Cooperative Groupwork
Cooperative groups allow students to approach material in ways that they cannot do alone.
Perhaps they have to deliberate on a topic. They can collectively brainstorm ideas and solutions. Maybe they'll have lively discussions about the work and come to understand it at a higher level.
There are many merits on the side of cooperative groupings - and when done right there are few drawbacks. Another added benefit of cooperative groups is that students can really work together - with more advanced students teaching and helping less advanced students. Everybody wins.
To work properly, cooperative group activities need to be carefully planned, and students need to be well trained in the procedures of the classroom. Otherwise, it'll degenerate into chaos - and little will have been gained.
The methods in the "Cooperative Groupwork" section should help you plan and design your own activities. Good luck.
Featured Method: Jigsaw
Jigsaws are a simple example of cooperative grouping and they are a good way to introduce students to their roles as groupmates.
In a jigsaw activity, material is divided into a number of groups and students are responsible for learning that material and teaching it to their fellow students. Each student needs to become an expert on his or her topic in order to re-teach it, so no one can avoid doing work.
In addition, it helps cover a lot of work in a little time. A series of readings can be digested and re-taught in jigsaw groups, rather than having each student read each of the readings.
Check out the full article: Jigsaw Groupings.
Previous page: Have Students Take Controversial Positions with a Continuum
Next page: Use Jigsaws to Get Your Kids to Read, Discuss, and Reteach