out of yarn. #mtbos — Julia Shube (@jnshube) January 21, 2019

UPDATE Spring/Summer 2020

On idea from teachers is to create slides and move this into ZOOM breakout rooms.

@saravdwerf created interactive slides today for 100#'s for modeling (w/zoom and me giving direct's). We can't use breakout rooms, so hoping this will help students work together using text boxes to communicate. Anxious to try it nxt week! @STSAshburnVA #iteachmath @theresawills https://t.co/h64FC9rIut pic.twitter.com/OtdkSF5cvD — MeunierMath (@MeunierMath) May 21, 2020

task 1 group work

UPDATE October 2022 – For everyone that has asked for another version of the 100#’s – Lauren Johnson came to your rescue!

I made a new @saravdwerf 1-100 activity pattern for repeat PDs. It worked REALLY well. https://t.co/hPqa77HRVS Enjoy! #MTBoS — Lauren Johnson (@mrsjohnsonCA) October 26, 2022

Link to Lauren’s version…. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1s6vsVw4nApkNCULr1SPK9ZPPnI8eqYYkH6fsTGFyvbc/edit#slide=id.g16c940c7438_1_34 (organized in diagonal quadrants)

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Sara VanDerWerf

I am Sara Van Der Werf, a 24-year mathematics teacher in Minneapolis Public Schools. I have taught math in grades 7-12 as well as spent several years leading mathematics at the district office. I currently teach Advanced Algebra at South High School and I'm also the current President of the Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM). I am passionate about encouraging and connecting with mathematics teachers. I'd love to connect via twitter.  Join the community.  Tweet me @saravdwerf .

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Running An Effective Task Group: The 5 C's

by Laura M. Fernandez

     Many social work students may ask themselves, “What is a task group? Why should I be concerned with what makes a task group run more effectively?” The majority of students have already participated in a task group, but may not have called it by name. Knowing the skills that contribute to being an effective task group leader will help ensure that your task group experience is a positive and productive one.

     Task groups are groups of individuals brought together to accomplish a specific action or produce a product. If you have participated in an educational planning meeting, been a member of a committee, attended a treatment team meeting, been elected to student government, or joined a social movement group, you have already experienced a task group in action. For some, the experience may not have been a positive one, because running an effective task group takes many different skills. Many social work students will be in the position of leading task groups while they are in school or very shortly afterward. Developing an awareness of the ingredients that go into a successful task group, with satisfied members, is crucial.

     Five areas that are frequently cited by the experts on task groups are the five C's: Control, Conflict, Communication, Consensus, and Cohesion. The five C' can make or break a task group experience.

     Groups are dynamic and fluid, which often means that the five C's will be interrelated and interconnected. All can influence member satisfaction and ultimately the level of success the group will have attaining its goals. Thinking about some of the pitfalls that task groups can experience, and some strategies that may help you avoid them, may help you prepare for your own task group experience.

     Have you ever experienced the leadership vacuum? A leader has been appointed, but the group feels like a ship with no one at the helm. No one clarifies the purpose of the group or establishes concrete goals that can be evaluated. There is no agenda and group discussions meander through many topics. Members feel they are wasting their time, because nothing is being accomplished. On the opposite extreme is the super controlling leader who makes the members feel as if they are working with a control freak. The leader imposes his/her own agenda and refuses any member input. The leader is insensitive to the members’ needs or inflexible about allowing extra time to process an important decision.

     Social workers may feel uncomfortable about assuming a leadership role, but many groups need someone to carry out the leadership functions to fulfill their purpose. Leaders are often responsible for convening meetings, chairing discussions, and facilitating the processes of meeting goals.

     One strategy for leaders is to prepare for meetings by having a written agenda. Leaders should orient group members at the beginning and as new members join, so that all members understand who is in the group and what is the group' purpose. Leaders should start meetings as close to on time as possible and end on time. Also, avoiding long meetings is usually a good idea; members may have a hard time remaining focused in meetings that are longer than two hours. Discussions should be refocused when members remain stuck on one point endlessly or drift on long tangents.

     Leaders should use social work skills such as asking open-ended questions, paraphrasing, and summarizing to help facilitate productive discussions. Someone should be appointed to keep minutes of meetings. Minutes should be reviewed before the next meeting to remind members and leaders what was accomplished and what still needs to be done. Setting some realistic goals that can be reached early on will help group members feel the group has a purpose. Involving group members as much as possible in establishing group rules and task assignments will send a message to members that their contributions are valued.

     Many social workers have been part of a group where the whole meeting was spent arguing over every decision. The members end up feeling as if they are participating in World War III. Some people may get frustrated and drop out. But the conflict-free group can often be just as frustrating. Being part of a group where no one feels they can raise a differing point of view for fear of creating conflict, often forces members to go along with decisions they don’t agree with and will not support in the long run.

     Group leaders should expect some level of conflict as part of a healthy group process and not see conflict as a sign of failure. Group members should be encouraged to give their input, while at the same time, the leader should help members anticipate that there may be differences of opinion. Leaders should not switch topics or end discussion whenever there is a sign of possible conflict, but should intervene when a conflictual discussion moves to a personal level or goes on for so long that it feels unproductive. Negotiation, mediation, and arbitration skills can help resolve conflicts in a productive manner. Leaders should avoid leaving the most conflictual items until the end of the agenda, because meetings should not end on a conflictual note.

Communication

     In any type of group, communication is very important, because miscommunication almost always leads to problems. In task groups, different communication styles can create a situation in which group members misinterpret messages and fail to have a true dialogue. This can be especially true in task groups made up of members from different professions or of community groups with many nonprofessionals. A doctor may use professional jargon which is meaningless to other group members who are involved in a discharge conference. A community organizer may arrive at a meeting to plan a voter registration drive in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood, unable to communicate anything because he or she doesn’t speak Spanish. And nothing is more painful than being in a group where no one will say anything. The silence is deafening.

     Communicating ideas and having a dialogue among members is very important in reaching group goals. Leaders should encourage and model good communication behaviors, which include no talking over others, no interrupting, and the use of “I statements.” Leaders should intervene when members are potentially misinterpreting messages and ask for clarification from the member who has just spoken.

     Leaders need to be aware of nonverbal communication, such as eye rolling, frowning, and shaking heads. Jargon should be avoided if members have different backgrounds. Members who use language that is racist, sexist, or homophobic should be addressed either during the group or afterward in private about the negative consequences of using this type of communication. Leaders should try whenever possible to reframe different communication styles as a positive addition to the diversity of the group.

     Being a member of a group with no cohesion or no sense of belonging can be very disheartening. Members may have difficulty expending a lot of energy in a group where members have no sense of connectedness or common purpose. Some groups err in the opposite extreme, creating a group with an intense sense of connection which is closed to any new members or suggestions from outside the group. Sometimes, a few members within the larger group feel closer and cliques, claques, or fractions are created which contribute to negative feelings between group members or subgroups.

     Cohesion is often linked to group member satisfaction. Leaders should strive for a sense of belonging among their members by involving members in group activities and encouraging interaction between members. When assigning tasks or delegating authority, leaders should try to include everyone, even if the task is very small, because members may feel more a part of a group where they are making contributions. The leader can also encourage and model the benefits of working cooperatively instead of competitively. Never forget the importance of frequently recognizing and praising members’ commitment and contributions to the group.

     Task groups are frequently in the position of having to choose between different options. This means that groups must decide, in advance preferably, how they will arrive at a final decision. One pattern that can develop occurs when a small group of members is in contact outside of the formal meeting and makes a decision. This agreement is then presented to the whole group as if the whole group has already agreed to its mini-consensus. Striving to achieve complete consensus, especially in larger groups, can be aggravating to members. When a social action group has been meeting weekly for three months and is still trying to come to complete agreement by all forty members on the purpose of the group, members may lose interest and drop out.

     Strategies for leaders include reaching an agreement early on in the life of the group as to what consensus will be when a group is formed: a simple majority? over 75% of the members? or 100%? Deciding the procedure for coming to consensus is also crucial: hand raising, secret ballot, and voice votes are all possibilities to consider. These strategies will vary a great deal depending on group size. A five-person treatment team may work well with 100% consensus, while a social action group with 50 members may need another type of decision-making.

     Group processes will vary depending on group objectives and group membership. Sometimes a group will need a controlling leader or be able to tolerate high amounts of conflict. Flexibility and some understanding of group processes/dynamics are very important in helping leaders meet the needs of diverse groups. Leading or being a member of a task group can be very challenging to social work students, so don’t be too hard on yourself if your first experience feels like less than a total success.

     Remembering what it felt like to be a task group member will help you stay in touch with what your group members may be going through. Learning from any mistakes will help you to be more prepared for future task group experiences to come.

Laura M. Fernandez, MSSW, is a 1996 graduate of Columbia University School of Social Work. She became involved in a social action group, The Action Coalition for Social Justice, in January 1995, and began a one-year term as Student Union Treasurer in September 1996. Through these experiences, she has realized the importance of task group leadership to the success of the group.

Copyright © 1997 White Hat Communications. All rights reserved. From THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER , Winter 1997, Vol. 4, No. 1. For reprints of this or other articles from THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER (or for permission to reprint), contact Linda Grobman, publisher/editor, at P.O. Box 5390, Harrisburg, PA 17110-0390, or at [email protected] .

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Teaching Resources

Using Roles in Group Work

Resource overview.

How using roles can improve group work in your class

While collaborative learning through group work has been proven to have the potential to produce stronger academic achievement than other kinds of learning environments (Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 2006), it can be challenging to implement successfully because many students come to college without the tools they need to automatically succeed in collaborative learning contexts. One way of providing supportive structures to students in a collaborative learning environment is through assigning roles within group work.

Potential Benefits of Using Assigned Roles in Group Work

Assigning group roles can be a beneficial strategy for successful group work design for a number of reasons:

  • Group roles offer an opportunity for high quality, focused interactions between group participants. Participants are more likely to stay on task and pay closer attention to the task at hand when their roles in the collaboration are clear and distinct.
  • Group roles provide all students with a clear avenue for participation. Students are less likely to feel left out or unengaged when they have a particular duty that they are responsible for completing. Along the same lines, assigning group roles reduces the likelihood of one individual completing the task for the whole group, or “taking over,” to the detriment of others’ learning.
  • Group roles encourage individual accountability. Group members are more likely to hold each other accountable for not completing work if a particular task is assigned to them.
  • Group roles allow students to strengthen their communicative skills, especially in areas that they are less confident in volunteering for.
  • Group roles can help disrupt stereotypical and gendered role assignments, which can be common in group learning. For example, Hirshfield and Chachra (2015) found that in first-year engineering courses, female students tended to undertake less technical roles and more communicative roles than their male colleagues. By assigning roles during group work, and by asking students to alternate these roles at different points in the semester, students can work past gendered assumptions about themselves and their groupmates.

POGIL: A Model for Role Assignments in Collaborative Learning

One small group learning methodology where the use of group roles is well-defined and researched is the  Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) method . The POGIL method calls for groups of three or four students who work in a team on process-oriented guided inquiry activities in which students construct their knowledge through interactions with others. Traditional POGIL roles for group members are provided below (POGIL, 2016).

  • Manager  or  Facilitator : Manages the group by helping to ensure that the group stays on task, is focused, and that there is room for everyone in the conversation.
  • Recorder : Keeps a record of those who were in the group, and the roles that they play in the group. The recorder also records critical points from the small group’s discussion along with findings or answers.
  • Spokesperson  or  Presenter : Presents the group’s ideas to the rest of the class. The Spokesperson should rely on the recorder’s notes to guide their report.
  • Reflector  or  Strategy Analyst : Observes team dynamics and guides the consensus-building process (helps group members come to a common conclusion).

Other Highly Adaptable Roles to Consider

You can adapt roles for different kinds of group tasks. While the POGIL model is a useful place to start, you may find that the tasks associated with your discipline require other kinds of roles for effective group learning. Adding to or reframing POGIL roles can be beneficial in these contexts. Below are some suggestions for additional roles that might be valuable to a variety of learning situations.

  • Encourager : Encourages group members to continue to think through their approaches and ideas. The Encourager uses probing questions to help facilitate deeper thinking, and group-wide consideration of ideas.
  • Questioner : Pushes back when the team comes to consensus too quickly, without considering a number of options or points of view. The questioner makes sure that the group hears varied points of view, and that the group is not avoiding potentially rich areas of disagreement.
  • Checker : Checks over work in problem-solving contexts before the group members finalize their answers.

Strategies for Effective Facilitation of Group Roles

The following suggestions are strategies for effective facilitation of group roles. These strategies are helpful in a wide variety of group work situations, but are essential for group work that will last beyond a single class period, or constitute a significant portion of student grades.

  • Be transparent about why you are assigning group roles. This kind of transparency can increase student buy-in by helping them recognize the value in establishing group roles
  • Provide students with  a list of roles and brief definitions for each role  at the beginning of the group work activity. Make it clear which tasks are associated with which roles.
  • Alternatively, you may find it helpful, especially in advanced-level classes, to encourage students to develop their own roles in groups based on the tasks that they feel will be critical to the group’s success. This strategy provides the students with a larger level of autonomy in their learning, while also encouraging them to use proven structures that will help them be successful.
  • Roles can be assigned randomly through a variety of strategies, from who has the next birthday to color-coded post-it notes, or  a place card  that points out roles based on where everyone is sitting.
  • Circulate early in the class period to be sure that everyone has been assigned a role, and that everyone is clear about what their responsibilities include.
  • Be willing to reinforce the given roles throughout the activity. For roles to work, students have to feel as though they will be held accountable for fulfilling those roles. Therefore, it is critical for you to step in if you see someone taking over someone else’s role or not fulfilling their assigned role. Often gentle reminders about who is supposed to be doing what can be useful interventions. For example, if someone is talking over everyone and not listening to their other groupmates, you might say something like “Remember, as a spokesperson, your job is to represent the ideas of everyone in the group.”
  • Talk with students individually if their speech or conduct could be silencing, denigrating, or excluding others. Remember: your silence on this issue may be read as endorsement.
  • Changing things up regularly is imperative. If you use group roles frequently, mixing up roles throughout the semester can help students develop communication skills in a variety of areas rather than relying on a single personal strength.
  • If this is a long-term group assignment, be sure to provide structures for individual feedback for the instructor and other group member on group dynamics. This could be a formal or informal check in, but it’s critical for students to have a space to voice concerns related to group dynamics—especially if this assignment counts for a large portion of their final grade. This feedback might be provided through an anonymous survey in paper form or through a web-based tool like Qualtrics or a Google form. These check-ins can reduce student anxiety about the potential for uneven group participation.

Overall, using assigned roles in group work provides students with a supportive structure that promotes meaningful collaborative learning. While group learning can be challenging to implement effectively, using roles can mitigate some of the challenges associated with learning in groups, while offering students the opportunity to develop a variety of communication skills that will be critical to their success in college and their future careers.

Burke, Alison. (2011). Group work: How to use groups effectively.  The Journal of Effective Teaching , 11(2), 87-95.

Beebe, S.A., & Masterson, J.T. (2003).  Communicating in small groups . Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Cheng, W. Y., Lam, S. F., & Chan, C. Y. (2008). When high achievers and low achievers work in the same group: The roles of group heterogeneity and processes in project‐based learning.  British Journal of Educational Psychology ,  78 (2), 205-221.

