Answer to Question #319969 in Sociology for Bilern

Question

What would you teach learners to enable them to become effective group members. 

Answer 1

Group work can be an effective method to motivate students, encourage active learning, and develop key critical-thinking, communication, and decision-making skills. Encourage small-group effectiveness by clarifying the task, focusing on production, modeling successful behavior, monitoring progress, time, and noise, and building community. When teachers ask students to work on a task in groups, they issue an invitation for engagement and, potentially, for chaos! Here are tips that can help encourage effective group members;

1. Make production the outcome. Putting students in groups to simply "discuss" is a recipe for disaster. If students have to work toward producing something to turn in, present, or share with another group, they are less likely to linger in off-task conversations. Products should require all group members' participation or contributions. This might involve a graffiti-like poster in the middle of the table on which everyone records ideas, or a graphic organizer that every student completes. 
2. Monitor progress, time, and noise. Make students partners, if not primary agents, in keeping tabs on their progress, the time, and the noise level. If groups are producing something tangible, they can see what they have left to do. 
3. Incorporate community builders. Sometimes group work falters simply because students don't know, like, or respect one another yet. Full-class community-building activities are critical; but smaller, deliberately planted, group-level bonding moments also reap rich rewards in helping groups gel, release tension, and exercise courtesy. This might involve using an opening prompt like, "Before you start, share your favorite ice cream flavors," or asking students to fist bump each other as they complete each step of the task.