Blog #6 Structuring Effective Group Work

 Kenneth Miller

EDM 517

Dr. Walsh-Moorman

11-25-23

Blog #6

In chapter six of her book Rigor by Design, Not Chance, Karen Hess discusses methods associated with classroom engagement and the crucial role it plays in the intellectual development of young students. Hess describes how students can comply by doing the assigned word but are mentally disengaged from the material. Hess provides us with advice about how to capture students' attention, keep them engaged, and structure productive group work in the classroom. 

Group work in the classroom can be rather tricky. Whether it be a group full of unproductive students or a lack of communication within the group, many obstacles can get in the way. To avoid issues, Hess suggests that teachers pay attention to these four aspects:

• Group Processing: Create habits that produce positive production during group work. Avoid harsh or negative feedback, encourage students to take turns, and build off each other's ideas. Consider assigning group members with specific roles so that students will clearly know what to do and understand why it is being done. 

• Positive Interdependence: Creating cohesion within the group. Since students are designated roles, they rely on each to complete them so they can finish the assignment as a team. You need students to understand that they must work as individuals to work together. For example, suppose three students are assigned to complete a video presentation. In that case, they will all prepare their own material and have other roles such as filming, bringing props, or providing visuals. These students all participate in similar tasks to accomplish a common goal. 

• Simultaneous Engagement: Students should be assigned efficient and influential roles within the group. “A student in a group with too many members may become disengaged because there are more members than roles to fulfill.” This is crucial because a homogenous group will learn to compromise to solve problems and elevate their work to sensational levels. 

• Individual accountability: Members are accountable for their own actions and their peers. Students should be able to focus on their job and encourage others to do the same. Hess suggests providing students with role rotation and allowing them to display their knowledge in multiple facets.

Now that we have a foundation for creating groups and students’ roles within them, it is important to understand how to monitor these groups to provide an avenue of success. Hess provides us with another three tips to produce productive collaboration: 

• Start with an authentic task worth doing: Group work should not be simple and easy it should give students a challenge as well as an opportunity to work on a problem together so that they can find a solution as a group. This gives their work meaning while simultaneously developing their learning and communication skills.

• Be sure everyone has a job: Design complex tasks or encourage students to assign roles to each other so they can stay focused and contribute valuable material to group work. “Groups can assign roles based on individual skills, talents, or personal interests, or by lottery when all else fails” (Hess, p.133, 2022).

• Establish parameters for completing the task: Give students instructions and provide them with directions to pursue. In-depth instructions will give students a better idea of what you expect as a teacher and help set a standard for the class. Don’t simply give your students a task to complete and assign them to groups. Students should be given a detailed job description, how to achieve it, and a time frame in which it needs to be done. 

Many others in the educational field have echoed the methods practiced and preached by Hess. Research conducted by Robyn Gillies for the International Journal of Educational Research supports structured group work and highlights its positive effects on adolescent learning outcomes. The article looks at five different case studies that examine the effectiveness of group work on students and their academic performance, all of which supported the implementation of structured learning through group activities. Students displayed behaviors that helped themselves and those around them learn more about the topics at hand. “An examination of the cognitive language strategies used by the children during these interactions showed that children in the structured groups used more sophisticated language strategies and discussed more relevant content as they shared, debated, and clarified information and developed new understandings and knowledge” (Gillies, 2003).

In conclusion, it is crucial to implement group activities in the classroom because they encourage students to express themselves, share their opinions, and learn new perspectives from one another. These experiences will help them become great students and prepare them to problem-solve in their relationships and the workforce. 

Resources:

Gillies, R. M. (2003). Structuring cooperative group work in classrooms. International Journal of Educational Research, 39(1-2), 35-49

.Hess, K. (2023). Rigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction      and Assessment. ASCD.