Eberlein, T., Kampmeier, J., Minderhout, V., Moog, R.S., Platt, T., Varma-Nelson, P., White, H.B. (2008). Pedagogies of engagement in science: A comparison of PBL, POGIL and PLTL.  Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 36 (4), 262-73.

Hale, D., & Mullen, L. G. (2009). Designing process-oriented guided-inquiry activities: A new innovation for marketing classes.  Marketing Education Review ,  19 (1), 73-80.

Hirshfield, L., & Chachra, D. (2015). Task choice, group dynamics and learning goals: Understanding student activities in teams.  2015 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference: Launching a New Vision in Engineering Education Proceedings, FIE 2015 , 1-5.

Johnson, C. (2011). Activities using process‐oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) in the foreign language classroom.  Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German ,  44 (1), 30-38.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K.A. (2006).  Active learning: Cooperation in the university classroom . Edina, MN: Interaction.

Moog, R.S. (2014). Process oriented guided inquiry learning. In M.A. McDaniel, R. F. Frey, S.M. Fitzpatrick, & Roediger, H.L. (Eds.).  Integrating cognitive science with innovative teaching in STEM disciplines  (147-166). St. Louis: Washington University in St. Louis Libraries.

The POGIL Project. (2017). https://pogil.org/

Springer, L., Stanne, M.E., & Donovan, S.S. (1999). Effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: A meta-analysis.  Review of Educational Research, 96 (1), 21-51.

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  • CBE Life Sci Educ
  • v.17(1); Spring 2018

Kristy J. Wilson

† Biology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, Marian University, Indianapolis, IN 46222

Peggy Brickman

‡ Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602

Cynthia J. Brame

§ Center for Teaching and Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203

This essay introduces an evidence-based teaching guide presenting research and resources related to group work. The guide provides links to key articles accompanied by summaries organized by teaching challenge and an instructor checklist. In addition to describing the guide, the article identifies areas for further research.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics faculty are increasingly incorporating both formal and informal group work in their courses. Implementing group work can be improved by an understanding of the extensive body of educational research studies on this topic. This essay describes an online, evidence-based teaching guide published by CBE—Life Sciences Education ( LSE ). The guide provides a tour of research studies and resources related to group work (including many articles from LSE ). Instructors who are new to group work, as well as instructors who have experienced difficulties in implementing group work, may value the condensed summaries of key research findings. These summaries are organized by teaching challenges, and actionable advice is provided in a checklist for instructors. Education researchers may value the inclusion of empirical studies, key reviews, and meta-analyses of group-work studies. In addition to describing key features of the guide, this essay also identifies areas in which further empirical studies are warranted.

INTRODUCTION

Group work is one of the most widely used and deeply researched teaching approaches in the college classroom. Group work that promotes students’ collaboration to achieve shared learning goals has been shown to increase student achievement, persistence, and attitudes toward science (e.g., Springer et al ., 1999 ; Tanner et al ., 2003 ; Johnson and Johnson, 2009 ; Johnson et al ., 2014 ). It can provide opportunities for students to explain their reasoning to one another and to themselves, thereby promoting the cognitive restructuring that leads to learning (e.g., Kagan, 2014 ). It offers opportunities for formative assessment and feedback with peers to shape that learning (e.g., Johnson and Johnson, 2009 ). It also provides students with an avenue to incorporate diverse viewpoints and to develop communication and teamwork skills that are especially important in scientific collaboration and professional fields (e.g., Lamm et al. , 2012 ).

However, anyone who has worked in a group or used group work in courses has experienced challenges. These challenges, if left unchecked, can prevent effective learning and result in poor-quality products, unequal distribution of workload, and escalating conflict among team members (e.g., Feichtner and Davis, 1984 ). In this article, we describe an evidence-based teaching guide that we have created to condense, summarize, and provide actionable advice from research findings (including many articles from CBE—Life Sciences Education [ LSE ]). The guide can be found on the American Society for Cell Biology website ( https://lse.ascb.org/evidence -based-teaching-guides/group-work ), and a link will be listed on the LSE home page to direct users to a complete list of guides as this feature grows. We have included several useful features in the guide: a landing page that indicates starting points for instructors ( Figure 1 ), syntheses of observations from the literature ( Figure 2 ), summaries of and links to selected papers ( Figure 3 ), and an instructor checklist that details recommendations and points to consider. The guide is meant to aid instructors who are new to group work as well as instructors who have tried group work and experienced difficulties or want to improve their students’ experiences and outcomes. Researchers interested in exploring this area will also appreciate our efforts to identify empirical studies, informative reviews, and unanswered questions for which additional research is warranted. Some of the questions that we have considered in developing the guide are highlighted in the following sections.

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Screenshot representing the landing page of the guide, which provides readers with an overview of choice points.

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Screenshot showing an example description of overall conclusions that can be drawn about an element of group work, based on a synthesis of the literature.

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Screenshots representing (A) summaries and links to important papers and (B) other resources.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FORMING PERMANENT VERSUS TEMPORARY GROUPS?

The guide begins by separating findings, recommendations, and resources for formal, permanent groups from informal, temporary groups. During formal group work, students work in persistent groups for an extended period on a collaborative project, while in informal group work, ad hoc groups work together on an in-class problem or question for periods ranging from a few minutes to a full class session ( Johnson et al ., 2014 ). Formal group work requires more planning and coordination, but the benefits are that it can help students work together to reach important course objectives. Informal group work, on the other hand, is easy to incorporate into classes of any size and in any space. Informal group work can be an effective supplement to lecture, allowing learners to process information, and is often an essential part of, or used in conjunction with, classic active-learning techniques (e.g., Tanner et al. , 2003 ).

Three elements that are particularly important to consider in structuring formal group work are task interdependence, individual accountability, and reward interdependence ( Johnson and Johnson, 2009 ). Task interdependence refers to the degree to which group members must work together to complete the assigned task. For optimal group benefit and motivation, tasks should not be able to be completed by just one or two group members, but rather should require contributions from all group members (e.g., Gillies, 2013 ). Individual accountability, or the understanding that group members will be responsible for the work they specifically contribute, reduces social free-riding in group settings and encourages members to contribute. Reward interdependence can be accomplished through several mechanisms, including shared grades, for which individual students earn a final grade that relies on scores earned by their team members on a test or assignment, or certificates of recognition that students can earn if their average team scores on quizzes or other individual assignments exceed a pre-established criterion ( Serrano and Pons, 2007 ).

Notably, the very distinction between the types of group work points to an unanswered research question:

Are there specific types of outcomes that are better met with informal group work rather than formal group work, or vice versa?

SHOULD INSTRUCTORS FORM GROUPS OR LET STUDENTS SELF-SELECT THEIR OWN GROUPS?

When planning formal group work, the literature suggests that instructors should form small groups (typically three to five students), considering student characteristics that can contribute to effective group processes and performance (e.g., Treen et al. , 2016 ; and other references within the Group Size section of the guide). Generally, groups that are gender balanced, are ethnically diverse, and have members with different problem-solving approaches have been shown to exhibit enhanced collaboration (see references within the Group Composition section of the guide). Within these generic observations, however, there are a number of unanswered questions for which further research is needed:

  • What are the different impacts for ethnic majority and minority students in ethnically diverse groups? If so, what are they, and why do they occur?
  • Does context determine effective gender composition for groups? If so, is it a generalizable context (e.g., physics groups work best with one composition, while biology groups work best with another composition)? Alternatively, does the effectiveness of different group gender compositions depend on the measure being used (e.g., creativity of final product, effectiveness of group communication)? Are there task features or group structures that can mitigate disadvantages of particular gender mixes?
  • The data on academic performance as a diversity factor also do not point to a single conclusion. What features of group work lead to benefits for high-, mid-, or low-performing students? Will these features be combined to benefit mixed-ability groups? Do homogeneous or heterogeneous groups provide a greater advantage?
  • What are effective steps to take to support students with different disabilities while they participate in group work?

WHAT CAN INSTRUCTORS DO TO PROMOTE QUALITY GROUP EXPERIENCES?

There are a number of common problems that students and instructors experience when involved in group work. The most commonly reported problem is uneven workload (free-riding or overbearing students). However, groups also experience other types of social conflict and lack of cohesion that can result in production of “Frankenstein products” that are a conglomeration of individual student efforts without integration and synthesis of ideas. There are several practices and resources that can help ensure that groups function more effectively. Students report greater satisfaction with group work if the instructor has implemented methods to monitor and manage groups ( Chapman and Van Auken, 2001 ; and other references within Setting Group Norms ). Suggested methods include providing an opportunity for students to discuss their expectations for group work and setting group norms. For group work that spans multiple days or weeks, providing opportunities for identifying individual effort and allowing students to evaluate their peers can allow for ongoing adjustments to group dynamics. Assigning specific roles to students within groups can emphasize interdependence, and prompting students to provide elaborated explanations during discussions can help promote learning gains ( Gillies, 2013 ). Even with these recommendations, there are many unanswered questions.

  • Findings from research studies on peer evaluation have clearly identified several methods to identify dysfunctional groups. What are the potential solutions to address dysfunctional groups and under what conditions are these solutions effective? When is it more effective to disband a dysfunctional group rather than enforce mediation?
  • What is the best method to deal with persistent free-riders?

WHAT TASKS ARE IDEAL FOR PROMOTING EFFECTIVE GROUP WORK?

We describe a number of formalized group-work pedagogies with defined criteria and tasks that instructors can consider. These include problem-based learning, team-based learning, process-oriented guided inquiry learning, case-based learning, and peer-led team learning, all of which have descriptions and biology-relevant papers linked within the Formalized Pedagogies section of the guide. Instructors considering these approaches should consider forming a team of instructors, administrators, and/or staff to address the attendant time and resource needs. For any group task, it is important to consider why group work is being used in a particular situation and how it meets the instructor’s learning goals for students. To help promote student buy-in and student learning, these goals should be shared with students, along with an explanation of how the group work aligns with these goals.

Effective group tasks should challenge groups to solve highly complex or ill-structured problems that require the collaboration of the group to solve (e.g., Scager et al. , 2016 ; and other references within the Task Features section). In addition, tasks that engage student interest, such as by using contemporary issues relevant to students’ lives and generating products for an audience outside the classroom, can increase students’ motivation (e.g., Schmidt et al. , 2011 ). With this general recommendation in mind, however, there are a number of unanswered questions:

  • Typically, a task’s relevance to students’ lives increases task value and thus student motivation. What are the best ways to structure relevant tasks in the biology classroom? Do these features differ by major or level of student?
  • Does a students-as-producers approach, wherein students generate new knowledge for an external audience, impact motivation for all students or only some? Does the relative size of the product/student contribution matter (e.g., one figure on a poster vs. entire infographic for congressional representative)?
  • How do different group tasks or task instructions affect cognitive development of knowledge structures and their use? What tasks support development of declarative knowledge (what), procedural knowledge (how), and conceptual knowledge (when/why)?
  • Students lie at various places along the novice–expert continuum. How do we match scaffolding to student needs?

WHEN NOT TO USE GROUP WORK

We finish this summary to our guide by cautioning that group work is not a panacea for learning. A great deal of research has defined the type of tasks for which group work is more effective than individual learning. Groups of students show greater gains than individual students for tasks that are complex and ill-­defined with multiple possible correct answers ( Kirschner et al. , 2011 ), but for simpler tasks that require recall, definitions, or looking up information, students exhibit greater gains when they work on their own. Thus, maximizing the benefits of group work requires that instructors attend to the learning goals they want their students to attain and, if applicable, the group-work structures that they put in place to help the students reach those goals.

Acknowledgments

We thank William Pierce and Thea Clarke for their efforts in producing the Evidence-Based Teaching Guides website and the American Society for Cell Biology for hosting the site.

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Berkeley Graduate Division

  • Basics for GSIs
  • Advancing Your Skills

Group Work: Design Guidelines

by Shannon McCurdy, PhD, Physics

See also Group Work: Techniques

Learning Objectives How to Form Groups Group Size and Duration The Structure of Group Work Fostering Group Interaction Tips for Formulating Productive Group-Work Assignments

Learning Objectives

There are many learning objectives that can be achieved by having students collaborate either in pairs or in small groups. ( Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful resource for formulating your learning objectives.) In groups, students can

  • summarize main points
  • review problems for exams
  • compare and contrast knowledge, ideas, or theories
  • solve problems
  • evaluate class progress or levels of skill and understanding

Think about your goals for the activity: what do you want your students to get out of their participation?

How to Form Groups

Small groups or learning teams can be formed in four ways: randomly, teacher-selected, by seat proximity, or student-selected. Random and teacher-selected group assignments avoid cliques and ensure that students interact with different classmates throughout the semester.

Once you know your students fairly well, teacher selection can be useful for grouping students. Consider selecting groups or pairs with varying strengths and skill levels, since research has shown that groups of problem solvers with diverse skills consistently out-perform groups of problem solvers who are highly skilled in the same way (Page, 2007, cited in Davis, 2009, 194).

You may also want to consider using your students’ attitudes toward group work as a mechanism to help you create groups. Take a one-question survey, or add this question to the initial survey you use at the beginning of the semester:

Which of the following best describes your experience of group work?

  • I like group work because my group helps me learn.
  • I question the value of group work because in the past I’ve ended up doing all the work.
  • I have little or no experience working in groups.
  • I have different experience of group work than the choices above. (Please explain.)

Those who check “B” can be put into a group of their own. They might find this to be the first time they are really challenged and satisfied by group work (adapted from Byrnes and Byrnes, 2009).

Group Size and Duration

Group size can vary, as can the length of time that students work together. Pairing is great for thirty-second or one-minute problem solving. Groups that work together for ten to 45 minutes might include four or five people. (If there are more than four or five, some members will stop participating). Groups can be formal or informal. Informal groups may be ad-hoc dyads (where each student turns to a neighbor) or ten-minute “buzz groups” (in which three to four students discuss their reactions to a reading assignment). Formal group assignments can serve semester-long group projects.

In large groups it is useful to assign roles within each group (examples: recorder, reporter to the class, timekeeper, monitor, or facilitator). If students are not used to working in groups, establishing some community agreements  with the class about respectful interaction before the first activity can foster positive and constructive communication.

It is useful to arrange the students in groups before giving them instructions for the group activity, since the physical movement in group formation tends to be distracting.

The Structure of Group Work

Successful group work activities require a highly structured task. Structure the task to promote interdependence for creating a group product. Create an activity for which it is truly advantageous for students to work together. Make this task clear to students by writing specific instructions on the board or on a worksheet. Include in your instructions:

  • The learning objective: Why are the students doing this? What will they gain from it? How does it tie into the rest of the course?
  • The specific task: “Decide,” “List,” “Prioritize,” “Solve,” “Choose.” (“Discuss” is too vague.)
  • The expected product: For example, reporting back to the class; handing in a sheet of paper; distributing a list of questions to the class.
  • The time allotment: Set a time limit. Err on the side of too little rather than too much. You can decide to give more time if necessary.
  • The method of reporting out; that is, of sharing group results with the class. Reporting out is useful for accomplishing closure. Closure is critical to the learning process. Students need to feel that the group-work activity added to their knowledge, skills, abilities, etc. Summary remarks from you can help to weave together the comments, products, and ideas generated by the small groups. However, group-work activity can also be concluded effectively by inviting individual students to synthesize the class’s overarching findings in the activity.

If your group work consists of a set of short problems for students to work through, as often happens in science and mathematics courses, there are many ways to structure the activity. Here are a few ideas, with some advantages and disadvantages.

