How do I do this? Oh, Thank you!

Breaking news here, if you work within groups, you will learn more, and be better equipped to solve more problems. Yet there is a lot of traditional “factory” teaching taking place in schools all across the country. Group work defined; “students working together in a group small enough so that everyone can participate on a task that has been clearly assigned” pg. 1 – Cohen. Connecting this idea to my experience in the credential program at CSUSM, I would have to say it works. I have never been in a program or school setting that was so consistent in regards to the practice of group work. And I feel this has been highly beneficial in my understanding of teaching instruction.

Through groupwork we will be able to achieve certain kinds of intellectual and social learning goals, such as conceptual learning, creative problem solving, higher order thinking skills, and improvement of basic skills. We are social animals, just as the stomach craves nourishment, so too does the soul crave human interaction. By embracing this idea, and incorporating groupwork within the classroom we are going with the flow of natural instinct as opposed to against the grain of it. A lot of research is noted throughout the book “Designing Groupwork,” I would actually be curious to read some of it. I don’t say that very often. By reading the last lines of chapter three I know that this book will be addressing how to address behavior issues and group dynamic issues, but that what I really want to know about now.

There are a great number of group dynamic issues and behavior issues that can arise during the execution of groupwork, if done incorrectly it can seem to be the worst use of time in a classroom. These issues are not solely the ownership of high school students, many adult have the same problems. But if things like status ordering (either academic/social/expert) are addressed in the proper way (hopefully we will learn these in the coming chapters) then groupwork is a tool without a rival, in my opinion. As Cohen points out, “learning emerges from the chance to talk, interact, and contribute to the group discussion” pg. 36, so it is our job to facilitate that. Obviously no everything can be done within a group, there must be a balance, and so I would like to know what the best ratio has been proved to be.