faculty focus special report 051110

Effective Group Work Strategies for the College Classroom. • www.FacultyFocus.com

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Effective Group WorkStrategies for the College

Classroom.

2 Effective Group Work Strategies for the College Classroom. • www.FacultyFocus.com

Effective Group Work Strategiesfor the College Classroom

Love or hate it, group work can create powerful learning experiences for students. Fromunderstanding course content to developing problem solving, teamwork and communica-tion skills, group work is an effective teaching strategy whose lessons may endure wellbeyond the end of a course. So why is it that so many students (and some faculty) hate it?

Although the students may not state their objections verbally, the nonverbal reactions aretruly eloquent. They just sit there; only with much urging do they look at those sittingnearby and move minimally in the direction of getting themselves seated as a group. Thislack of enthusiasm is at some level a recognition that it is so much easier to sit there andtake notes rather than work in a group and take ownership. The resistance also derivesfrom past experiences in groups where not much happened, or where some members didnothing while other did more than their fair share of the work.

Often very little happens in groups because students don’t tackle the tasks with much en-thusiasm, but group ineffectiveness also may be the product of poorly designed anduninteresting group tasks.

This special report features 10 insightful articles from The Teaching Professor that will helpyou create more effective group learning activities and grading strategies as well as tips fordealing with group members who are “hitchhiking” (getting a free ride from the group) or“overachieving” (dominating the group effort). Here’s a sample of the articles in thereport:• Leaders with Incentives: Groups That Performed Better• Dealing with Students Who Hate Working in Groups• Group Work That Inspires Cooperation and Competition• Better Understanding the Group Exam Experience• Use the Power of Groups to Help You Teach• Pairing vs. Small Groups: A Model for Analytical Collaboration

In short, Effective Group Work Strategies for the College Classroom will change the wayyour students think about group work.

Maryellen WeimerEditor

The Teaching Professor

3Effective Group Work Strategies for the College Classroom. • www.FacultyFocus.com

Table of Contents

Group Quizzes: More Positive Outcomes ....................................................................................................................4

Pairing vs. Small Groups: A Model for Analytical Collaboration ..............................................................................5

Leaders with Incentives: Groups That Performed Better............................................................................................6

Dealing with Students Who Hate Working in Groups................................................................................................6

Group Work That Inspires Cooperation and Competition ..........................................................................................7

Better Understanding the Group Exam Experience ..................................................................................................8

Use the Power of Groups to Help You Teach ..............................................................................................................9

Feedback Forms for Peer Assessment in Groups ......................................................................................................10

Using Collaborative Groups to Teach Literature and Theory....................................................................................11

Small Group Discussion Tasks..................................................................................................................................12


There often are dissentingopinions on whether it’s agood idea to have students do

quizzes in groups. The study refer-enced below adds to the growingnumber of evidence-based reasonsfor doing so. Here’s how groupquizzes were used in this study. In anintroductory sociology course (whichwas compared with a control sectionof the same course), students tookeight unannounced quizzes thatcovered reading assigned for that day.After answering the three to fiveopen-ended questions, studentsjoined a group (formed by theteacher and with similar abilitylevels) in which they discussed theiranswers. After the discussion, theycould revisit their individual answers.One quiz was randomly selected fromeach group and the score on thatquiz became a group grade assignedto everyone in the group. Individualquizzes were also scored so thatstudents could compare their individ-ual and group grades.Faculty researchers used quiz,

exam, and final grades along withsurvey data to answer questions inthree different areas. First, theywanted to know whether this style ofcollaborative testing would improvestudents’ learning, which they opera-tionally defined as quizzes, exams,and final grades. Students in the ex-perimental group did score signifi-cantly higher on the quizzes, butthey did not score higher on exams orreceive higher final grades thanstudents in the control group.

Researchers think the lack of impacton tests and grades might haveoccurred because these quizzes onlycounted for 14 percent of students’grades. They also thought, based onrecommendations in previousresearch, that perhaps these studentsneeded some instruction in groupprocessing issues.