You can give the whole class a single problem . Break into groups to solve it, then come back as a class and discuss the problem — either by having groups report out or by leading the discussion yourself. Then repeat.

  • Advantages: You know everyone is exposed to the correct way of thinking about things, so there is good closure for each problem.
  • Disadvantages: Potentially too much idle time for faster groups. This method can be very slow, so less material can be covered.

You can give each group a different problem  and have the groups report solutions back to the class.

  • Advantages : Students get some practice teaching as well as good exposure to problems and solutions.
  • Disadvantages : Students don’t get to practice as much problem solving.

You can give each group a different problem , have them solve it, and then have these groups split up and re-form in such a way that each new group has someone experienced with each of the problems. Then they can explain the solutions to each other.

  • Advantages : Students get a lot of practice explaining, as well as good exposure to problems.
  • Disadvantages : Students don’t get to practice many different problems.

You can give the whole class a set of problems  and discuss the set of problems with each group.

  • Advantages : Students work through more problems without significant idle time. You can address difficulties specific to each group.
  • Disadvantages : You may end up repeating yourself a lot. You also may be spread too thin, especially if several groups are stuck at the same time. If this happens, call the class back together when you find that all the groups are having difficulties at the same place.

Fostering Group Interaction

During group work, as tempting as it may be, do not disengage from your class and sit at the front of the room! Circulate and listen to your students. Are they on task, or are they talking about their weekend plans? Are students understanding the concepts and the assignment, or are they all stuck and confused? Do they have questions for you? Pull up a chair and join each group for a while.

On implementing group work for the first time in their section, some GSIs find that the students fall awkwardly silent when the GSI walks by or listens to their discussion. This is only temporary, and it should stop once your students are familiar with you and the group-work format. Because unfamiliarity drives this reaction, it is good to implement group work very early in the semester and to use it often in your section.

When a student in a group asks you a question, the natural reflex is to answer it. That’s your job, isn’t it? Well, not exactly — it’s lower on the list than empowering students to find answers to the questions they ask. Frequently a student asking a question hasn’t discussed it with the group yet and is not aware that members of the group either know the answer or have enough information to figure it out together. So especially early on, when your class is forming group-work habits, it is important not to answer questions — at least not at first. Instead, ask the other group members how they would approach the question. If no one in the group has an idea, you can either give the group a start on how to answer it, consult with a different group on the question, or answer the question yourself. (The latter is best considered a last resort.) Following this pattern will foster group interactions, and soon students will only ask you questions after they have discussed them with their group.

Tips for Formulating Productive Group-Work Assignments

  • Make sure you have specific and descriptive assignments. For example, instead of “Discuss projectile motion,” try “Solve for the final velocity of the projectile.” Instead of “Discuss the use of clickers in the classroom,” say “Analyze two cases and list criteria to evaluate the use of clickers in each one.” Giving specific group work helps students engage more deeply with content and helps them stay on task.
  • Ask questions that have more than one answer. (This may not work for all disciplines.) Students can then generate a variety of possible answers, explore what is involved with each, and evaluate them in comparison with the other answers.
  • Make the material that groups will analyze short — maybe just a short paragraph or a few sentences. Present it via handout, document camera, chalkboard, or another medium that all can easily see. Frequently, if groups have longer passages to analyze, their work goes well beyond the time-frame the GSI intends.
  • If the material is longer, provide concrete lines of questioning that are displayed prominently or handed out. This helps keep group work within the scale and time frame the GSI anticipates and reduces frustration.
  • Vary the format of the tasks. For example, on one day students might generate the questions they want to analyze; on another students may give arguments or provide evidence for or against a position or theory.

The Confident Teacher is a blog by teacher and author, Alex Quigley ( @AlexJQuigley )

The Confident Teacher

Top 10 Group Work Strategies

If I am continually vexed by any one question in education it is ‘ how can we enhance student motivation? ‘ Of course, I do not have the answer, and if there is one it is multi-faceted, complex and, frankly, not going to be solved in this blog post.

From my position as a classroom teacher, I am always on the look out for those strategies that create a state when students are motivated and in their element , where they work furiously without even realising they are doing so, without realising the clock is ticking down to the end of the lesson. There is no better compliment than when students question how long there is left and express genuine surprise at how fast time has passed, and that they have actually enjoyed that lesson.

My, admittedly non-scientific, observations are that many of the times students are in ‘ flow ‘, or their element, in my lessons is when they are collaborating in group work.

Why is this then? I believe that we are obviously social beings and we naturally learn in such groups (not always effectively it must be said), but that, more importantly, when working in a group we are able to correct, support, encourage, question and develop ideas much more effectively. The power of the group, guided by the expertise of the teacher, accelerates learning, makes it richer and demands a learning consensus that can push people beyond their habitual assumptions.

Don’t get me wrong, there are pitfalls and obstacles to group work. This constructivist approach should build upon expert teacher led pedagogy – ensuring that students have a good grounding in the relevant knowledge before undertaking in-depth group work. Group work can also be beset by issues in many nuanced forms: whether it is subtle intellectual bullying, where the student who shouts loudest prevails; or the encouragement of mediocrity and laziness, as students let others do all the work; or simply by poor, distracting behaviour.

Another issue is ‘group think’ miscomprehension – indeed, how does prejudice flourish if not in social groups? Yet, this failure is often great for learning as long as the teacher can illuminate the error of their ways. Of course, no teaching strategy is foolproof and plain good teaching should remedy many of the potential ills of group work, just as good teaching can make more traditional teacher-led ‘direct instruction’ wholly engaging and effective.

I am intrigued by the idea of ‘ social scaffolding ‘ (Vygotsky) – the concept that most of our learning is undertaken in group situations, where we learn through dialogue and debate with others, not simply by listening to that voice in our head! That being said, I am not talking teachers out of a classroom here.

The role of the teacher in devising and planning a successful group task takes skill, rigour and utter clarity and precision. Students need to be clear about a whole host of things: from their role, to the purpose of the task and the parameters of expected outcomes to name but a few. Teachers need to keep groups on track, intervene appropriately to improve learning and regularly regain student focus. Teachers have a pivotal role in guiding the group work at every stage.

Group work certainly isn’t the lazy option: it takes skill in the planning and the execution, and sometimes, despite our best laid plans, it still fails. That shouldn’t put us off – aren’t all teaching and learning strategies subject to such risks?

If I was to define a simple and straight-forward basis for the rules for group work it would be:

– Have clearly defined tasks, with sharp timings and with the appropriate tools organised – Have clearly defined group roles – Have clear ground rules for talk, listening and fair allocation of workload etc. – Target your support and interventions throughout the task, but make them interdependent of one another, not dependent upon you – Always be prepared to curtail group work if students don’t follow your high expectations.

So here it is, my entirely subjective top 10 strategies for group work that I believe to be effective (ideas for which I must thank a multitude of sources):

1. ‘Think-pair-share’ and ‘Think-pair-square’.

Well, no-one said this top ten had to be original! This strategy is one of those techniques that we employ so readily that we can almost forget about it, it is simply so automatic for most teachers; yet, because of that we can easily forget it in our planning. We need to use it regularly because it is the very best of scaffolded learning; it almost always facilitates better quality feedback by allowing proper thinking time and for students to sound out their ideas and receive instantaneous feedback from peers. ‘Think-pair-square’ adds a touch of added flavour, involving linking two pairs together (to form the ‘square’ to share their ideas before whole class feedback). I defer to this blog post by @headguruteacher for the skinny on ‘Think-pair-share’ here .

2. Snowballing or the Jigsaw method

Similar to the ‘square’ approach mentioned in ‘Think-Pair-Square’, the ‘snowballing’ activity is another simple but very effective way of building upon ideas by starting with small groups and expanding the groups in a structured way. As the metaphor of the snowball suggests, you can begin with an individual response to a question; followed by then pairing up students up; then creating a four and so on. It does allow for quick, flexible group work that doesn’t necessarily require much planning, but does keep shaping viewpoints and challenging ‘answers’ is a constructive fashion.

The ‘jigsaw method’ is slightly more intricate. David Didau describes here how it is the “ultimate teaching method”, but that it benefits greatly from careful planning. Put simply, when researching a topic, like the causes of the Second World War, each member of a group is allocated an area for which they need to become the ‘ expert ‘, such as ‘the impact of the Treaty of Versailles’, or ‘issues with the dissolution of Austria-Hungary’ for example. With five or six ‘ Home ‘ groups identified, the ‘ experts ‘ then leave that group to come together to pool their expertise on the one topic; they question one another and combine research, ideas and their knowledge. Then each ‘ expert ‘ returns to their ‘ home ‘ group to share their findings. It is a skilful way of varying group dynamics as well as scaffolding learning.

3. Debating (using clear rules)

As you probably know, our own inspiring leader, Michael Gove, was the President of the Oxford Union. Clearly, these ancient skills of rhetoric and debate have seen him rise to dizzying heights. Perhaps we need to teach debating with great skill if we are to produce citizens who can debate with the best of them…and with Michael Gove. The premise of a debate, and its value in enriching the learning of logic, developing understanding and the simultaneous sharpening and opening our minds, is quite obvious so I will not elaborate. If you are ever stuck for a debate topic then this website will be of great use: http://idebate.org/debatabase . The Oxford rules model is an essential model for the classroom in my view. It provides a clear structure and even a level of formality which is important, provide coherence and greater clarity to the debate. The rules, familiar steps though they are for many, are as follows:

Four speakers in each team (for and against the motion) First speaker introduces all the ideas that team has generated Second speaker outlines two or three more ideas in some depth Third speaker outlines two or three ideas in some depth Fourth speaker criticises the points made by the other team Each individual speaker has two minutes to speak (or more of course), with protected time of thirty seconds at the beginning or the end The rest of the team is the ‘ Floor ‘ and can interject at any time by calling out ‘ Point of Information ‘ and standing. The speaker can accept or reject an interjection.

You may wish to have the other groups work as feedback observers on the debate being undertaking (a little like Socratic circles – number 8 ). This has the benefit of keeping the whole class engaged and actively listening to the debate.

4. Project Based Learning/Problem Based Learning

I have to admit I have only ever undertaken project style work on a small scale, but in the last year I have been startled by the quality of work I have observed in project based learning across the world. The principals of Project Based Learning are key: such as identifying real audiences and purposes for student work (a key factor in enhancing motivation); promoting interdependent student work, often subtly guided by the teacher at most stages; letting students undertake roles and manage the attendant challenges that arise; learning is most often integrated and spans subject areas; and students constructing their own questions and knowledge. Truly the best guide is to survey these great examples:

The Innovation Unit has also produced this brilliant must-read guide to PBL in great depth here .

‘Problem based learning’ is clearly related to the project model, but it explicitly starts with a problem to be solved. It is based primarily upon the model from medicine – think Dr House (although he is hardly a team player!). David Didau sagely recommends that the teacher, or students in collaboration, find a specifically local problem – this raises the stakes of the task. Clearly, in Mathematics, real problem based learning can be a central way to approach mathematical challenges in a collaborative way; in Science or Philosophy, the options to tackle ethical and scientific problems are endless. There is criticism of this approach – that students struggle with the ‘ cognitive load’ without more of a working memory. Ideally, this learning approach follows some high quality direct instruction, and teacher led worked examples, to ensure that students have effective models to work from and some of the aforementioned working memory.

5. Group Presentations

I would ideally label this strategy: ‘ questions, questions, questions ‘ as it is all about creating, and modelling, a culture of enquiry by asking students questions about a given topic, rather than didactically telling them the answer – then helping shape their research. The teacher leads with a ‘ big question ‘; then it is taken on by groups who (given materials, such as books, magazines, essays, iPads, laptops, or access to the library or an ICT suite etc.) have to interrogate the question, forming their own sub-set of questions about the question/ topic. They then source and research the key information, before finally agreeing to the answers to the questions they had themselves formed. The crucial aspect about presentations is giving students enough time to make the presentation worthwhile, as well as allocating clear roles. High quality presentations take time to plan, research and execute.

Personally, I find the timekeeper role a waste of time (I can do that for free!), but other roles, such as leader, designer and scribe etc. have value. Also, the teaching needs to be carefully planned so the entire presentation is not reliant solely upon any one person or piece of technology. Developing a shared understanding of the outcome and the different parameters of the presentation is key: including features like banning text on PowerPoints; or making it an expectation that there is some element of audience participation; to agreeing what subject specific language should be included. The devil is in the detail!

6. ‘Devise the Display’

I have a troubled relationship with displays! I very rarely devise my own display as I think displays become wallpaper far too soon considering the effort taken to provide them – like newspapers, they become unused within days. I much prefer a ‘ working wall ‘, that can be constantly changed or updated (or a ‘learning continuum’ for an entire topic when can be periodically added to each lesson). That being said, I do think there is real high quality learning potential in the process of students devising and creating wall displays. It is great formative feedback to devise a wall display once you are well under way a topic. It makes the students identify and prioritise the key elements of their knowledge and the skills they are honing.

I find the most valuable learning is actually during the design ideas stage.You can ‘snowball’ design ideas with the students; beginning individually, before getting groups to decide collaboratively on their design; then having a whole class vote. I do include stipulations for what they must include, such as always including worked examples. Then, the sometimes chaotic, but enjoyable activity it to create the display. I always aim for the ‘ 60 Minute Makeover ‘ approach – quick and less painful (it also makes you less precious about the finer details)!

I think they also learn a whole host of valuable skills involving team work, empathy and not to annoy me by breaking our wall staplers! I think it is then important to not let any display fester and waste, but to pull it down and start afresh with a new topic. I know this strategy does put some people off, because it can be like organised chaos, but if everyone has a clear role and responsibility the results can be amazing. [Warning – some designs can look like they have been produced by Keith Richards on a spectacular acid trip!]

7. Gallery Critique

This stems from the outstanding work of on Berger. Both a teacher and a craftsman himself, Berger explains the value of critique as rich feedback in his brilliant book ‘ The Ethic of Excellence ‘. It can be used during the draft/main process or as a summative task. This strategy does have some specific protocols students should follow. The work of the whole group should be displayed in a gallery style for a short time. Students are expected to first undertake a short silent viewing (making notes to reflect is also useful here). The students make comments on the work – post it notes being ideal for this stage. Then the next step is a group discussion of ‘ what they noticed ‘ in particular, with debate and discussion encouraged – of course, the feedback should be both kind and constructive. The next step for discussion is talking about ‘ what they liked ‘, evaluating the work. The final stage has the teacher synthesise viewpoints and express their own; before ensuring students make notes and reflect upon useful observations for making improvements.

8. Socratic Talk

I have spoken about this strategy before here . What is key is that like the debating rules above, a clear and defined structure is in place, particularly with ‘ Socratic circles ‘ which embeds feedback and debate in a seamless way. It takes some skill in teaching students how to talk in this fashion, but once taught, it can become a crucial tool in the repertoire. In my experience, some of the most sensitive insights have emerged from this strategy and the listening skills encouraged are paramount and have an ongoing positive impact. It also allows for every student to have a role and quality feedback becomes an expectation.

