The most important thing to remember when having students work in collaborative groups is that they do not automatically know how to work together as a team. Those students who have worked in a group situation before will need a "refresher course," and also need to know YOUR expectations for group work. Each teacher has his/her own expectations for group work, the process of collaborative learning, and the outcomes. Here are a few tips to help:
1) Take some time to brainstorm your expectations for collaborative groups in your classroom. What would you like to see when students are working in groups? What behaviors are acceptable and not acceptable? What kind of outcomes do you expect from group work? For example, I expect to see students taking turns to talk in a group. I expect to see each student participating. I expect to see each student doing his/her "job" within the group. I expect to see a completed project/assignment at the end. I expect for students to learn how to work through their differences. I expect for students to learn how to work with students who are not necessarily their buddies. Students talking quietly and working quietly is acceptable. Loud discussion is not acceptable. Students walking around the classroom for a purpose - to get supplies, resources, etc. is acceptable. Students walking around to chat with friends is not acceptable. And so forth....
2) Once you know your expectations, be sure that you communicate these clearly to your students. It may help to work up a procedures and/or expectations chart or sheet for students to use as a reference while working in groups.
3) Discuss group roles of leader, recorder, timekeeper, etc. with your students. Then, model what each role "looks like" when done to your expectations. Many students need to see what you expect of them and hear the keywords and phrases to be used for their role.
4) Model a full group discussion for students. I've used past students to come in and help me model what I expect from a group. You can also script out an example and have a group of students come to the front of the room to help you model your expectations.
5) Once you've introduced and taught students how to work in a group, you can't just stop there. Every time you put students in a group situation, have them review your expectations and the group roles before starting. This acts as a refresher and helps keep to a minimum the complaints of, "I didn't know that we were supposed to..."
6) Have a management system in place. Know what you will do with students who do not participate, who do not use acceptable behavior, who do not meet your expectations.
7) Monitor, monitor, monitor! You cannot sit behind your desk while students are working in groups and expect them to do a good job. Your job as a facilitator is to be on hand to question, offer advice, seek out resources, answer questions, and redirect as necessary. I use my clipboard management system to monitor. The students are listed on a spreadsheet with behaviors and objectives for the lesson/activity across the top. As I walk around I can note student behaviors (both positive & negative), students needing extra help academically, ideas that need to be re-taught, etc. Monitoring also helps me catch any misunderstandings on the part of the students. Especially if I see several groups going in the wrong direction, I can stop the work, explain, and then have them start up again.
It is always amazing to me how effective a tool monitoring is for classroom management. I can hear a group of students talking about favorite movies, walk by and hover to listen to their "progress," and immediately students are back on task. I stay for a few minutes longer, interject my comments, and then move on. By doing this constantly, students get the point that they need to be working, not chit-chatting. I am also amazed at how well this works when I am doing adult training as well. We are all humans and have the tendency to get off track! :)
8) Provide structure for the activity. Have a list of questions for reflection, an envelope of ideas, or a checklist of activities ready to give each group. This helps make sure that students have a clear understanding of what they are to do in the group. It is so much easier for them when they have a specific starting point rather than a vague command of "discuss this."
Just remember, the more preparation you do before implementing group work, the better this learning strategy will work. Knowing your expectations, having a management system in place, and providing structure for students to follow are all ways that you can increase the chances of having a positive experience with collaborative learning.
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