The second pragmatic question ofinterest involved whether or not thisapproach to group quizzes wouldimprove students’ preparation forclass. Would it more effectivelymotivate them to keep up with thereading? The answer to this questionwas yes. Students reported that theywere more likely to come to classhaving already completed theassigned reading. Their comments il-lustrate what a powerful influencepeers can have on each other’slearning. Many reported not wantingto let the group down. Here’s acomment that illustrates this feeling.

“I have been forced to keep up withthe readings so I don’t hurt others inmy group with poor grades.” (p. 259)Finally, researchers were interested

in the effects of this kind of collabo-rative quizzing on several differentstudent attitudes. Would students bemore positive about quizzing in thisformat? Would they think takingquizzes this way would positivelyinfluence exam scores and finalgrades? Would they be more positiveabout the field of sociology? And,would their initial skepticism aboutthis approach to testing diminish asthey experienced the process? Each ofthese questions was answered posi-tively by the study’s results. The re-searchers wonder whether thesepositive findings might be indicativeof an even larger impact. “If collabo-rative testing motivates students tocomplete assignments and to developpositive attitudes about both theirpeers and the course material, it mayalso help to foster student retention.”(p. 260)Of their findings overall, these re-

searchers conclude, “These resultsprovide further empirical support tothose instructors and researchers whohave championed the use of collabo-rative learning strategies and shouldsuggest to others that they might bewell worth considering.” (p. 261)

Reference: Slusser, S. R., andErickson, R. J. 2006. Group quizzes:An extension of the collaborativelearning process. Teaching Sociology34: 249–62.

Group Quizzes:More Positive Outcomes

By Maryellen Weimer

“If collaborative testing

motivates students to complete

assignments and to develop

positive attitudes about both

their peers and the course

material, it may also help to

foster student retention.”

5

Although the use of smallgroups can provide a welcomechange to the regular

classroom routine, the results arerarely all positive. Invariably, one ortwo students in each group, becausethey are shy or lack self-confidence,are reluctant to share their input.These are often the same studentswho have to be coaxed to participatein large class discussions. Because ofgroup dynamics, the student whousually emerges as the group leader,either by default or proclamation, isoften not sensitive to the need toengage the quieter students in theconversation. As a result, the moreoutspoken students may unwittinglyextinguish the very dialogue that thesmall group is intended to promote.I have found that paired collabora-

tion consistently produces betterresults than small group discussionsdo. Having students engage aquestion in a one-on-one exchangeencourages stronger participation byboth parties. Rarely do small groupsgenerate equal contributions to thedialogue or problem solving, whilepairing creates an intellectual part-nership that encourages teamwork.Paired collaboration can easily be

modified to work in a number of dis-ciplines. In my literature classroom,the following model, which I useabout once every three weeks, seemsto be particularly effective. At thebeginning of class, I ask each studentto place his or her name on a sheet of

paper and to write a question aboutthe work that we will be discussingthat day. I then collect all of thequestions and redistribute them sothat each student has someone else’squestion. Students then break intopairs and together formulate aresponse to one or both of the

questions, depending on the timeallotted for the exercise. They arerequired to cite textual evidence insupport of their arguments.After a period of time, usually 15 or

20 minutes, each pair reports itsfindings to the larger group. Even ifsome of the pairs end up answeringsimilar questions, they rarely havesimilar answers. And, if by chanceeach member of the pair has radicallydifferent interpretations, they areinvited to share their individualresponses. The exercise can actuallybe helpful in illustrating the variety ofcritical readings that one literarywork can engender. And, dependingon the direction that discussion takes,it can provide the foundation for

discourse on a number of theoreticalapproaches to the text.Experience has convinced me that

the benefits of pairing are numerous.Working together provides an oppor-tunity for problem-solving on a moreintimate scale than small groupsallow. Students tend to form analliance as they work together tocompare—and share—their interpre-tations. They are more likely to cometo class prepared to engage thereading, as they know that theymight be called upon at any time toshare their knowledge. Finally, apaired model not only allows quietstudents to find—and use—theirvoices, but it also teaches mutualrespect and cooperation. Paired col-laboration is a small adjustment tothe typical group discussion that canyield big results.