9. Talking Triads

Another simple, but highly effective strategy. It is a strategy that gets people to explore a chosen topic, but with a really rigorous analysis of ideas and views. The triad comprises of a speaker , a questioner and a recorder/analyst . You can prepare questions, or you can get the questioner and the analyst to prepare questions whilst the speaker prepares or reflects upon potential answers. This can be done in front of the class as a gallery of sorts, or you can have all triads working simultaneously. If they do work simultaneously, then a nice addition is to raise your hand next to a particular triad, which signals for other groups to stop and listen whilst that specific triad continues, allowing for some quality listening opportunities.

10. Mastery Modelling

This involves a form of formative assessment from students, whereat the teacher gives a group a series of models, both exemplar models and lesser models, including some with common errors that students would likely identify. The students need to do a critical appraisal of the these models as a group and identify their summary assessment of the models first, before then devising and presenting a ‘mastery model’ that is a composite exemplar model of work. This strategy works in pretty much every subject, with the subject being either an essay, a piece of art, or a mathematical problem. This presentation should include an explicit focus upon the steps taken leading to create the ‘ mastery model ‘ during the feedback – this unveils the process required for mastery for the whole class.

Useful links:

A great research paper that analyses group work and its importance: ‘Toward a social pedagogy of classroom group work’ By Peter Blatchford, Peter Kutnick, Ed Baines, and Maurice Galton

An excellent National Strategies booklet from back in the day when the DfE was interested in pedagogy. I particularly like the ‘ different grouping criteria’/’size of grouping’ tables: Pedagogy and Practice: Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools Unit 10: Group work

Nice step by step guide to the implementation and the delivery of group work ‘ Implementing Group Work in the Classroom ‘

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Great article. I’ve been successfully implementing primarily PBL in the undergrad classroom for years. I’m getting ready to launch the most ambitious group work project I’ve ever undertaken with my students – 130 students and 20 nonprofit organizations broken into collaborative teams to study each organization’s volunteer programs, to make recommendations for improving or refreshing them. I know so much about how to do this, and yet the project is so big and important that I am running around looking for affirmation that it’s ok to do this major thing. I am dragging in consultants and volunteer managers from local organizations as experts and creating an online professional learning community where everyone can bring their problems and discuss them and get help from the consultants. Thanks for the reassurance and the references!

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Teaching excellence & educational innovation, what are the benefits of group work.

“More hands make for lighter work.” “Two heads are better than one.” “The more the merrier.”

These adages speak to the potential groups have to be more productive, creative, and motivated than individuals on their own.

Benefits for students

Group projects can help students develop a host of skills that are increasingly important in the professional world (Caruso & Woolley, 2008; Mannix & Neale, 2005). Positive group experiences, moreover, have been shown to contribute to student learning, retention and overall college success (Astin, 1997; Tinto, 1998; National Survey of Student Engagement, 2006).

Properly structured, group projects can reinforce skills that are relevant to both group and individual work, including the ability to: 

  • Break complex tasks into parts and steps
  • Plan and manage time
  • Refine understanding through discussion and explanation
  • Give and receive feedback on performance
  • Challenge assumptions
  • Develop stronger communication skills.

Group projects can also help students develop skills specific to collaborative efforts, allowing students to...

  • Tackle more complex problems than they could on their own.
  • Delegate roles and responsibilities.
  • Share diverse perspectives.
  • Pool knowledge and skills.
  • Hold one another (and be held) accountable.
  • Receive social support and encouragement to take risks.
  • Develop new approaches to resolving differences. 
  • Establish a shared identity with other group members.
  • Find effective peers to emulate.
  • Develop their own voice and perspectives in relation to peers.

While the potential learning benefits of group work are significant, simply assigning group work is no guarantee that these goals will be achieved. In fact, group projects can – and often do – backfire badly when they are not designed , supervised , and assessed in a way that promotes meaningful teamwork and deep collaboration.

Benefits for instructors

Faculty can often assign more complex, authentic problems to groups of students than they could to individuals. Group work also introduces more unpredictability in teaching, since groups may approach tasks and solve problems in novel, interesting ways. This can be refreshing for instructors. Additionally, group assignments can be useful when there are a limited number of viable project topics to distribute among students. And they can reduce the number of final products instructors have to grade.

Whatever the benefits in terms of teaching, instructors should take care only to assign as group work tasks that truly fulfill the learning objectives of the course and lend themselves to collaboration. Instructors should also be aware that group projects can add work for faculty at different points in the semester and introduce its own grading complexities .

Astin, A. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Caruso, H.M., & Wooley, A.W. (2008). Harnessing the power of emergent interdependence to promote diverse team collaboration. Diversity and Groups. 11, 245-266.

Mannix, E., & Neale, M.A. (2005). What differences make a difference? The promise and reality of diverse teams in organizations. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 6(2), 31-55.

National Survey of Student Engagement Report. (2006). http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE_2006_Annual_Report/docs/NSSE_2006_Annual_Report.pdf .

Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

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  • Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation >
  • Course Development >
  • Teach Your Course >

Facilitating group work to enhance student learning.

On this page:

The importance of group work.

Group work refers to learning experiences in which students work together on the same task. Group work can help build a positive and engaging learning community through peer learning and teaching.

Promoting peer interactions can positively affect learning experiences by preparing students for work beyond the classroom. According to Constructivism, when students work together to solve problems, they construct knowledge together, rather than passively absorbing information. Students learn more effectively working cooperatively in diverse groups as opposed to working exclusively in a heterogeneous class, working in competition with other students, or working alone (Hattie, 2008). Some benefits include:

  • Collaborating to break apart and solve complex tasks
  • Deepening understandings and clarifying misconceptions with peer support
  • self-regulation and self-reflection
  • communication and time management
  • project management and conflict resolution

Advantages and Disadvantages

While working collaboratively has the potential to improve student outcomes, it requires the instructor to carefully organize, guide and maintain a positive and productive work environment. Despite the substantial benefits group work offers, there are also disadvantages, especially if not implemented effectively.

For group work to be successful, you need to thoughtfully plan and organize how it will benefit your students. Group work must be designed to enhance student skills and abilities towards achieving learning outcomes.

Additional Resources

Designing successful group work.

The suggestions below will help you design a successful collaborative learning experience for your students. Prior to incorporating group work, take the time to consider strategies that can help avoid potential challenges. Remember to teach effective group work just as you teach content knowledge.

  • Consider having students create group contracts for high-stakes assignments and complex projects. These are also beneficial when the same group will be working together over an extended period.
  • Provide students with guidelines or templates to ensure that they address aspects of collaboration that may alleviate future concerns, such as potential problems with effective solutions.
  • Plan appropriate group composition, size and activity duration. Smaller groups of 3-5 students tend to be more efficient.
  • Promote positive interdependence where each member of the group feels a sense of respect, accountability and inclusivity. Ask each group to define their expectations, goals, roles and responsibilities.
  • Establish effective group structures and communication in which students share their knowledge and skills, motivate themselves and others, and respect multiple perspectives or opinions.
  • Give resources and strategies for project development, team building and conflict resolution.

Creating Group Work Projects

Assigning tasks that foster genuine teamwork and simulate real-life scenarios can help to prepare students for professional situations that will require collaboration. To design an engaging and community-oriented classroom, it is necessary to create opportunities for students to work together in your course. Students can accomplish this through:

  • authentic assessments that foster autonomy and demonstrate learning 
  • discussions that foster critical thinking, equity and inclusivity
  • investigations to analyzing problems and identifying solutions
  • activities that incorporate active learning
  • brainstorming to practice divergent thinking and innovation

The following examples provide you opportunities and ideas to integrate group work successfully into your course.

Authentic Assessments

Design projects that allow groups to demonstrate their learning in a variety of methods and modalities. Authentic assessments allow groups and individuals to show what they have learned and how they can transfer this knowledge and apply their new understandings to specific concepts. Construct group work intentionally and align it to the course’s learning outcomes. Here are some examples of group oriented authentic assessments:

  • Case studies
  • Designing a textbook
  • Presentations
  • Experiential learning
  • Problem-based learning
  • Innovation sprints

Discussions

Discussions are a great way to build collaboration into your course. Discussions allow students to practice higher order thinking skills in a variety of ways and can help students achieve many types of learning outcomes.  Having a structure in place will help ensure that discussions are meaningful, effective and engaging. The benefits of discussions include:

  • Deepening understanding
  • Developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Learning to navigate difficult conversations
  • Strengthening oral communication and active listening
  • Applying newly learned concepts and skills to authentic contexts

Group Investigation

Study groups.

Strategies to design successful group projects.

How to build effective collaboration in your course.

Video that helps you move group work to an online environment.

Assessing Group Work

In addition to evaluating the group’s output, determine how groups functioned, how individuals contributed to the group itself, as well evaluate both the process and product. This is not always easy, but these general principles can guide you:

  • Instructor assessment of group
  • Individual assignments
  • Quizzes or individual write ups
  • Self-assessments
  • Student assessment of group or group members
  • Student assessment of self
  • Provide criteria for assessment
  • Assess process as well as product
  • Give group feedback and individual feedback when possible
  • Monitor each group’s progress and address issues that may arise

Additional resources

Video series for structuring online groups.

Learn how to assess group work equitably.

Overview of the various methods to grade group work successfully and fairly.

Collaboration in Online Learning

Collaborative online learning activities allow students to support each other by asking critical questions and clarifying misunderstandings. It is through this collaboration that students can learn to listen thoughtfully and value the contributions of their peers. Using appropriate and intuitive technology tools helps create an engaging and supportive learning community. The following are a variety of tools available to connect you with your students and to help your students collaborate with their peers.

UB Learns: Collaboration

Share ideas individually and collaboratively.

Assign students to groups within the UB Learns course.

  • How to create groups in UB Learns

Group Assignments

Can set assignments for group submissions.

Discussion Forums

See below for detailed information.

Additional Collaboration Tools

Communication tools can support both student and instructor presence whether your class is synchronous or asynchronous.

Store, share and edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations and surveys (among other features). It is ideal for working collaboratively in real time.

Text and chat in real time (individuals or groups).

Create, communicate and collaborate in real time.

Virtual interactive bulletin board.

Record instruction videos.

Create a unique hashtag that students can use to talk about class, share links, etc.

Store, share and edit university-related documents in UB Box.

Video conferencing software for synchronous classes and office hours.

UB faculty shares how you can successfully enhance your course with technology.

Third party digital tools you can integrate into your course to strengthen collaboration.

Discussions are usually an important component of a course regardless of the modality. Online discussions can be conducted in two primary ways:

  • Synchronously: All students participate in the discussion at the same time, in the same virtual space.
  • Asynchronously: All students participate in the discussion on their own time, but according to a schedule.

In an online course, discussion boards can be a primary point of connection for collaboration among students. They can serve a variety of purposes, including as a place for students to:

  • submit assignments for other students to review and give feedback
  • ask questions that can be read and answered by peers, the TA and/or the instructor
  • communicate with their peers formally or informally
  • create posts and responses that can be counted towards participation or homework grades
  • discuss a topic with a small group or with the whole class
  • collaborate on group assignments

Tips for Using Discussion Forums

  • Establish criteria and expectations, both general and specific. Include grading, if applicable.
  • Strategically monitor and interact with the discussion board. Guide and prompt students as needed.

Determine the complexity of the discussion questions ( Bloom's Taxonomy ). Use meaningful, open-ended questions and prompts.

Create opportunities for autonomy and incorporate UDL principles . Give students choices such as the question they answer or the delivery method they complete (ex: written or video response).

Uses of Discussion Forums

  • Asking questions
  • Answering questions
  • Comprehension of content
  • Ice Breakers
  • Introductions
  • Jigsaw activity
  • Peer feedback
  • Reflections
  • Sharing ideas and resources
  • Small groups and conversations

Building a Discussion Board in UB Learns

A guide to building a discussion forum in UB Learns.

A guide to creating a discussion forum from Brightspace.

A handout that gives an overview of the best practices to consider when designing a discussion board for your course.

Ways to create significant discussions in your course.

How to set criteria and expectations for discussions.

Integrate Student Collaboration Into Your Course Design

  • Are there opportunities for the instructor to engage with students?
  • Are there class activities that foster communication between students?
  • Are there various modalities for students to communicate and collaborate?
  • Step 2 : Identify areas where you could further integrate student collaboration into your course design.
  • Step 3 : Begin to build or revise a student collaboration activity or project.

Learn how to plan, facilitate and assess classroom discussions.

How to prepare students to engage with and support peers who may share different views and perspectives.

Research article that reviews the changing cultural landscape of higher education classrooms.

Strategies to navigate difficult discussions in the classroom.

Blog that shares the challenges and successes of group work.

Better resources for classroom management.

Set clear expectations for class interactions.

Build and support a learning community.

Create opportunities for collaboration.

Provide opportunities to learn and share from a diverse range of resources.

For further information about group work, see the following readings.

  • Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers (1st ed.). Routledge.
  • Loes, C., Culver, K., & Trolian, T. (2018). How collaborative learning enhances students’ openness to diversity. The Journal of Higher Education (Columbus), 89(6), 935–960. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2018.1442638

Humans join two types of groups; social and task. Social groups are those gathered for enjoyment and pleasure.  While task groups can certainly be enjoyable, and while social groups can complete a task, they are several marked differences: Membership Method:   For a task group, a noticeable process exists in which we move from not being a member to being a member.  We may be elected, appointed, hired, volunteer, or so on to move from outside the group to inside the group.  Social groups, however, do not have such an overt membership method.  With social groups, it is a fairly random process of connecting with people, testing for common interests, and tacitly agreeing to join together. Duration : Task groups typically have a defined duration, such as when the task is finished, the end of the year, or the end of terms in office.  Even if a task group is long lasting, when the membership changes, the dynamics of the group start over.  As we change members, we change the personality of the group.  For social groups, there is no defined ending point.  Social groups may fade due to changing interests, people moving, or other such external events, but there is no sense of “we’ll be a social group until X.” Meta-communication:    Meta-communication refers to talking openly about communication dynamics.  For task groups, meta-communication Meta-communication is possible due to our use of langauge to create mental images of the world. For more, see Module IV, Section 1 is a necessary conversation in order to discuss how the work is going to be done, how decisions are going to be made, and what expectations group members have for each other.  For social groups, we rarely engage in such meta-communication, except when we are departing a gathering: we may say, “I really enjoyed talking to you.”  Just imagine a person, in the middle of a conversation, saying, “We’re having a good talk now, aren’t we?”  Chances are this sort of meta-communication would virtually end the conversation. Fulfillment of Interpersonal Needs:   While task groups function best when members feel a sense of acceptance and belongingness, fulfilling those intepersonal needs For more on these basic needs, go to Module I, Section 1 is secondary to getting the work done.  If you are in a task group, you still have to get the work done even if you do not feel a strong sense of acceptance.  With social groups, however, if we do not feel acceptance and belongingness, we do not gather with them.  The whole purpose of social groups is to satisfy those interpersonal needs.

Task/Social Balance:   Task groups also engage in social interaction in order to develop the social dimension.  Ultimately, the group must focus on the task; the task dimension takes priority over the social dimension.  With a social group attempting to complete a task, the task may take a back seat to social interaction.  For example, for 20 years a group of Keith's friends have met monthly or so to eat and play Pictionary, yet sometimes they get to talking and never quite get around to playing the game.  Even though their “task” is to play Pictionary, the social aspect of their gathering is more important.

To understand group dynamics, we must first accept a fundamental premise: we are people first, and we are workers second .   To manage how a group works, we must consider a group as an interpersonal relationship among several people.  A common mistake in attempting to get a group to function better is to squash any sort of personal interaction, such as stories, jokes, and side comments, and enforce a rigid, stick-to-the-agenda approach.  This "agenda-whipping" approach dehumanizes the group, making working on the task something to get finished versus something to excel at. 

