D. Lambert | Secondary | Science
This year I have actively planned to use more group work than I have at any point in my career to date. The catalyst for my change was when I told students that the result, answer or outcome from one student will be the result, answer or outcome for every member of the group. This had not dawned on me before. So instead of students individually carrying the group, or individuals flying ahead they are now helping their peers.
Assessing them like this still isn’t ideal as they could all just be given the “right” answer by the student who knows it. To avoid this then I said that when I assess them on the work, every member of the group should know why or how they got the answer they did. This is the most powerful part I feel. Now when I circulate during group work I now hear students teaching and questioning each other. If I feel they don’t need my help then I can spend twice the time with a group who do need my help. Not something I really managed well before.
This is how I get to a point when I feel group work may work well. The new content is explained, then modelled and then individually practised. At each of these steps there is little to zero group work. Why would there be? I am the one with the information, I am explaining it, I am modelling how I want the questions answered or work presented, and they need to practice individually for me to be sure I have not taught it poorly. When I am confident that their methods or thinking is where it needs to be, then I am happy for them to review their practice or to continue to practice together. This is when group work is at its peak. Students are individually skilled at the task and they proceed onwards together.
There can be one major speed bump to this process and that is group tables. Group tables should not be confused with group work. Group work is multiple students working together, while group tables are multiple tables located together. Group tables inevitably mean some students are not facing me and/or the board during the explain, model and practice phase of the lesson.
Some are looking sideways, some are facing the wrong way and those who are facing the right way can be looking into the faces of their peers. Facing another student, turning around to see the board with no table, or looking past the face of a peer is not ideal.
These students have an additional, unnecessary distraction from the explanation and modelling. They are less likely to grasp content and more likely to ask a peer for help before I can assess if they are skilled enough individually. I end up proceeding to group work under the impression they “got it”.
EMP - Explain, model, practice - when you need students full attention for work
GW - Group work - when you need students working together
Example One - 2 facing board. 2 facing away from the board.
People will say that no student is seated facing away from the board but it does happen. Ideal for group work but not ideal for 2 students to face the board without a table and bad if they are expected to take anything down off the board.
Example Two- 2 facing the board and two facing a peer.
This might seem like a good middle ground but really two students are directly facing each other when their attention needs to be on the board. They constantly need to turn to face he board but will be facing a peer during independent practice. It is also possible for the 2 facing forward to engage with the 2 seated sideways. Again this is ideal for group work but is it easy to pay attention to board?
Example Three. All facing the board.
Here every student is facing the board and is less likely to be distracted from peers. Unless a student has a message shaved into their head they have no means to communicate with peers in front or behind them when attention needs to be on the board. It is not ideal for group work but the solution is to stand up, spin the chair 180 degrees and sit down. A temporary solution to a temporary part of a lesson.
Group work is not the most important of my lesson nor does it take up more than max 25% of my lessons. So my question is, if group work is not more than 50% of a lesson, why are group tables needed? If tables are laid out in pairs it just takes two to stand up, take their chairs and spin around. 4 students at 2 tables. Easy. If your lesson is 100% group work, for some collaboration project then it makes sense to get the tables together. But doing a question set together for 10 to 15 minutes of lesson, then group tables can be an easy, unnecessary distraction for students.
We all sit facing the cinema screen and we all face each other during meals. The layout suits the purpose.
Group work works best when group tables aren't the default.
*Disclaimer. Yes there are many combinations of classroom layout and yes I have not addressed all these. I am highlighting the extremes. All facing the board or half facing the wrong way.