Pairing vs. Small Groups:A Model for AnalyticalCollaboration

By Denise D. Knight

I have found that paired

collaboration consistently

produces better results than

small group discussions do.

6

Faculty who regularly use groupwork are always on the lookoutfor new and better ways of

handling those behaviors that com-promise group effectiveness—groupmembers who don’t carry theirweight and the negative attitudesstudents frequently bring with themto group work. A faculty team at theU.S. Air Force Academy reportspositive results from a uniqueapproach that involved making groupleaders partially accountable for theirgroup’s success while at the sametime giving those leaders some powerto reward or penalize individualmembers based on what thosemembers contributed.The rationale for this approach

comes from how groups function inthe “real world.” In most professionalcontexts, leaders are to some extent

responsible for how their groupsperform, and those leaders also havesome control over those who serveon teams with them.Using a couple of different

measures of academic ability, teamswith four to six members wereformed. In the experimental teams,members were told to choose aformal leader. The control groups hadno formally designated leaders. Thetask involved selection of a publiclytraded company and analysis of thatfirm’s financial report. Findings werepresented by the teams to a panel ofthree financial accounting instructors.Points on this assignment represented25 percent of the final course grade.In addition to the 150 points

possible for the assignment, leadersreceived a 25-point incentive if theirteams ranked in the top third of all

these projects. Leaders received 15points if their groups ranked in themiddle third and 5 points if theirgroups ranked in the bottom third.Leaders were also given 25 points pergroup member to distribute to indi-vidual members based on what thoseindividuals contributed to the group.“This structure allowed the incen-tivized team leader to function as aleader with limited control over teammembers while maintaining responsi-bility for the end product.” (p. 793)Scores showed that the teams with

leaders who had these incentivesperformed significantly better thandid the control groups. Results alsodocumented a decrease in socialloafing and improved attitudes aboutgroup work for those in teams withleaders with incentives. It’s anapproach that might be worth tryingin other courses where group work isbeing used to prepare students forcollaboration in professionalcontexts.

Reference: Ferrante, C. J., Green, S.G., and Forster, W. R. (2006). Gettingmore out of team projects:Incentivizing leadership to enhanceperformance. Journal of ManagementEducation, 30 (6), 788-797.

Some students tell us they hategroups—as in really hategroups. Why do faculty love

groups so much, they ask. I workhard, I’m smart, I can get goodgrades by myself, these studentsinsist. Other students are a waste. Iend up doing all the work and theyget the good grade I earned for the

group. Why do you, ProfessorByrnes, make me work in a group. Ihate groups!Sound familiar? We call these

bright, motivated, annoyed studentsour lone wolves. They demandlearning activities where they knowthey can excel and are fearful thatour emphasis on group work will

mean lower grades for them. Theleast of the students will drag downthe best, seems to be their constantrefrain. Get me out of these groupsand let me show you what I canreally do.We have developed an unusual


Leaders with Incentives:Groups That Performed Better

By Maryellen Weimer

Dealing with Students Who Hate Working in Groups

By Joseph F. Byrnes and MaryAnn Byrnes

PAGE 7�

7

way to deal with these bright,motivated lone wolves—we formgroups of lone wolves! On the firstday of class, we have students fill outa data sheet. Here is the question thatdeals with groups:Think about your experience

working in groups. Please select theone response that best suits your ex-perience.A. _________I enjoy working ingroups because my groupmembers usually help me under-stand the material and tasks andtherefore I can perform better.

B. _________I question the value ofgroup work for me, because Iusually end up doing more thanmy fair share of the work.

C. _________I have little or no ex-perience working in groups.

D. _________I have a different ex-perience than the choices givenabove. Please describe.

When we form groups, we placethe students who have selected B(our lone wolves) in the same group.There are usually sufficient numbersto form one or even two groups ofthese lone wolves.The result is delightful to observe.

Often for the first time, the lonewolves are challenged by group-mates. They must learn to negotiate,trust, and share with others who areequally driven and equally intelli-gent. Another positive outcome isthat students in other groups have

the opportunity to develop anddemonstrate leadership capacity,without the interference of these lonewolves who tend to control others ingroups.At the end of the semester, many of

our lone wolves make a point oftelling us this is the best group theyhave ever had. They are shockedabout their experience and they askus for our secrets about forminggroups. When we tell them we placedthem in a group where every studenthated groups, they inevitably smileand thank us.