While the group may finish the work more quickly, the quality of the work will be minimal at best.  They will engage in pseudowork, which is superficial, low quality work .  They will be on task and will quickly reach agreement on decisions, but the decisions will have little thought behind them.  Minimal discussion, virtually no disagreement, and very little consideration of options and other ideas will take place.  While members may appear to be working well as a group, in reality they are just going through the motions to get the job completed. 

The social dimension refers to the quality of relationships among group members .  The task dimension refers to the work done to acheive the goal of the group. As reflected in image 3, the social dimension is the foundation of the group, forming a solid base for quality task work.  If the social dimension is absent or weak, the task work is undermined, creating an environment ripe for pseudowork.

When we first join a task group, we may be a bit uncertain: awkward, out-of-place, self-conscious, and typically guarded in what we say.  If we do not know the other group members, we cannot predict how they will act, or how they will respond to us.  As we begin to get to know the personalities of the members, we gain the ability to anticipate how they will behave, and typically the awkwardness and discomfort begins to fade.  Our uncertainty is dropping, and our predictability is growing. 

The process of lowering uncertainty also describes the development of trust , a key factor in the social dimension.  Trust is the belief another person will be ethical, truthful, and dependable.  So when we say, “I trust my partner,” we mean “I can predict my partner will not do anything, at least deliberately, to cause me physical or emotional harm.”  So as trust grows in a group, we relax and are willing to open up far more as we gain confidence we will not be rejected, insulted, or disrespected.

Trust leads to several important interaction behaviors:

  • More openness .  Group members are more willing to speak up and offer ideas and opinions.  The substance groups work with are ideas and suggestions, so as members engage more openly, the group has a richer body of material to work with.
  • More risk-taking. Members become more willing to share what may seem like silly or off-the-wall ideas.  Since the fear of rejection is lowered, they are more willing to risk throwing out these ideas.  Often these more radical, unique suggestions can lead to very creative decisions.  Typically, within every “stupid” idea is the seed of a good idea.
  • More social tangents .  While this may seem counterintuitive, it is very important task groups engage in some social conversations, such as jokes, stories, and sharing personal information. We get to know each other more deeply and genuinely through social interaction than through task interactions, which builds more trust.  The group must not let the social tangents take over the group, but with a good balance of social and task work, the group can develop a very healthy personality.
  • More comfort/Less anxious to leave .  As we get more comfortable with the members, we are less driven to get finished just for the sake of escaping the situation.  Contrast this with early in the life of the group when our uncertainty is high and the desire to escape is likewise strong, clearly not a good recipe for quality group work.  As our comfort level increases, the urge to flee diminishes and we spend more time on task or building the relationships in the social dimension.  The more we enjoy being with the group, the more we are willing to spend time on the task.

Just like any relationship, the social dimension is not something we can force to develop; however, we can create conditions favorable for its growth.

Since the core of the social dimension is trust, and trust develops from knowing about each other, the social dimension develops using reciprocal self-disclosure This is the same reciprocal self-disclosure used to create interpersonal relationships. See Module V, Section 2. .  Self-disclosure is simply sharing new information about ourselves.  We start with superficial items, like our name, and then slowly move into more personal content, but we do so in a reciprocal fashion.  Reciprocity refers to a “give and take” process of exchanging similar levels of disclosure.  We do this to gauge how receptive the other person is toward developing the relationship. 

For example, two students meet for the first time.  Derrick and Suzanne happen to be sitting next to each other, waiting for class to start.  Derrick turns to Suzanne and says, “Hi, I’m Derrick.”  What Suzanne does next is extremely important.  If she reciprocates by saying, “Hi, I’m Suzanne,” she has let him know she is receptive to making an initial contact.  If she fails to reciprocate, the message is clear, “Leave me alone.” If they continue to talk, getting to know each other by exchanging personal information, they are developing a relationship.  In the communication field, relationship simply means any connection between people; it does not refer only to close relationships.  Eventually, they will reach a point where they are comfortable; they have, at least temporarily, negotiated the comfort level of the relationship.

Groups will go through the exact same process as Derrick and Suzanne.  Members will engage in casual social interaction, learning about each other, developing a comfort level in their collegial relationship.  As they do this, they develop a sense of what each other is like.  This allows members to feel a sense of confidence and predictability in each other.  In other words, they are building trust.  Just like any relationship, regular social interaction is vital to maintain a comfort level and trust.  Spending some time engaging in casual conversation is crucial in the development and maintenance of the social dimension.

For face-to-face groups, social interaction is fairly automatic and flows relatively easily.  We know we have to work together so we tend to start the process without much prodding.  With online groups, however, there is a tendency to focus solely on the task.  Social interaction has to occur much more intentionally, and at the outset, can feel quite awkward.   Taking a few minutes at the beginning to just share a little personal information can help to break the awkwardness. 

A word of caution about developing the social dimension: be gentle.  Do not try to force the group to form a social bond too quickly.  We tend to rebel from being thrust into uncomfortable situations.  Likewise, we have to monitor time spent in social conversation, gently steering the group back to the task dimension in order to make progress on the job at hand.

Group norms and other forms of behavior develop by emergence .  Emergence is the taking on of behaviors or actions based on repetitive action or need .  For example, if a group member volunteers to find some information the group needs, they have emerged as an information seeker (we will discuss specific roles later).  A specific type of emergence is the method of residues . In effect, a person takes on a role after the others in the group have rejected it.  If the group needs to have copies made and other members say, “I don’t know where to do it,” or they look down and away, they are saying, “I don’t want to do that.”  If one member realizes no one else will do the task and then says, “Fine, I can take care of it,” they have emerged as a procedural technician because there was no one else willing to do it.  What is important about emergence is we do not openly discuss who will do what; instead, a member just starts acting in a certain way.

As these norms and roles emerge, the group members are developing a social underpinning for the group.  They are learning to predict how others in the group will act, and in the process they are lowering uncertainty and tension.  A strong social dimension is the foundation for good task work.

Member Needs and Roles

As mentioned before, all groups have needs, and group members act to fill those needs.  Those needs fall into two categories:

  • Task needs are things the group needs to do to accomplish the task .  They include gathering information, doing analysis, and developing structure. These are the critical thinking, work-oriented skills.
  • Social Maintenance needs are interpersonal needs include such things as being supportive of each other, resolving conflicts, and trying to include all members . For the needs to be fulfilled, different group members take on roles .  A role is a pattern of behavior .  As with group norms, the roles emerge; rarely are they openly discussed and/or assigned.  A person sees the group needs something, and they begin acting in such a way to fulfill those needs.

When looking at the roles, some important factors to keep in mind are:

  • Not all roles will emerge.  Some roles will take on more importance due to the dynamic of the group, complexity of the work, and the duration of the group.
  • One person can take on several roles.  Each group member can fulfill several needs for the group.
  • One role can be taken on by several members.  For many of the roles, having multiple members meeting those needs is preferable.
  • A single action does not mean a role is being assumed.  It becomes a role when the behavior becomes repetitive and predictable. 

In the 1940s, Kenneth Beene and Paul Sheats (1948) identified a range of roles in groups.  Three categories of roles are: task, maintenance, and negative.  The roles are not presented in any order of importance. 

  • Information/Opinion Giver : provides outside data and personal observations about the task, and is a role commonly taken on by multiple group members.  The Information/Opinion Giver brings in the content and substance groups need in order to work.
  • Information/Opinion Seeker : In order to know what kind of information to bring in, someone needs to identify what kind of data is required.  The Information/Opinion Seeker is able to see where information is lacking and to point out what type of information is needed.
  • Analyzer : The Analyzer is the critical thinker. They are able to assess information and ideas for value, accuracy, and applicability. 
  • Idea Person: The Idea Person is the creative thinker.  The Idea Person is able to come up with options and ideas to help move the group forward.  Fairly quickly, group members have a tendency to begin to think alike, narrowing their focus. If group members suspend critical thinking, and start thinking too much alike, groupthink may occur.  Groupthink will limit the options the group considers.  The Idea Person is able to step outside of groupthink and see other possibilities.
  • Expediter : The Expediter is the person who helps urge the group forward.  The Expediter is not necessarily a person in a leadership position, but they are good at reminding the group to make progress on the task.  An Expediter says things like, “Well, we better get back at it.  We have only 20 minutes left.”
  • Recorder : The Recorder is the note taker of the group.  While every member of the group should take notes, the Recorder is seen more as the official keeper of notes and materials for the group.
  • Producer : At some point, the product of the group has to be made.  The product could be a report, a PowerPoint presentation, or a paper. The Producer is the person who actually makes the product.

Social Maintenance Roles

  • Energizer : Keeping a group motivated to work effectively can be challenging.  As time goes on, as the group gets immersed in the task, and as the doldrums set in, it is important to keep the group motivated and energized to complete the task.  The Energizer is a person who can keep the group commitment level high, urging the group to move forward and make progress.
  • Supporter : Even in task groups, we need to have our interpersonal needs fulfilled.  One key way needs are met is to have other group members acknowledge our participation.  The Supporter acknowledges input from others. Supporting does not mean agreeing.  Rather, the Supporter acknowledges group members' participation.  Supportive phrases such as, “That’s an interesting idea,“ or “Bill’s point is well taken, but I’m not sure it applies here,” can all be supporting comments.  Several group members may take on the role of supporter.
  • Gatekeeper : Not all group members are quick to speak up, so the Gatekeeper is the one who invites participation.  They can extend the invitation, but no one can force anyone to participate.
  • Harmonizer : Whenever two or more people try to agree on something, conflict may occur. Conflict may be a simple difference of opinion, or it may be a deeper conflict of personalities.  The Harmonizer is the person who is able to help the group manage conflict. They are able to step up and help the group process the conflict in a healthy manner.
  • Tension Reliever: Tension is a normal occurrence within a group.  To break the tension, someone almost always will tell a joke.  The Tension Reliever is the person who is able to use humor appropriately to break the tension.  They know when to use humor, and when to get back to work.

Negative Roles

While the task and social maintenance roles aid the group in working, negative patterns of group member behavior may emerge, and have the potential to be quite disruptive if left unchecked.

  • Monopolizer : The Monopolizer wants to dominate the group, and do everything.  While it can be tempting to allow one person to do all the work, doing so means giving up the ability to influence the outcome.  The group will be held accountable for the work, and to give one person all the power violates the very dynamic we count on in group task work.
  • Aggressor : The Aggressor wants to control the group, dictating the outcome.  They will act aggressively, using silencers to shut down group members. They usually do not want to do the work, but want to control the outcome.
  • Withdrawer :  As you know from your own group experiences, there are those who simply will not participate and who do not show up for meetings. They become a sore point in the group as they may benefit from the group outcome without putting in the work.
  • Social Loafer: Some group members will show up, but they do not do anything.  They may focus on their phone, surf the web, listen to music, and generally ignore the group.  In the eyes of a social loafer, simply being present at a group meeting is sufficient. The Social Loafer may very well frustrate other group members as the former expects credit for the work without having done much of anything.
  • Joker : While the Tension Reliever may use humor to relax the group, the Joker uses humor to get attention.  They do not know the difference between time to work and time to joke, and they will distract the group from the task by joking around far too much.Jokers can be very hard to shut down.  Generally the group has to be quite direct and clear on the need to stop joking around.
  • Abdicator : The Abdicator is the passive-aggressive member.  They will appear to go along and be content with the actions of the group, but outside the meeting, they will complain to group members about other group members or the work of the group. These outside comments trigger conflict within the group, but the Abdicator will not directly confront the issues, leaving others to carry the weight.

A common assumption about task groups is the need for a strong, individual leader and without such leadership, the group will flounder.  Having a single leader, however, is not necessarily ideal.  In some cases, real negative effects exist when a strong central leader presides over a group. 

  • It becomes much easier for group members to sit back and wait to be told what to do.  Group members become passive, not active.
  • A strong central leader can end up editing the group results based on their personal preferences.  The group ends up being guided into a specific viewpoint by the leader versus being self-directed.
  • Resentments can build as individual group members feel the leader is too demanding, not taking their ideas seriously, or otherwise acting too independently of the group.
  • Commitment to the group process can drop, including attendance, as the group members may feel their input is not valued nor needed to complete the task.

On the other hand, having good leadership may help a group be very healthy and dynamic.

  • A strong leader can handle all the procedural issues (time/place to meet; agendas; copying materials) so individual group members are freed up to focus their energies on the task.
  • A strong leader, by being a supporter and gatekeeper, may create an environment which encourages broad participation.
  • A strong leader can serve as a spokesperson, connecting the small group to the larger body to which they are accountable. 
  • A strong leader can help keep the group focused and moving forward, serving as an expediter and energizer.
  • A strong leader can be a constant, always present even if other members do not always attend.   They provide a consistency to assure  each meeting is a step forward in the task.

With these pros and cons, the specific leadership style for a given group is up to the nature of the group itself.  Traditionally, we see leadership on a continuum from laissez-faire to autocratic.

Laissez-faire means to let things take their own course . The laissez-faire leader does nothing without being directed to do so by the group. They will not act until the group says something like, “Mary, would you please make sure the room is reserved for the next meeting?”  They will function as a group member, but will do only things for the group as specifically directed to do.

A democratic leader will take more initiative, but knows the power remains with the group. They will assume whatever they do on behalf of the group has to be supported by the group.  A democratic leader would say things like, “So, should we meet next Thursday at the same time?”  They are leading on procedural matters but leaving the decision to the group.  It is a balance between taking initiative yet respecting the authority of the group.

An autocratic leader is one who acts on behalf of the group without seeking approval from the group .  In effect, they tell the group what to do.  Instead of asking, “So, should we meet next Thursday at the same time?” they would say, “We’ll meet again next Thursday at the same time.”  While it may seem subtle, there is a distinct difference between a democratic leader asking, “Is this what you want?” and an autocratic leader saying, “Here’s what we will do.”

None of these leadership styles are inherently right or wrong.  Rather, the proper leadership for a given group depends on the personality of the group, the task, external dynamics, and other variables.  In the end, it is up to the group to determine what leadership works for them.

Another type of leadership which works well for small task groups is distributed leadership .  Instead of one person acting as the leader, leadership tasks are shared by all group members .  When it is time to undertake a leadership function, like making arrangements for the next meeting, someone volunteers to do the work. In essence, group members take turns in the leadership role.   A shared leadership format works best when the group has strong, actively participating members. Distributed leadership avoids conflict over leadership, and can enhance a sense of accountability among all group members.

