What are the Benefits of Group Work?

Group work has many benefits as it gives you the ability to collaborate and bounce ideas off of each other. You can break up complex tasks, have valuable discussions in order to create more depth to understanding, and you can have friendly debates by challenging assumptions within the group. A major benefit of group work is that it helps to create stronger communication skills. With technology and text messaging/emails coupled with the Covid-19 Pandemic, there are not as many opportunities for students to communicate with each other and other adults verbally. Social opportunities need to be seized and used to help students develop better communication skills.

Group Work Ideas to Try in the Classroom

Google…Anything

Google is a real life-saver in this new era of virtual learning and can be used for any subject in school! One great feature is that multiple people can edit the same document at the same time. When you assign a project for any subject, students can work on the project in a group without having to be in the same location. The document, slideshow, sheet, etc. can be shared among the group members and edited from anywhere and any device! Students can even peer edit projects and writing in this way by leaving comments/suggestions on the document that won’t change the content.

Another great feature for Google Documents, Slides, etc. is that the editing is automatically saved! I remember the panic that would consume my body when I would accidentally delete parts of a lengthy paper or project, or forget to save it. Hours and hours of work was gone in an instant! If something is deleted, students can restore various edited versions of the document or simply “undo” the deletion. This is because Google is a web-based alternative to Microsoft Office and everything is saved automatically.

The breakout rooms on Google Meets (and Zoom!) are an amazing feature for group work opportunities! This feature has been added during this new school year, and it allows teachers to create various small groups within a Google Meet. More improvements to this feature are on the horizon and teachers will be able to create the breakout rooms prior to the Google Meet which will be a time-saver!

Book Club

A book club is a great idea for all ages, and this can be done in person or through a virtual book club. Historically, a book is read over a period of time and then discussed at the Book Club meeting. You can make this an afterschool optional meeting, or you can modify this idea and have students set up into breakout rooms to discuss chapters of a novel being read for class. The teacher can send the groups questions that will prompt valuable academic discussion. This is an easy group activity to do either in-person or virtually.

Jigsaw Method Groups

The Jigsaw Method is a great way to incorporate group work into virtual/hybrid learning as well as having students take ownership of their learning by teaching others. The breakout rooms on Google Meets is an excellent way to include this in your lesson plan. You can arrange students into breakout rooms where they will work together on an assignment where new learning takes place. For example, in Social Studies, while studying various regions of the United States, each group can research a different region of the United States. After the research is completed, you can rearrange the groups so one member of each region is in a new group and can teach the group about their new learning and their region of the US.

Choice Boards

Choice boards are a great way to incorporate group learning and also give students a choice over the way they wish to learn! You can create the groups for breakout rooms based on the choice of the activity students wish to complete! This is a great way to peak student interest, as well as give students ownership over their learning. Students may meet new students with similar interests as them in this type of an activity. Choice boards can be used for all different subject areas, and even in social-emotional learning or character education lessons!

Morning Meeting Discussion

This could be used in any grade level setting and is a great way to incorporate social-emotional learning and character building into your days. As mentioned before, there is a lack of opportunity for social interaction, and in this way students can meet and get to know their classmates a bit better. Choose one day a week for your “Think-It-Out Thursday” (it can be any day, that is just an example), and pose a discussion question to small groups. They will discuss it amongst the group and then bring it back to the whole group. One example of a topic could be “If you were in your school principal’s shoes, how would you be feeling handling the stress of the Covid-19 Pandemic and attempting to make the school a happy place?”

Final Thoughts

Group work will always have an incredible value to not just education but to life. As students work toward their post high school endeavors, group work will be present in a variety of ways. Having students learn the value and importance of group work is one of the best tools you can set them off into the real world with. Beyond understanding these concepts, being a good teammate and group member are important skills to possess. As Henry Ford stated, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is a progress; working together is success.” Teachers need to give students the proper tools and mentality to be able to work with others and attain high levels of not just success, but happiness in the journey there.

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What are the Benefits of Group Work?

For Students

The benefits of group work for students are vast! First of all, students are able to learn how to plan and manage their time when working. Group work also allows students to be exposed to a wide variety of perspectives and ideas. Most importantly, students learn how to work with other students. This is a critically important skill that will be necessary in any career placement.

Other benefits include:

• Improved social skills including cooperation and conflict resolution skills
• Complex tasks can be broken down into smaller, more manageable steps
• Accountability
• Giving and getting feedback from peers
• Students are able to utilize individual strengths to assume roles and responsibilities for the group

For Teachers

The benefits of group work do not stop with the students. Group work gives teachers a fantastic opportunity to monitor and observe as students collaborate. This enables teachers to see their students’ growth in action as students apply learning and analyze situations and decisions. Teachers can offer guidance and correction as needed.

By observing students working in groups, teachers are able to identify strengths and areas of concern, both academically and socially. Teachers are also able to assign more complex projects when using group work because students are able to combine their efforts.

Group work also provides a more authentic learning experience than teachers are typically able to provide in a traditional learning environment. On a side note, there is also a smaller number of projects to grade when students are working together.

For Classroom Management

Will your classroom be louder when students are participating in group work? Yes! Is louder always a bad thing? No! Always remember, the one doing the talking is the one doing the learning. As long as students’ discussions are on-task, the talking that is going on is very productive and beneficial. Also, students are more likely to be on-task when motivated by a group work project. Students develop responsibility and self-discipline that are beneficial to the class as a whole.

Which Students Benefit from Group Work the Most?

It’s hard to say which students actually benefit the most from group work because there are benefits for so many different groups of students, especially when groups are of varying ability levels.

Above Grade-Level Students

These students benefit from group work because they get to exercise and develop leadership skills. They also get to teach others within their groups, which is one of the best ways to enrich learning.