Successful professionals need tobe able to both cooperate andcompete. Educational experi-

ences need to help students developboth skills. Attle and Baker, authorsof an article on the subject, citesurvey data from employers indicat-ing that 80 percent of all employeesin America work in teams or groups.But competition continues to be theway to succeed in the globaleconomy.Attle and Baker have developed

learning experiences that combinethe two. They outline an instructionalstrategy that brings together “compo-nents of cooperative learning withthe positive aspects of motivationalcompetition through inter-group com-

petition between collaborative teams”in sport management, the field inwhich they teach. (p. 79) Specifically,they assign students to groups;within those groups, students partici-pate in a grant development project.The instructors work to make theproject as “real-world” as possible.They contact a local organization andfind out what that organization mightneed. The groups then develop grantproposals that seek funding for theproject. Each group presents itsproposal to a panel, and that panel“funds” the proposal of only onegroup. The article also contains otherexamples of courses and contentwhere these faculty members haveused this cooperative-competitive

model.The authors make a number of

important points about activities thatcombine cooperative and competitiveelements. They note that cooperationand competition are neither “inher-ently good or bad in supporting thelearning process how instructorsemploy these strategies in order toenhance student learning determinestheir value in preparing well-educated soon-to-be professionals.”(p. 77) They say that the exercises’design must be undertaken carefully,with the instructor attending to howthe groups will be formed, their com-position, the dynamics that affect


Group Work That Inspires Cooperationand Competition

By Maryellen Weimer

PAGE 8�

FROM PAGE 6

8

how they will interact, and how workcompleted by the groups will beassessed. In the case of this project,the authors recommend that the in-structor form the groups and that,even though the panel awards thegrant, the instructor retain controlover the grading process.In an exercise like this, students

can learn much about their own per-formance from the other groups. Tolevel the competitive playing field, inthis example each group presents tothe panel privately. However, everypresentation is videotaped and playedback to the class as a whole. Thishelps students see differencesbetween the groups and enables theclass to discuss why the panelawarded the grant to a particulargroup.

The instructors also note that thecompetitive aspect of the assignmentmotivates student performance.Students’ performances frequentlyexceed instructor expectations. Thereis a caveat here, though: “Our experi-ence in using this type of assignmentsuggests that students will spend in-ordinate amounts of time on this typeof project unless limits are set by theinstructor.” (p. 82) The amount oftime students are given to work onthe project should be commensuratewith the project’s value. But here aswell are important lessons forstudents to learn—lessons aboutusing time efficiently, delegatingtasks, and asserting leadership tohelp a group pull it all together.In recent years, interest in group

work and learning within socialcontexts has been widespread in

higher education. That is appropriategiven the prior lack of emphasis onteamwork. But as this article wiselypoints out, students need to knowhow to cooperate and how tocompete. For tomorrow’s profession-als, both skills are essential. Thisarticle offers some creative ways ofintegrating both elements in a single,carefully designed learning activity.

Reference: Attle, S., and Baker, B.(2007). Cooperative learning in acompetitive environment: classroomapplications. International Journal ofTeaching and Learning in HigherEducation, 19 (1), 77–83. [Note: Thisis an online journal. Find it atwww.isetl.org/ijtlhe.]

The debate continues: is it fairand appropriate to give indi-vidual students a group grade

based on the performance of thewhole group? Experts stand on bothsides of the issue. For individualsconsidering the use of group grades,that decision needs to take intoaccount how students perceive thegroup exam experience. The studyreferenced below explores a numberof relevant student perceptions.The purpose of this qualitative

study was to “elicit the reflections” ofstudents (140 undergrads and 202grads) who participated in a fairlylengthy group exam experience. Theirthree-member groups workedtogether on a variety of tasks for

three weeks prior to taking a writtenexam in their group. Researchersused a “hermeneutic phenomenologi-cal” approach that had studentsrespond to this query: “You have justcompleted your first cooperative ex-amination. Please describe how youfelt preparing for the examination,and how you feel now that you havecompleted the examination.” (p. 84)This qualitative method also pre-scribes how data are to be examinedand organized. In this case,comments clustered around eightdifferent themes, which are high-lighted and briefly discussed below.• Feeling support and or reinforce-ment—Every undergraduate andalmost 50 percent of the graduate

students felt supported and rein-forced by the experience. One un-dergraduate explained, “Welearned how to rely upon oneanother to achieve a goal.” (p.85)