Social groups and task groups

  • Membership method
  • Meta-communication
  • Interpersonal needs
  • Task/social balance

Group Dimensions

  • Social dimension
  • Task dimension
  • Method of residues
  • Information/Opinion Giver
  • Information/Opinion Seeker
  • Idea person
  • Tension Reliever
  • Monopolizer
  • Social loafer
  • Laissez-Faire
  • Distributed

SkillsYouNeed

  • INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
  • Team Working, Groups and Meetings

6 Benefits of Group Work

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Interpersonal Skills:

  • A - Z List of Interpersonal Skills
  • Interpersonal Skills Self-Assessment
  • Communication Skills
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Team-Working, Groups and Meetings
  • An Introduction to Groups and Teams
  • Group Processes
  • Group Life-Cycle
  • Group Roles
  • Group Diversity
  • Group Dynamics
  • Group Decision-Making
  • Groups Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Building Group Cohesiveness
  • Difficult Group Behaviour
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  • Effective Team-Working
  • Collaboration or Working Together
  • Collaborative Innovation
  • Joining an Established Team
  • Joining an Established Team as Manager
  • Team Building
  • Ice Breaker Exercises
  • Managing Remote Teams
  • Working with Others Remotely: Building and Maintaining Relationships
  • Rebuilding Teams After Remote Working
  • Planning and Structuring Effecting Meetings
  • Conducting a Meeting
  • Agenda-Setting for Meetings
  • The Role of the Secretary
  • Remote Meetings and Presentations
  • Managing Difficult Behaviour in Meetings
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Introduction to Communication Skills - The Skills You Need Guide to Interpersonal Skills

  • Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
  • Negotiation and Persuasion Skills

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Working on your own can sometimes feel easier. It can be efficient, you can work on the project in your own time, and you can control the whole processes.

There are some good reasons to get involved in group work, though. Whether it’s forced upon you by your teacher or boss, or it’s a study group you arrange with your friends, group work can be useful in helping you to deepen your knowledge and understanding of issues.

Below, I outline six top benefits of group work.

6 Benefits of Group Work

1. You get a variety of perspectives

Working in a group enables you to examine topics from the perspectives of others. When you are required to discuss a topic and negotiate how to address it, you are forced to listen to other people’s ideas. Their ideas will then influence your own thinking and broaden your horizons. Your group members aren’t just fellow learners, they’re also your teachers.

The point of group work is that being social significantly enhances learning. Not only do you have to hear others’ perspectives, you also have to compare, contrast and integrate their perspectives into your own thinking. Perhaps someone else’s perspective will change your mind or show weaknesses in your own ideas. Only through engaging with others can your perspectives change.

The point here is not to simply change your perspective, but also to sharpen it. Your team members are not opponents whose minds you want to change. They are collaborators on a project in which you are collectively trying to develop a shared understanding of a topic in which the group’s final, shared, perspective is sharper, richer and more dynamic as a result of the collaboration. Group work is great for improving your critical thinking skills and making you a sharper thinker.

So, the next time you work in a group remember this: listen to others’ perspectives and see how their views can sharpen your own. Remember your view is malleable and should change as a result of the interaction. By the end of the group process, you’ll be smarter and more insightful than you were at the start.

2. You improve your vocabulary

In second language learning, interactions with others is widely accepted as the best way to learn. You’ll often hear English language teachers talk about situated learning. This is when a learner of English is thrown into a social situation and forced to interact in English in order to successfully navigate the social situation. The point of this task is to force the learner how language works in real life.

You may not realise it, but the same goes for you in all group work situations. Even if English is your first language, when you’re forced to interact with others you learn how they speak about a topic more effectively. You will learn words and phrases that are effective at explaining a phenomenon, and you’ll learn to discard the words and phrases that seem ineffective in explaining your point of view to others.

By the end of the group work process, you might start explaining concepts in a new way. You might also integrate new words and phrases into your explanations of topics. Imagine if, at the end of a group project, you presented the topic to a class or teacher and started using words and phrases you never would have thought of before working in a group. Your teacher will be impressed by your improved vocabulary and you’ll be on your way to increasing your grades.

3. You learn to teach

Sometimes you’re the expert in the group. This can be frustrating if you don’t have the right mindset about the topic. However, being the most knowledgeable person in a group does not mean you won’t get a lot out of group work.

Being the teacher within a group requires you to refine your knowledge. Even if you think you know all of what needs to be known, you will still need to be able to organize that knowledge enough to teach it to people in a way that makes sense to them.

As a part of the process of teaching information to your peers, you will find you need to break concepts down into easy-to-manage steps. Jerome Bruner used the term ‘ scaffolding ’ to explain how a teacher presents information in bite-sized chunks. You’ll keep delivering little bits of information until the learner has built up all of the knowledge to fully understand a topic on their own.

So, even if you’re more knowledgeable than your team members, you’re still going to get a lot out of group work. It will sharpen your understanding of a topic and make you even more of an expert than you were before!

4. You learn to manage personalities

One of the major reasons many people scoff at group work is that you have to work with people you might clash with.

This might not necessarily only be because you have personality differences. You may also have competing learning preferences . If one group member is a quiet, bookish and introverted learner and another is a boisterous and chatty learner, there might be a clash of learning approaches. This can cause problems in a group.

The path through this challenge is to change your mindset. If you’re in a group that has personality clashes, view the group learning scenario as your chance to develop the valuable real-life skill of managing people. It’s an essential skill for workplace cohesion, but also in your real life: most families experience competing personalities every thanksgiving dinner!

Taking the reins in a group work situation and finding a path through competing personalities makes you a much better people person. Some paths through such a challenge could include setting rotating team roles.

Team roles could include: note taker, timekeeper, resource investigator, and coordinator. The note taker can ensure everything that gets discussed is written down; the timekeeper ensures the group stays on task and completes all tasks on time, the resource investigator uses the internet and library to gather deeper information for the team and the coordinator ensures all team members’ opinions are heard. Try to rotate these roles each time the group meets.

5. You can leverage talent

We often find we have different skillsets to our friends. In fact, we may have different approaches to learning as well! This diversity of skills can be a huge benefit of group work.

Your interactions with team members who are more talented at certain tasks give you an opportunity for self-improvement. The team member who is excellent at creatively putting together group presentations can give the whole group tips on how to improve the final product. The team member who is gifted at research can support the group in gathering data for enhancing the group’s mission.

Keep in mind that your goal should not be to delegate the creative tasks to the creative person and the research tasks to the research guru. Your goal should be to have the experts in the group teach other members of the group strategies to get better at their areas of talent.

If you use group work as an opportunity to observe and learn from the talents of others, you’ll end up with greater skills than if you did the project in isolation. Embrace the opportunity to learn from peers, see their unique talents, and pick up on their strategies. Whether it’s a new study tip or insights into how to be a better public speaker, keep your eye out for these opportunities to learn from your talented team members.

6. You learn to negotiate

One of the most frustrating things about group work for me is that sometimes the final product of the group project is not exactly what I want. It’s hard for a perfectionist to see ideas and perspectives in a final group assessment submission that you don’t agree are the best.

However, this outcome is a desirable aspect of group work that’s built into the process. Allowing someone else’s ideas to be a part of a shared project leads to shared ownership. Everyone needs to see a little bit of themselves in the final product of the group work process.

The idea of give-and-take in group work is explained by the term ‘positive interdependence’. Positive interdependence loosely means that the group sinks or swims together. If your group members’ ideas are not included in the group discussion, their motivation will decrease and you will find they begin to put less effort in. This will hurt the group in the long run. It’s therefore useful to ensure your peers feel they have some ownership over the group discussion. This ensures group cohesion and makes sure the group sustains its motivation to learn in the long run. As this study found , groups that embrace positive interdependence tend to end up succeeding more than groups that lack a sense of being ‘in it together’.

Negotiation and compromise are necessities of life. Getting your own way shouldn’t be the goal of a group project. Putting the group first teaches you something: it teaches you about the importance of community, interdependence and tolerance. These values are the soft emotional intelligence skills that will make you a better listener, colleague and learner.

Understanding and Developing Emotional Intelligence

Further Reading from Skills You Need

Understanding and Developing Emotional Intelligence

Learn more about emotional intelligence and how to effectively manage personal relationships at home, at work and socially.

Our eBooks are ideal for anyone who wants to learn about or develop their interpersonal skills and are full of easy-to-follow, practical information.

Final Thoughts

Even if group work gives you nightmares, try to focus on the positives. It is a very useful method of learning and developing new products. This is why universities and workplaces employ group work scenarios regularly. Groups that are effective help you not only develop better final products and learn more deeply, they teacher you soft skills and emotional intelligence that will serve you well for life.

Next time you get involved in a group scenario, keep your focus on how your group can be beneficial for your learning and development:

  • You get a variety of perspectives
  • You improve your vocabulary
  • You learn to teach
  • You learn to manage personalities
  • You can leverage talent
  • You learn to negotiate

About the Author

Chris Drew has a PhD in Education and teaches Teacher Education at university level. He is the founder of the blog HelpfulProfessor.com and is the voice behind the Essay Guidance Study Skills podcast. You can join his free personal tutor service by heading over to his website.

Continue to: Working in Groups and Teams Critical Thinking Skills

See also: Understanding Other People Group Diversity Group Cohesiveness

task 1 group work

Richard James Rogers

Educational articles and advice for teachers. www.amazon.com/author/rogersrichard

task 1 group work

10 Groupwork Activities That Can Be Applied to Any Subject Area

An article by  Richard James Rogers  ( Award-Winning  Author of  The Quick Guide to Classroom Management  and  The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback ) .

Illustrated by   Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati .

When students work together on a task/project that is well-planned and carefully executed, a number of incredible things happen:

  • Essential skills are reinforced, such as the ability to manage time, break complex tasks into parts and challenge assumptions [ Carnegie Mellon University ].
  • Positive group experiences have been shown to contribute to student learning, retention and overall success [ Astin, 1993 ; Tinto, 1998 ; National Survey of Student Engagement, 2006 ].
  • Group work can serve to motivate students, encourage active learning, and develop key communication, decision-making and critical thinking skills [ University of Waterloo ] .

It is very important to stress again, however, that group tasks must be very well-planned, otherwise they can “frustrate students and instructors and feel like a waste of time” [ University of Waterloo ].

task 1 group work

So, the next question has to be ‘What types of group activities are most effective, and, ideally, won’t cost me too much planning time as a teacher?’ . Well, I’ve got some good news for you – I’m going to pretty much answer that question in today’s blog post. As a high school Chemistry teacher, I’ve had the opportunity to try and test a large number of group-based activities over the past 16 years. What I present here will be my distillation of the top ten that work the best.

#1: Podcasting

Podcasts are all the rage at the moment, and have been for some time. In addition, forecasts by eMarketer , Grand View Research , and many others predict huge growth in this sphere for at least the next several years, and probably much longer.

In other words, the industry is literally booming, and getting our students involved in podcasting provides not only a creative output for their research projects, but also equips them with valuable key skills.

task 1 group work

As a podcaster myself, I’m delighted to bring some excellent news to teachers and schools everywhere (garnered from lots of personal experience): podcasting is very easy, and virtually free to do .

Here are the steps that I personally suggest students should follow:

Step 1: Record the audio on any device available – a mobile phone, laptop computer, tablet, etc.

Step 2: Save the file somewhere. A .wav or .mp3 is perfect

Step 3: Download Audacity – it’s free sound engineering software that is just literally awesome (I use it myself for my podcast ).

Step 4: Import and manipulate the sound file in Audacity (Hint: For podcasts, set Loudness Normalization to -18.0 LUFS, as this will make the voices of the students nice and clear – to do that, just select the audio, then go to Effect > Loudness Normalization, and keep the check mark the box that says ‘Treat mono as dual mono’).

Step 5: Export and save the file. I suggest exporting as an mp3, rather than a .wav, in order to compress the size of the file dramatically. Sound quality is not affected by this.

Once the sound file has been exported and saved locally, the students can then send that to the teacher in any way that seems appropriate – via e-mail, Google Classroom, uploading to YouTube (which requires another process that the students will have to learn), etc.

#2: Create a short lesson that contains some kind of practical element

Ironically, research shows that one of the best ways to learn something is to teach the topic that you have to learn. So, quite simply, ask your groups of students to prepare a lesson which they must teach to the whole class. To spice things up, the students could build a model, demonstrate an experiment, pass objects around the class or do anything that stimulates touch, smell, and, maybe, taste.

task 1 group work

Allowing students to have some creative freedom over how they deliver the lesson should lead to some very interesting and entertaining moment s.

#3: Cloud Computing

This is one area of education where Google really has the monopoly – and understandably so in my opinion. Their tools for students are second-to-none. Book the schools ICT lab, iPads/laptops or allow students to use their own devices in the following ways:

  • Google Slides :  Imagine you’re in a group of 5 people, each working on the same slide presentation simultaneously on 5 different computers. You’re all editing the presentation in real time – that’s what Google Slides is, basically. It’s really powerful, and I’ve found that students never grow tired of working in groups to create beautiful presentations. Get your students to present the slides to the class when the project is done and you’ve ticked so many boxes – collaboration, using ICT to enhance learning, leadership skills, courage, and on and on we could go. Just make sure you’re walking around the classroom to check on the students as they are doing the work, and ask the group leader to ‘share’ the work with you (this involves clicking a button, and selecting the teacher’s school Gmail address to share it to).
  • Google Docs : This is similar to Google Slides, albeit with a slight difference: the students collaborate on a word-processed document in real time, rather than a slides presentation. It’s great for producing leaflets, infographics, reports, booklets, summaries and traditional ‘assignments’.
  • Google Sheets : As the name suggests, this is a spreadsheet application that the students can collaborate on in real-time, in groups. As a science teacher I find that this is perfect for data collection and processing as it can be used to generate graphs and charts. It’s also good for keeping lists (e.g. lists of revision websites).

task 1 group work

  • Google Forms : Great for surveys and peer-assessment tasks. Students can create forms for other students to fill in, share these forms with their peers, receive responses and the software will even generate pie charts of the responses for quick analysis. It’s a fun way to use ICT to enhance learning, and a quick way to gather interesting data.
  • New Google Sites : This is Google’s amazing website creation software. In a matter of a few clicks, students can create their own websites that are securely linked to the school’s G Suite server. I’ve just recently used Google Sites with my Year 7 students to create ePortfolios. These ePortfolios act as online records/journals where the students can record their reflections on their work, school achievements, extra-curricular activities and photographs of schoolwork they are really proud of. At many schools, these ePortfolios act as an ‘entire’ record, with students adding work to them throughout their time at school. It’s something meaningful that the students can take pride in, and spend significant time developing.

I’ve written a separate blog post about using Google Apps in teaching which you can find here .

#4: Create a Quiz

Quizzes can be a really fun way to test student knowledge, and when done via a group-creation project they can be much less stressful for students than traditional testing. Furthermore, there are a number of great, free multiple choice and graphic quiz creation tools available on the web:

  • Kahoot! : Students can create an account (Attention: Make sure the students use their school e-mail address for safety) and then create a great multiple choice quiz. Always specify the number of questions you’d like the students to create. When ready, the group can present the Kahoot! to the class, and the students watching/playing will use their mobile devices as multiple choice ‘clickers’. The software comes with music (so use your classroom sound system, if you have one) and shows a running student ranking after each question. It’s great fun, and I’ve never known a student to dislike using Kahoot!.
  • Quizlet : This comes in the form of virtual flashcards that the students create (e.g. key word on one side, definition on the other), but the fun starts with Quizlet Live. Basically, when the group has finished making their Quizlet, they activate Quizlet Live which automatically puts all the students into new groups to compete with each other. Again, music and a main screen showing the real-time progress of each team make for a very lively, active classroom experience.

task 1 group work

  • Wordwall : This app allows students to be more spatial in their quiz creations – offering word-matching, category brainstorms, rank orders and many more activities. You can read more about the wide-range of tasks that students can create with Wordwall here .

Can you think of any others? Please do feel free to comment in the comment box below this blog post.