Struggling Students

These students benefit by seeing the modeled academic behaviors of their peers. The discussions that take place during the group work can enrich the learning of struggling students.

On Grade-Level Students

These students, perhaps, benefit the most because they are right in the middle. They can benefit by learning from their above grade-level peers and can also enrich their own learning by peer tutoring the struggling students.

Others that benefit from group work include English language learners that are enriched by being immersed in academic dialogue. Students that lack motivation benefit by being encouraged in observing how motivated students perform and by the shared workload. Socially-challenged students benefit from increased social interaction. The list goes on and on.

Ways to Use Group Work in Your Class

First of all, group work can be done in every grade level, but different grade levels require different procedures and preparation. There are some basics that must be established before implementing group work in your class regardless of the grade level.

It is important that groups for group work include a wide variety of ability levels in order to truly reap the benefits of group work. Also, the teacher must invest time up front in establishing routines, procedures, and behavioral expectations for group work.

Other important steps in preparing for group work:

• Assign roles for each student
• Physically arrange classroom in a way that supports group work
• Design a task that is challenging for students
• Decide on group size
• Allot ample time for the task
• Ask for input from the students
• Establish grading procedures and communicate expectations

Examples of group work projects:

1. Class escape room project – This is a great and timely option for utilizing group work. Escape rooms have become so popular, and it is a really fun way to implement group work. Escape rooms can be adapted to any subject area or grade level by applying newly acquired knowledge or skills.
2. Debate – Students can be put into groups to debate historical issues. By assigning students to an argument, they can research and work with their group to defend their perspective.
3. Complex math problems – Very complex, multi-step math problems can be completed in groups. Again, assigning each student a specific role.
4. Economic projects – Students can experiment with economics by setting up virtual economic systems that they will monitor and maintain together.
5. Science projects – A wide variety of science skills can be explored in group settings with students assigned to roles like recording data, analyzing data, conducting experiments, etc.

With the amount of benefits that can be reaped from group work, it is very important that teachers know how to do this and give students the opportunity to break from the daily norm to explore this fresh, exciting, and socially-enriching way to learn.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Ben Franklin

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The world needs them to learn to collaborate and work together to solve problems. Most of what students will need to know in their professional careers involves working in groups or with others. There are also advantages to both teacher- and student-assigned groups. Teachers typically possess autonomy in the classroom, but involving students in creating groups makes them develop a sense of ownership.

Teacher-Assigned Groups

Teachers assign students to specific groups based on many different reasons. These purposes may include reading or skill levels, interests, and a multitude of other reasons. Teachers delegate roles and responsibilities and assign every kid a different job such as timekeeper, recorder, speaker, and illustrator. The roles must be meaningful and interdependent. This is an effective way to hold each other accountable and increase productivity. However, it is also important to incorporate time to recharge after group work because some students prefer to work independently.

When assigning groups, it is vital to vary the groups periodically. Teachers incorporate motivating tasks and time for enjoyment. Teachers assign tasks that are just above students’ ability and that they could not figure out on their own. The students focus on relevant topics and information on real-world scenarios. The assignment and expectations must be specific and organized. The teachers ask questions that should elicit varied responses.

During this time of online instruction in education, there are many learning curves and challenges. Utilizing online groups is a great idea and promotes involvement and engagement at a higher level as it does for in-person learning. Teachers may use digital grouping organizers to assign groups to online learning environments. A few examples of digital student organizers are: Random Student Generator, Class Dojo, Random Group Maker, and the Team Shake app (Techie Teacher, 2018.) Group dynamics are different online but can be beneficial in that students are interacting with each other. Utilizing platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet enhances the experience and makes learning more engaging in that students can see and hear each other.

Student-Chosen Groups

When students have autonomy and choice in the classroom, they inevitably become more involved and interested in the assignment. The students become more fulfilled while working on assignments that are enjoyable to them. They know the expectations and can put their own thoughts and experiences into the learning process. Students become empowered in the learning process, and the sky is the limit!

Another way to group students is to let them develop the questions on assessments or questions they want answered. Traditionally, teachers always ask students the questions. The level of learning in these types of environments is effective but reaches a much higher level of engagement and retention when they are directly involved with asking questions.

Reading Levels

This is a common way to group students in elementary classrooms and has many positive benefits. This type of group is heterogeneous and allows students to learn from each other. Students can be placed in ability groups where they are all performing comparably, or they can be placed in a group with a higher-level reader, two average readers, and a lower-level reader. Both types of groups have advantages and allow students to gain a deeper understanding of what they are studying. As they hear each other read and practice skills, they are exposed to more vocabulary, expression, and comprehension.

Math Skills & Projects

Working in groups to study math skills and participate in project-based learning allows students to possess a deeper understanding of the content, reduce math anxiety, and practice social and emotional learning skills. Teachers facilitate practice of skills with multiple math problems, and this makes learning more engaging and manageable. Students learn from each other, and they retain information when they actively participate and assist with solving problems.

Interests

Students can also participate in group activities based on their interests. This type of group arrangement can be academic, vocational, sports-related, or any other common interest they share. Students talk to others, increase their interpersonal skills, apply conflict resolution, and perform problem-solving techniques in this type of environment. They may meet new friends and not feel evaluated because they have things in common. This type of grouping encourages active learning, communication, and motivation.

Group work is formatted to fit the students’ curriculum, thus providing a unique experience for critical thinking and consolidation of ideas in a team format. Working in groups allows students to appreciate diversity, become more tolerant, and be exposed to a variety of other experiences that working independently does not provide. Every opportunity to work in a group will reap benefits for students and teachers in all classrooms.

References
(2018.) http://www.thetechieteacher.net. Easy Ways to Group your Students Digitally.

*Updated in March 2021

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