Learn 5 Tips to Boost Efficiency of Group Work

Group work is a valuable and effective learning strategy. Members of a group working together benefit from sharing ideas, collaborate to achieve challenging tasks, and deepen their learning. However, sometimes teachers notice that students do not engage and collaborate in a productive and practical way. They, for instance, encounter some confusion and ambiguity. Here are some tips to elevate group work.

Make goals and instructions clear:

When students start their group work, they need to know about the purpose of their work, how much time they have, and what they are expected to do. A teacher may put a poster or just a piece of paper on each table informing them what they are supposed to do. The clearer they become, the better outcomes they will have.

Emphasize the importance of teamwork:

Some of your students may have unsatisfactory previous experience from working in a group. Others are just shy or introvert students. Some motivation will encourage them to engage actively. A teacher may point out that one benefit from working in a group is breaking a large and complex task down into parts. Without their group, they are not able to do it individually.

Teach group work skills:

Some group work skills make the group work cohesively and effectively. For example, teachers ensure that students know how to communicate well. This helps them overcome misunderstandings or difficulties which may arise among them.

Get feedback on their work:

A teacher should go around and ask each group for what they have done. Make sure that they all work collaboratively and their work goes smoothly. By giving them the needed support and guidance, she/he keeps their work on track. Another variant is to ask for a short interim report three times, for example, during their work. Their teacher finds areas demanding more clarification and pushes groups that need assistance and encouragement.

Build intimacy and cohesion:

Particularly, if it is the first time for your students, they need to know each other. Simple activities like picking a group name or creating a logo help them join and interact. Such quick exercises give them a chance to know each other before they start. Formation of any group is ought to be taken into consideration. Sometimes, their level is essential in group formation. Other times, their teacher allows them to choose how they want their group to be.

Finally, there are also other factors which elevate group work. One of them is considering the amount of work. A fair and reasonable workload, which should be always considered, helps in achieving desired results. Without a doubt, fruitful group work is desirable in any learning environment.