#5: Marketpl ace activity

In a marketplace activity, the following steps are followed:

  • Step 1: Students are placed into small groups and given material to learn. They could spend perhaps ten minutes learning about one aspect of the topic you’re teaching (each group can learn a different aspect/sub-topic, or each group can learn the same sub-topic).
  • Step 2: One person from each group goes to another group to teach them what they have learned.
  • Step 3: This ‘designated teacher’ also gets taught by the group.
  • Step 4: The assigned person goes back to their original group and teaches them what they have learned

I have drawn a diagram of the process below (if my handw riting is too small to see on your screen, then please feel free to download the image and zoom in):

task 1 group work

You can read more about marketplace activities here .

#6: M odel building

Get your students to build things. Materials like plastic bottles, bottlecaps, cardboard, coloured paper, plasticine/modelling clay, straws, shoeboxes and old rope can all be used creatively by students to make models of the concepts they are studying. I’ve used this technique across my teaching in Science to get students to create everything from atomic models to makeshift ‘eco gardens’. Here’s a model atom that one of my IGCSE Chemistry students made out of rudimentary materials a few years ago:

task 1 group work

#7: Making videos and stop motion animations

Movies and stop-motion animations are fun projects which can really encourage students to approach a problem from creative perspective. The result? – Memory of the concept is greatly enhanced when compared with traditional teaching methods.

Stop-motion animations do take a long time, and are more suited to processes and systems (e.g. DNA replication, corrie formation, steps in differential calculus, etc.), whereas movies have a wider-range of applications.

task 1 group work

You can find out more about how to make a stop-motion animation at this great ACMI webpage here . The students will need everyday objects and inexpensive materials (e.g. modeling clay, coloured paper, straws, etc.) and someone in the group will need to ‘film’ the project. Due to the high-amount of thought and planning involved, stop-motion animations are best suited to complex topics, as the level of thought and immersion needed by the group will lead to useful long-term memory of the concepts.

#8: Create a news report

A suitable example might be a group of three students being assigned the task of creating a news report about a chemical explosion. One student might be the best at art, and could be assigned to produce the graphics. One student might be great at verbal communication in front of an audience, and could be the ‘news anchor’. One student might understand chemical calculations really well, and could provide the script for the news anchor for that particular part of the task.

task 1 group work

Students can get really creative with news reports, as nowadays there are so many ways in which they are done:

  • Webpages (e.g. created using New Google Sites)
  • Audio reports (e.g. for podcasting or internet radio)
  • Video reports (e.g. for standard terrestrial TV, internet TV or a Vlog)
  • Social media posts (If you go for this, then ask the students to compile an array of posts – one for IG, one for Facebook, one for Twitter, etc. – and make sure they link to a webpage the students have created)
  • Print media (e.g. a newspaper, magazine article, newsletter, etc.)

This works great when you can provide the groups with a menu, like the one above, from which they can choose what to create.

#9: Create a puzzle booklet

The beauty of this task is that it is both fun and lends itself really well to delegation – one person can create a crossword, one person a word search, one person a fill-in-the-blanks, etc.

Another great thing about puzzle-building is that there are literally tons of free, puzzle building websites out there. Check these ou t:

  • The Teacher’s Corner Crossword Maker
  • The Wordsearch (word search maker)
  • Alachua County Library District logic puzzle guide
  • Sight Words Snakes and Ladders Board Creator

#10: Create a classroom display

A warm, inviting classroom that’s colorful, fresh and light can really benefit your students. In fact, expansive research published by the  University of Salford  shown that well-designed classrooms can improve learning progress in primary school pupils by up to 16%.

This was the first time that clear evidence of the effect of the physical classroom environment on learning was established.

task 1 group work

Oftentimes, teachers are stuck with the classrooms they are given. If your furniture is old, natural light is bad or the air-conditioning isn’t perfect, then it’s tough luck. One thing we can change, however, is the quality of our displays. Other aspects of the classroom environment can also be adjusted alongside this (See my article about this here:   The Starbucks Protocol ) , so don’t neglect that side of the equation either.

So what are the best ways that we can create beautiful classroom displays? Good news – I’ve written a whole, separate blog post this very topic (with examples and instructions) here .

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Author: richardjamesrogers

High School Science and Mathematics Teacher, Author and Blogger. Graduated from Bangor University with a BSc (Hons) degree in Molecular Biology and a PGCE in Secondary Science Education. Richard also holds the coveted Certificate in Mathematics from the Open University (UK). Richard is the award-winning author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management: 45 Secrets That All High School Teachers Need to Know View All Posts

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  • Tes Explains

What is group work?

What is group work?

Group work is an extremely broad term, applicable across a range of subjects and learning activities in classrooms. At its core, it simply means students working together in small groups to complete a task or project, while - it is hoped - simultaneously developing their skills around communication, collaboration and problem-solving. 

But group work is also a pretty hotly contested issue in education, and it’s easy to understand why. For some, the very mention of it summons images of sprawling groups of off-task, misbehaving children, or pupils being assigned to fixed groups according to their “ability”. 

How it works in the classroom:

Christine Howe, emeritus professor of education at the University of Cambridge, is a passionate advocate for group work. Speaking to Tes , she proposed that group work could be used in every lesson, as long as the groundwork is laid by teachers to enable rich discussion to take place.

Her research found that “teachers sometimes need more training on the key variables that are absolutely crucial to effective group work”, such as creating contexts in which students have different views, in order to get them to engage meaningfully and enthusiastically with one another. Teachers need to set up tasks where students negotiate their positions and give reasons for their differing views, for example, and are then obliged to come to a consensual view.

She proposed that teachers structure tasks to ensure that everyone contributes: for example, setting ground rules, such as making sure that everyone has time to say what they think and that everyone is listened to, or asking students to write down their views on a piece of paper before the discussion starts, so they “can’t hide behind not having an idea”.

She continued: “Once you have student participation, two further things need to happen: firstly, the student’s contributions need to be elaborated upon, either by other students or by the teacher; and secondly, there needs to be questioning of the ideas expressed. If you can do that, it will pay dividends.”

Further reading:

  • Group work: why it works and how to do it well
  • Why it’s time to say goodbye to group work
  • What’s the best number of pupils for group work?
  • How to make group work a success
  • Why peer learning is more effective than you think
  • Collaborative learning is the key to success
  • Collaborative learning approaches (EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit)

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

To achieve this, it summarises the best available evidence for teachers; its Teaching and Learning Toolkit, for example, is used by 70 per cent of secondary schools.

The charity also generates new evidence of “what works” to improve teaching and learning, by funding independent evaluations of high-potential projects, and supports teachers and senior leaders to use the evidence to achieve the maximum possible benefit for young people.

How far can we apply research to a new context?

  • Growth and Jobs at Davos 2024: What to know
  • How using genAI to fuse creativity and technology could reshape the way we work

1. Generative AI boosts productivity, unevenly

In 2024, most chief economists surveyed by the Forum believe generative AI will increase productivity and innovation in high-income countries. But for low-income countries, just over a third think this will be the case.

Productivity boosts are expected in knowledge-heavy industries, including IT and digital communications, financial and professional services, medical and healthcare services, retail, manufacturing, engineering and construction, energy and logistics.

These potential benefits are in "sharp contrast with concerns about the risks of automation, job displacement and degradation", says the report.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of chief economists surveyed "do not foresee a net positive impact on employment in low-income economies".

task 1 group work

2. Digital jobs keep growing

By 2030, the number of global digital jobs is expected to rise to around 92 million. These are generally higher-paid roles, according to the Forum's white paper, The Rise of Digital Jobs .

Digital jobs could help to balance skill shortages in higher-income countries, while boosting opportunities for younger workers in lower-income countries: "If managed well, global digital jobs present an opportunity to utilize talent around the world, widening the talent pool available to employers and providing economic growth pathways to countries across the income spectrum."

3. Unemployment levels could rise

The labour market showed resilience in 2023, with employment remaining high, said Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), in the Davos session ' What to Expect From Labour Markets '.

But he said ILO projections in early January suggested the global unemployment rate could rise from 5.1% to 5.2% in 2024, with an extra two million workers expected to be looking for jobs.

In the US, the jobs market remained stronger than expected for the first month of the year, with more than 350,000 new jobs added. The unemployment rate for January was 3.7%, close to a 50-year low, according to The Guardian .

Houngbo said ILO data shows inequalities persist between low- and high-income countries, while young people are 3.5 times more at risk of being unemployed than the rest of the adult population and "many workers are struggling to pay bills, which is very worrisome".

The impact of AI on jobs was not going to be "an employment apocalypse", but that reskilling, upskilling and lifelong learning would be key to managing the transition to augmentation, he stressed.

4. More pop-up offices

LinkedIn has seen a drop in the number of fully remote job postings, from a peak of 20% in April 2022, to just 8% in December 2023, said co-founder Allen Blue, speaking in a Davos session ' The Role of the Office is Still TBC ' .

But employee interest in taking remote or hybrid jobs remains high, at around 46% of applications.

"The office is going to be in competition with working from home ... that’s a good thing for the office," he said, as management would need to innovate and create a workplace environment that "emphasizes dynamic human interaction".

Young people taking their first job want human connection, so they're more interested in hybrid than remote roles.

Martin Kocher, Austria's Federal Minister of Labour and Economy, said that some Austrian villages are actually paying for pop-up community office spaces, because people don’t want to work from home, and they can make use of other amenities close by.

He predicted the development of more pop-up office spaces away from company headquarters.

Have you read?

  • Davos 2024: 6 innovative ideas on reskilling, upskilling and building a future-ready workforce
  • From hierarchy to partnership: rethinking the employee/employer relationship in 2024

5. Skills will become even more important

With 23% of jobs expected to change in the next five years, according to the Future of Jobs Report, millions of people will need to move between declining and growing jobs.

Coursera CEO, Jeff Maggioncalda and Denis Machuel, CEO of Adecco Group AG, joined the Davos session ' The Race to Reskill ' to discuss the transferability of skills, and the potential of AI to help with personalized learning and productivity, which also levels the playing field for job opportunities globally.

But the key is in learning how to use AI and digital technologies, as Code.org Founder and CEO, Hadi Partovi, pointed out in the session ' Education Meets AI '.

When people think about job losses due to AI, he said, the risk isn't people losing their jobs to AI: "It's losing their job to somebody else who knows how to use AI. That is going to be a much greater displacement.

"It's not that the worker gets replaced by just a robot or a machine in most cases, especially for desk jobs, it's that some better or more educated worker can do that job because they can be twice as productive or three times as productive.

“The imperative is to teach how AI tools work to every citizen, and especially to our young people."

6. More women enter the workforce

In 2020, the World Bank found that potential gains from closing economic gender gaps could unlock a “gender dividend” of $172 trillion for the global economy.

But the Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023 found that the Economic Participation and Opportunity gap has only closed by just over 60%.

Several sessions at Davos looked at how inclusion could benefit the economy , particularly by helping mothers return to the workforce, which could close skills gaps.

“There are 606 million women of working age in the world who are not working because of their unpaid care responsibilities, compared to 40 million men," Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Moms First, explained in a session on the ‘ Workforce Behind the Workforce ’.

“At Moms First, we're working with over 130 companies in every sector, who are saying, ‘I don't have enough workers’. We are working with them to redesign their childcare packages and increase their subsidies.

“Childcare pays for itself. When you offer childcare to employees, you get higher worker productivity and lower rates of attrition, and greater rates of retention. We have to look at care as an economic issue that world leaders must actually do something about.”

  • Our Mission

4 Strategies to Improve Group Work

Many teachers believe that group work is valuable for students but still struggle to implement it. Here’s how to avoid common pitfalls.

high school students stack books in a physics class

Group work can be a highlight of a class or a pain point for students and teachers alike. Cult of Pedagogy ’s Jennifer Gonzalez examines the many challenges of group work in her post “ Make Cooperative Learning Work Better .” Two key questions emerge for Gonzalez: First, is group work worth doing? And second, “how do we solve some of the most common problems with cooperative learning?” 

Collaboration helps students “make greater academic and social gains” than when they work on their own, Gonzalez concludes, citing a paper that pulls together several meta-analyses that collectively cover more than 400 research studies. It is also a crucial way to counterbalance the influence of devices that are “stunting our ability to have regular conversations and robbing us of all the gifts that come with those interactions,” she writes. After establishing the value of group work, Gonzalez offers these tips for implementation: 

Make the workload fair: In group work settings, one student often does the majority of the work. The problem is twofold: First, students don’t have the necessary skills for collaboration. “Teach these skills in the same way that you’d teach academic material,” Gonzalez advises. Model the type of cooperation you hope to see, and ask students to practice first on small projects before moving to bigger ones. 

The second problem is structural—the task “has not been structured for true collaboration.” Gonzalez shares a variety of valuable solutions for this, including the classic jigsaw method . 

Another way to make sure the workload is fairly shared is to establish ground rules for group work through contracts that allow student teams to decide on their parameters and codify their expectations in a written agreement.  

Manage interpersonal dynamics: Solid collaboration requires that students feel comfortable with each other. Team members must interact in ways that “help, support, and encourage each other,” Gonzalez says. 

Foster a classroom culture of support by setting up team-building activities at the outset that aren’t necessarily academic. Build on that by surveying students before and during group work to find out what’s working, what isn’t, and what changes they might make in the future. Engage with students to understand their perspectives on what makes a group successful. 

Teaching students how to communicate and resolve conflicts can not only help build their social and emotional skills but also improve the overall quality of collaborative work. 

Keep students focused: “Whether it’s excessive talking, inappropriate device use, or general fooling around, a lot of cooperative time can be wasted when students just aren’t doing the work they’re supposed to be doing,” Gonzalez writes. Set specific, immediate goals, and use a timer to keep students on task. Check in with students throughout a project, at announced intervals, not only on the work but on how the collaboration is going. 

Plan for absences: Advanced planning for possible absences can help teachers avoid a common pitfall of collaborative learning. “Design projects where some components require all group members’ participation, but others are done by individuals and might even be considered ‘like to have’ rather than ‘must have,’” Gonzalez says. If students sign a group contract, consider recommending that they include a contingency plan for absences. 

Think about the ways technology can bridge the gap if a student is absent for more than one class period. If students use a shared platform, such as Google Drive, the absent student may be able to continue to contribute. If a student is out for several days, consider using video chat technology to connect them to their group.

Teamwork Skills: Being an Effective Group Member

For groups to function effectively, it's important for students to think critically about the climate within their group and the process by which they accomplish their tasks. Although students can gain many of the skills described below through ad hoc interactions, instructors play a key role in making them explicit protocols.

To hone these skills, students need opportunities to practice and to receive regular feedback. Consider sharing the information below with your students, structure activities for them, and incorporate three components of feedback into your plan: instructor comments (oral and/or written); reflective group discussions and/or peer assessment; and self-reflection (see the reflection prompts in Appendix A for ideas). 

Communication skills 

To function successfully in a group, students need to be able to communicate clearly on intellectual and emotional levels. Effective communicators should be able to: 

  • Explain their own ideas; 
  • Express their feelings in an open but non-threatening way; 
  • Listen carefully to others; 
  • Ask questions to clarify others’ ideas and emotions; 
  • Sense how others feel based on their nonverbal communication (e.g., facial expressions, tone of voice, diminished participation);
  • Initiate conversations about the group climate or process if they sense tensions brewing; 
  • Reflect on their group's activities and interactions and encourage other group members to do so. 

Regular open communication, in which group members share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings, is key for successful group work. Unspoken assumptions and issues can be harmful to productive group functioning. Students’ ability to communicate openly with one another can help foster a healthy group climate and process. 

