Getting the most out of group work

1. Getting the most out of group work Designing effective group assessment tasks to maximise student engagement and learning

2. Oh no ... not group work!*!! • I do not like group work. • Group work might be necessary but I don't like it. • Presentation should be individual, group work is often difficult. • Group work is pointless and too hard to organise. • The group assignment was not a positive task. • I would rather have a tutor go through topics instead of group presentations. • Reconsider group work assignment. I don't think this is a fair way to assess individual ability. • I don't get a group degree when I leave university. So why should my degree hinge on a group? SFU comments – School of Education 2011

3. Yet best things include... • Group work, friends made. • E-learning through group work. • Active participation. Group activities. • Group activities allowed me to learn practically. • Working with the groups was positive and interactive. • Group work was fun. • The group presentations were great because they got everyone involved. • Group presentations - interesting way to learn. SFU comments – School of Education 2011

4. Benefits of cooperative learning Motivation effects • Cooperative learning has been found in a number of studies to increase task motivation, self-esteem & self-efficacy • It also seems to have a beneficial effect on attributional style: students are more likely to attribute success to hard work and ability than to luck • Cooperative learners spend more time on tasks Achievement effects • Increases of 10 to 25 percentile ranks have been reported • Cooperative learning results in greater improvement in problem solving skills relative to competitive or individual learning Social effects • Improved relationships amongst students of diverse social and ethnic backgrounds • Strong friendships formed • Skills for cooperation

5. So, what’s the problem? Perceived inequity • Getting pot luck with who is in a group does not reflect equity when I have to do all the work. • Group work is important but sometimes people lose a lot of marks because of the people they were grouped with. • It’s difficult for some group members to participate equally and to the standards of the rest of the group. Uneven collaboration • Group member contribution to assignments should be monitored. • Some members did not contribute so more consequences / guidelines should be established. • Structure – group work - how to enforce faire share. SFU comments – School of Education 2011

6. More difficulties Poor communication/cooperation/respect • Requires a lot of work which isn't reasonable when group doesn't cooperate, treat each other with respect. Inadequate structure/support • The assignment is horrible when you have a dodgy group. Our marks should not rely so much on what others do. • I had a group issue and it was not addressed by the tutor at all. Lack of contact time • Possibly more times for the group to meet to exchange ideas and develop projects. This would also keep students on task. • It was hard to try and make sure every person in the group was able to meet at the same time. • Group work was difficult with so little contact hours. SFU comments – School of Education 2011

7. Criteria for working cooperatively • Positive interdependence– essential to cooperation = having a shared goal and feeling they will sink or swim together • Individual and group accountability- group is accountable for achieving its goals; individuals are accountable for doing their share of the work and for learning • Promotiveinteraction– members share resources and help, support, encourage and praise efforts to learn; face-to-face enables eye contact and full conversational engagement with each other • Social skills for working in groups– including effective communication, leadership, decision-making, trust-building, conflict-management. • Group processing opportunities – to evaluate how effectively the group is working together to achieve their goals Johnson & Johnson

8. Design for effective group work Design purposefully • Group task needs to be meaningful and coherent • Cooperative learning should add value and manifestly enhance learning over individual capacity (positive interdependence) • Build group and individual accountability into assessment Structure well • Optimal group size for task • Process for group formation • Provide coherent step-by-step guidelines • Develop clear roles for individuals (individual accountability)

9. Setting: Education for sustainability Increasingly, the need to develop sustainable ways of living that can reduce our ecological footprint and conserve precious natural resources for future generations is recognised as a critical concern of education at all levels. Developing ‘sustainability literacy’ requires new ways of thinking and learning that enable us to recognise the connections between environmental concerns, social patterns and individual actions. Education for Sustainability approaches key issues in sustainability education with a learner-centred approach that builds skills for inquiry, analysis and creative action. It promotes personal and social change, develops civic values and empowers learners to be leaders for a sustainable future.

10. Community sustainability action plan Assignment 2: Due:October 26 orNovember 2 • Groups investigate a community-level sustainability issue and develop an Action Plan for addressing it • Group presentation of 20 minutes • Individual reflection 1500 words (to be submitted on vUWS) Marking criteria for group component: • A relevant community sustainability issue is selected and clearly outlined; • A coherent and sound Action Plan is developed and presented • Group collaboration is effectively demonstrated. Be sure to refer to learning guide for detailed guidelines and marking rubrics for group and individual components

11. Imagine what you might do... Who, me? Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does. (Margaret Meade)

12. Together, might you ... Set up a carpool? Start a food garden? Plan a festival? Eliminate waste?

13. Will you help to... ... Or inspire others to be more, rather than have more?

14. Assessment criteria

15. Step-by-step guidelines • Once you have confirmed the issue you wish to address, you will need to establish your project team and develop clear roles and responsibilities for each member of your group. You will need to determine the stakeholders and specific expertise required to enable you to effectively portray and address the issue you have selected. It is important that you represent the standpoints of different people associated with the issue. For example, let’s say you have selected pollution at your local beach as your issue. Your team members might take up the perspectives of different stakeholders such as the following people: • a local council representative • a residents action committee representative • a local business representative • a manager from the nearby industry whose effluent flows out to sea nearby • a member of the local beach patrol Each team member will have a specific constituency and point of view.

16. Allocate roles • Each group member is required to take on a different role within the team. In this way each individual will have responsibility for gathering specialised knowledge needed to enable you to work together and come up with a viable plan of action. Use the role and task sheet provided on vUWS to establish and guide your teamwork.

17. Support for group learning Scaffold and facilitate • Provide examples • Prime for cooperation • Establish ground rules (group accountability) • Emphasise sharing of information – vUWS tools • Facilitate recursive inquiry process • Support group problem solving Model effective group processes • Cue formative and summative group reflection • Be ready to troubleshoot but avoid taking sides!! • Encourage acceptance of diversity; inclusive practices • Provide clear but gentle prompts where necessary to encourage shared participation

18. Celebrate the process Education for Sustainability SFUs 2012.1 best aspects: • Group assessments. • The group assignment was enjoyable. • Group work, freedom to be creative with assignments. • The group work was the highlight of this for me, I found it easier to learn the value of sustainability through my presentation. • The open feel of the course enabled me to feel confident to express my concerns and have positive interaction with others within the unit. • The assessments were engaging and interesting, I enjoyed working on the assessments as they were hands on. • The group assignments. Proposing an action plan into consideration and now me and my group are going through with our action plan and hopefully it will be a success.

19. Resources • Cooperative Learning Institute www.co-operation.org • Jigsaw Classroom www.jigsaw.org/ • Johnson, D. H. & Johnson, F. P. (2012). Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills (11th ed). USA: Pearson International