Reading Reflection 3 - Groupwork Chp. 1-3

Chapter 1 – Groupwork as a Strategy for Classrooms

According to Cohen, groupwork involves small enough groups of students so that every group member can contribute to a clearly outlined task. Groupwork also involves delegation, which allows the students the opportunity to work and struggle through the task at hand to come to their own conclusion without the aid of the teacher.

I found this to be an extremely classroom strategy in Clinical Practice 1. My freshmen were extremely social, and when I put them into small, heterogeneous groups to work on classroom activities (especially business letter writing and grammar work) I found these to be the times that all of my students were actively participating in the task at hand. I was available to my students for clarification questions and to make sure they remained on task, but I did not hover. I let them work things out on their own.

Chapter 2 – Why groupwork?

Chapter 2 makes the argument for implementing groupwork in the classroom. Groupwork allows students not only to develop and build much needed social skills, but it nurtures intellectual growth as well. Allowing students the opportunity to struggle through a problem gives them a chance to argue, talk out, think out, and solve on their own. This process often leads to students discovering concepts for themselves rather than using the teacher as a crutch to memorize facts. It creates an active learning environment in which students of all learning levels and abilities think for themselves while also learning to communicate more effectively.

This argument for groupwork seems to answer one of the biggest questions I’ve had in teaching so far - How do I effectively teach to a classroom full of students who are all at different levels without boring my higher achieving students or leaving behind my lower achieving students? In today’s diverse classrooms, there is a constant struggle to maintain balance. Groupwork seems to be a key in achieving and maintaining that balance and creating effective education for all students.

Chapter 3 – The Dilemma of Groupwork

Chapter 3 outlines some of the common problems teachers face in implementing groupwork in the classroom. The biggest problem facing groupwork design is the hierarchies that naturally emerge in any group setting. These hierarchies and statuses often create a situation which one student becomes dominant and, as a result, participation in and contribution to the activity becomes unequal between the members of the group.

There are many factors that contribute to the emerging hierarchies in small groups. The biggest contributing factor is often the heterogeneity of the classroom. In today’s diverse classrooms, there are many students with a variety of differing skill sets, ability levels, areas of expertise, culture, and perspective. Although this can create an opportunity for tremendous learning and exposure to take place within small groups, it also opens the door for hierarchical struggles among students which can hinder learning if not properly addressed in the classroom and the management of the groupwork.

Although I am a proponent of groupwork, I often worry about the dilemmas it presents. I understand that groupwork can create an incredibly effective learning environment for all of my students, but my same concern still always remains – how can I teach to every single one of my students unique, individual learning needs? I am, after all, only one person. Cohen claims that groupwork can actually be the answer to this question if it is well designed. So, I ask, what does well designed groupwork actually look like in the classroom? What steps can I take to incorporate effective groupwork in my lessons? And, finally, how do I prepare my students for groupwork to insure success? These are the questions I hope to find answers to in the rest of Cohen’s book.