Skills for a healthy group climate 

To work together successfully, group members must demonstrate a sense of cohesion. cohesion emerges as group members: .

  • Get to know one another, particularly those with different interests and backgrounds. They are open to innovative ideas and diverse viewpoints. They also listen to others and elicit their ideas. They know how to balance the need for cohesion within a group with the need for individual expression. 
  • Trust one another enough to share their own ideas and feelings. A sense of mutual trust develops only to the extent that everyone is willing to self-disclose and be honest yet respectful. Trust also grows as group members demonstrate personal accountability for the tasks they have been assigned. 
  • Demonstrate support for one another as they accomplish their goals. They cheer on the group and support members individually. They view one another not as competitors but as collaborators: everyone in the group can and should have a role by which they contribute.
  • Communicate their opinions in a way that respects others, focusing on “What can we learn?” rather than “Who is to blame?” 

As an instructor, you can use several strategies to encourage students to develop a healthy group climate: 

  • Randomize group membership to increase the chances of students encountering peers with diverse backgrounds and interests. 
  • Design icebreaker activities that promote awareness and appreciation of inherent differences within a group. 
  • Walk students through effective strategies for identifying and overcoming group conflict.  
  • Encourage students to participate actively and pose questions to their peers. To encourage listening skills and ensure that everyone in the group speaks, try the “circle of voices” exercise. See the CTE Teaching Tip: Group Work in the Classroom: Types of Small Groups . 
  • Devote class time to help students reflect on their group dynamic and overall functioning. You can provide them with prompt questions to consider and/or facilitate a conversation driven by student insights, questions, and concerns. 

Skills for an effective group process 

In addition to knowing how to develop a healthy group climate, students need to exercise key skills to contribute to an effective group process. This process emerges when students: 

  • Agree on what needs to be done and by whom. Each student then determines what they need to do and takes responsibility to complete the task(s). They can be held accountable for their tasks, and they hold others accountable for theirs. 
  • Give and receive feedback about group ideas. Giving constructive feedback requires focusing on ideas and behaviours instead of individuals and offering suggestions for improvement. Receiving feedback requires the ability to listen well, ask for clarification if the comment is unclear, and being open to change and to other ideas. 
  • Help the group to develop and use central strategies to move toward their group goals. As such, they can facilitate group decision making and manage group conflict in a productive way, rather than approaching the instructor for guidance as the first step.  
  • Know how to plan and manage a task, how to manage their time, and how to run a meeting. For example, they ensure meeting goals are set, an agenda is created and followed, and everyone can participate. They stay focused on the task and help others to do so, too. 
  • Know which roles can be filled within a group (e.g., facilitator, idea-generator, summarizer, evaluator, mediator, encourager, recorder) and are aware of which role(s) they and others are best suited for. They are also willing to rotate roles to maximize their own and others’ group learning experience. 

As an instructor, use some of these strategies to help students develop an effective process within their groups: 

  • Design the group task so that the students must rely on one another to produce their best work. Group members will be more motivated and committed to working together if they are given a group mark. If you choose to evaluate in this way, be sure to make your expectations extremely clear. See the CTE Teaching Tip: Methods for Assessing Group Work for additional ideas. 
  • Invite students to develop a group contract in which they articulate ground rules and group goals. See the CTE Teaching Tip Making Group Contracts for details. Be sure that groups discuss how they will respond to various scenarios such as absent or late group members and those who do not complete their assigned tasks. 
  • Distribute a list of decision-making methods and strategies for conflict resolution and facilitate a conversation with students about these resources in class. The CTE Teaching Tip: Group Decision Making is a good place to start. You may also want to offer yourself as an impartial arbitrator in emergency situations but encourage students to work out problems among themselves. 
  • Provide students with guidelines for running a meeting, such as setting and following an agenda, specifying time limits, and monitoring progress on the agenda. Consult CTE Teaching Tip: Meeting Strategies to Help Prepare Students for Group Work for additional suggestions. 
  • Teach students effective methods for giving and receiving feedback and explain the purpose of feedback in your course. For sample methods, see CTE Teaching Tip: Receiving and Giving Effective Feedback . Create an assignment that involves them giving feedback to group members and make it part of their final grade. 
  • Help students recognize and make the most of their own and one another’s preferred roles. Outline with them a list of team roles (see the CTE Teaching Tip: Group Roles for examples), have them determine which role(s) suits them best, and give them time to discuss how their role(s) will complement those of other group members. Asking students to rotate their roles helps them to expand their skillset. 

Appendix A: Encouraging self-awareness and reflection in group work 

One of the most important things you can do as an instructor is to have students reflect regularly on their group experiences. Their self-reflection will reinforce and further develop critical teamwork skills. Based on your objectives for the group project, create a set of prompts using the questions below. Have students use these prompts to journal about their reactions to group climate and process. The journals encourage self-reflection and can help students see teamwork issues in new ways and create ideas for resolution. They can also provide a good basis from which students can choose comments to share with their group members in debriefing sessions.

If students submit their journals periodically throughout the term, give them feedback orally or in writing, and to the extent appropriate, discuss any trends that you have identified through observation or in the journals (remember to reassure students that other groups may be facing similar challenges). Also, requiring all students to submit a final reflective report after the group project can help them to see the value of the teamwork expertise they have developed through practice. 

  • What have you enjoyed the most/the least about getting to know your group members? 
  • How is your attitude towards your group members demonstrated in how you function within the group? 
  • How do you demonstrate trust and openness towards the other members and their ideas? 
  • How much do you feel you can rely on your group members to complete the required task(s)? 
  • How do you make sure that group members feel supported, encouraged, and appreciated for their work? 
  • How does the team ensure that all voices are heard? 
  • Do you participate willingly in discussions? If not, why not? 
  • Do others appear to understand your ideas? If not, why not? 
  • What do you do if another person’s ideas are unclear? 
  • What do you focus on when others speak? How could you improve your listening skills? 
  • How do you respond to others’ ideas? How do they respond to yours? What could be improved? 
  • What are your group’s ground rules and goals? What changes to these rules and goals might improve the functioning of your group? 
  • How is everyone encouraged to stay accountable for the tasks they have been assigned? 
  • To what extent do you and others follow the feedback methods laid out in class? How could you and your group members improve the way you give and receive feedback? 
  • To what extent does your group reflect on how well its goals are being achieved? How would more (or less) discussion about goals help or hinder your group’s functioning? 
  • How are decisions made in your group? Who is involved and in which ways? What has been effective about the processes you have used? How could your decision-making processes be improved? 
  • What happens if a group member is unhappy or uncomfortable with a decision made by the group? 
  • What conflicts have arisen within your group? How (if at all) have the conflicts been resolved? What role do you play in resolving these conflicts? What could you (or others) do to improve your group’s ability to deal productively with conflict? 
  • How do your meetings typically proceed? What do you accomplish and in how much time? What is effective about your group functioning during meetings? What changes would improve your meetings? 
  • Who has emerged as the leader in your group? Which other roles do you see team members playing? Which role(s) do you play? Which role do you prefer and why? 

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the  CTE Support  page to find the most relevant staff member to contact. 

References 

  • Bosworth, K. (1994). Developing Collaborative Skills in College Students. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 59. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. pp. 25-31. 
  • Breslow, L. (1998). Teaching Teamwork Skills, Part 2. Teach Talk, X, 5.  
  • Burke, A. (2011). Group work: How to use groups effectively. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 11(2), 87-95. 
  • Hills, H. (2001). Team-Based Learning. Burlington, VT: Gower. 
  • Lang, J. M. (2022, June 17). Why students hate group projects (and how to change that). The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/why-students-hate-group-projects-and-how-to-change-that   
  • Shier, M. (2020). Student Success. Victoria, BC: BCcampus. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/studentsuccess/  
  • UWaterloo’s  Student Success Office  
  • UWaterloo’s  Office of Academic Integrity  

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task 1 group work

Chemical Communications

Asymmetric 1,2-diaxial synthesis of bi-(hetero)aryl benzofulvene atropisomers via transient directing group-assisted dehydrogenative coupling †.

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* Corresponding authors

a Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India E-mail: [email protected]

The efficient cross-dehydrogenative coupling of electronically rich and sterically congested benzofulvene with bi-(hetero)aryl moieties to construct an axially chiral benzofulvene core remains a formidable task. In this study, we describe a highly efficient and practical palladium-catalyzed approach for atroposelective bi-(hetero)aryl benzofulvene synthesis, achieving excellent enantioselectivity with moderate yields. This protocol offers a remarkable opportunity for the direct regio- and enantioselective conversion of C–H bonds of benzofulvene to C–C bonds. Furthermore, the protocol permits the incorporation of benzofulvene with a 4-phenyl coumarin core, enabling access to a novel class of axially chiral coumarins.

Graphical abstract: Asymmetric 1,2-diaxial synthesis of bi-(hetero)aryl benzofulvene atropisomers via transient directing group-assisted dehydrogenative coupling

Supplementary files

  • Supplementary information PDF (8086K)
  • Crystal structure data CIF (2172K)

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task 1 group work

Asymmetric 1,2-diaxial synthesis of bi-(hetero)aryl benzofulvene atropisomers via transient directing group-assisted dehydrogenative coupling

S. Hore, A. Singh and R. P. Singh, Chem. Commun. , 2024, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D3CC06011J

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New England Cable News

Group calls for Boston to pay $15B as reparations for slavery

A s Boston's task force studying how the city might enact reparations continues its work, a grassroots organization on Saturday called for a price tag of $15 billion.

The Boston Peoples Reparations Commission held a news conference in Roxbury to announce their proposal.

"The wealth of this city was built on slavery. And the city is responsible to pay back the wealth they extracted free of charge from other human beings who died at some point in the labor for this city," said Rev. Kevin Peterson, who founded and runs the New Democracy Coalition.

The $15 billion would be split three ways, according to the commission's proposal: $5 billion in direct cash payments to Black Boston residents, a $5 billion investment in new financial institutions and $5 billion to address the racial education education gap and for anti-crime measures.

By comparison, Boston's budget for Fiscal Year 2024 is $4.28 billion.

The organizers of the Boston Peoples Reparations Commission argued that educational effects of slavery could be felt 100 years after it was abolished.

The City of Boston established its Reparations Task Force in 2022. The group, which last met Feb. 6, website lists its focus areas as:

  • Working with a research partner to release a study on the legacy of slavery in Boston and its impact on descendants today
  • Engaging the community throughout the process to include input from lived experience
  • Providing recommendations to the Mayor for reparative justice solutions for Black residents

Group calls for Boston to pay $15B as reparations for slavery

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    Manager or Facilitator: Manages the group by helping to ensure that the group stays on task, is focused, and that there is room for everyone in the conversation. Recorder: Keeps a record of those who were in the group, and the roles that they play in the group.

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    Description: This strategy has three steps. First, students think individually about a particular question or scenario. Then they pair up to discuss and compare their ideas. Finally, they are given the chance to share their ideas in a large class discussion.

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    Informal group work can be an effective supplement to lecture, allowing learners to process information, and is often an essential part of, or used in conjunction with, classic active-learning techniques (e.g., Tanner et al., 2003 ). Three elements that are particularly important to consider in structuring formal group work are task ...

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    Successful group work activities require a highly structured task. Structure the task to promote interdependence for creating a group product. Create an activity for which it is truly advantageous for students to work together. Make this task clear to students by writing specific instructions on the board or on a worksheet.

  15. Top 10 Group Work Strategies

    1. 'Think-pair-share' and 'Think-pair-square'. Well, no-one said this top ten had to be original! This strategy is one of those techniques that we employ so readily that we can almost forget about it, it is simply so automatic for most teachers; yet, because of that we can easily forget it in our planning.

  16. What are the benefits of group work?

    Group work also introduces more unpredictability in teaching, since groups may approach tasks and solve problems in novel, interesting ways. This can be refreshing for instructors. Additionally, group assignments can be useful when there are a limited number of viable project topics to distribute among students.

  17. Group Work

    The Importance of Group Work. Group work refers to learning experiences in which students work together on the same task. Group work can help build a positive and engaging learning community through peer learning and teaching. Promoting peer interactions can positively affect learning experiences by preparing students for work beyond the classroom.

  18. MVIIS1: Elements of Group

    The social dimension refers to the quality of relationships among group members.. The task dimension refers to the work done to acheive the goal of the group. As reflected in image 3, the social dimension is the foundation of the group, forming a solid base for quality task work. If the social dimension is absent or weak, the task work is undermined, creating an environment ripe for pseudowork.

  19. 6 Benefits of Group Work

    1. You get a variety of perspectives Working in a group enables you to examine topics from the perspectives of others. When you are required to discuss a topic and negotiate how to address it, you are forced to listen to other people's ideas. Their ideas will then influence your own thinking and broaden your horizons.

  20. 10 Groupwork Activities That Can Be Applied to Any Subject Area

    Group work can serve to motivate students, encourage active learning, and develop key communication, decision-making and critical thinking skills [University of Waterloo]. It is very important to stress again, however, that group tasks must be very well-planned, otherwise they can "frustrate students and instructors and feel like a waste of ...

  21. What is group work?

    Group work is an extremely broad term, applicable across a range of subjects and learning activities in classrooms. At its core, it simply means students working together in small groups to complete a task or project, while - it is hoped - simultaneously developing their skills around communication, collaboration and problem-solving.

  22. How to Use Asana to Improve Group Work

    Group work can be challenging, especially when you have to manage multiple tasks, deadlines, and communication channels. Asana is a project management tool that can help you improve your group ...

  23. 6 work and workplace trends to watch in 2024

    The future of work, workers and the workplace was high on the agenda at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos. ... CEO of Adecco Group AG, joined the Davos session 'The Race to Reskill' to discuss the transferability of skills, and the potential of AI to help with personalized learning and productivity, which also levels the ...

  24. How to Improve Group Work

    After establishing the value of group work, Gonzalez offers these tips for implementation: Make the workload fair: In group work settings, one student often does the majority of the work. The problem is twofold: First, students don't have the necessary skills for collaboration. "Teach these skills in the same way that you'd teach academic ...

  25. Teamwork Skills: Being an Effective Group Member

    To work together successfully, group members must demonstrate a sense of cohesion. Cohesion emerges as group members: Get to know one another, particularly those with different interests and backgrounds. They are open to innovative ideas and diverse viewpoints. They also listen to others and elicit their ideas.

  26. How Working From Home Will Save More Founders Money This Tax Season

    As more entrepreneurs embrace remote and hybrid work, they are making sure to write off their home office, but accountants say: know the rules and the implications first.

  27. Asymmetric 1,2-diaxial synthesis of bi-(hetero)aryl benzofulvene

    The efficient cross-dehydrogenative coupling of electronically rich and sterically congested benzofulvene with bi-(hetero)aryl moieties to construct an axially chiral benzofulvene core remains a formidable task. In this study, we describe a highly efficient and practical palladium-catalyzed approach for atroposelec

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    A s Boston's task force studying how the city might enact reparations continues its work, ... The City of Boston established its Reparations Task Force in 2022. The group, which last met Feb. 6 ...

  29. Deutsche Bank Tightens Work-From-Home Rules to Four Days a Week

    Deutsche Bank AG is tightening the expansive work-from-home rules it introduced in the wake of the Covid pandemic, joining a growing number of investment banks that require staff to be in the ...