• Feeling relaxed and confident—Asignificant number of undergradsand graduate students reportedexperiencing less of the anxietyand stress usually associatedwith taking exams. They felt lessalone, and that added to theirfeelings of confidence, evenwhen they faced the exam’s mostdifficult questions.

• Everyone knowing the material


Better Understanding the Group Exam Experience

By Maryellen Weimer

PAGE 9�

FROM PAGE 7

9

and doing his or her part—Almost 40 percent of the under-grads and 67 percent of the gradsmade comments about how theirgroup members stepped up to theplate. Fellow group membersprepared, contributed, andhelped complete the exam.

• Gaining a deeper understandingof the information—Confirmingwhat previous research has docu-mented, a significant number ofthese students made commentsabout how working on thematerial in their group providedthem with a deeper understand-ing of the content.

• Not wanting to let the groupdown—A smaller percentage (15for the undergrads and 13 for thegrads) commented on how theywere motivated to study morebecause they didn’t want to letthe group down. In the words ofone student, “This forced me tostudy. I didn’t want to be a weaklink.” (p. 88)

• Feeling stressed—Only 13 percentof the undergraduates and 6percent of the graduate studentsexpressed that they found thegroup exam experience stressful.

• Being concerned about groupmembers’ preparation—Also sur-prising was the fact that only 13percent of the undergraduatesand 5 percent of the graduatestudents worried about how theirgroup members would perform.And among those expressing thisconcern, the experience provedthat their concerns wereunfounded. As one studentremarked, “We could have madeour lives simpler by trusting eachother.” (p. 89)

• Forming positive opinions aboutthe group—Six percent of the un-dergrads and 22 percent of thegrad students wrote positivelyabout their specific group. Theyreported that their group workedwell together, that they were partof a good team, and that groupmembers treated each other well.

Many of the feelings and experi-ences reported by the students in thisstudy do not confirm some of thefears that faculty have about usinggroup experiences: that the bright,grade-motivated students will do thework for the rest of the group andthat the pressure of having toperform collectively for a grade willcause groups to implode. Thereactions of these students to anopen-ended query that did not directtheir responses reaffirms the learningpotential inherent in collaborative ex-periences. The analysis of theirresponses does not answer thequestion of the propriety of groupgrades for individuals, but what thesestudents report certainly relates tothat question.

Reference: Morgan, B. M. (2005).Cooperative learning in highereducation: A comparison of under-graduate and graduate students’ re-flections on group exams for groupgrades. Journal on Excellence inCollege Teaching, 16(1), 79–95.

Reading a textbook andlistening to a lecture may beuseful learning activities, but

for most students, when used alone,they are insufficient for long-termretention and transfer of learning.Activities like group work, discus-sion, and other forms of collabora-tion have great potential for helpingstudents process new information,ideas, and procedures so thatlearning is expedited. Here are fiveresearch-based reasons for using ac-

tivities that involve students in class.

1. New knowledge must beanchored to existing knowledgefor long-term retention; the moreanchors, the better the chances forrecall. In a discussion, ask studentsto compare and contrast new infor-mation or ideas with what theyalready know, or ask them to giveexamples or analogies. Each elabora-tion is a potential memory anchorfor some learners, and, together, the

class will generate many more elab-orations than could be thought of in-dividually. Chances are good thatsomeone will suggest a viable elabo-ration that never crossed your mind.

2. Short-term memory can holdonly about seven pieces of infor-mation at a time. New knowledgemust be organized in chunks to fitthrough this bottleneck during


Use the Power of Groups to Help You Teach

By Robert Loser

PAGE 10�

FROM PAGE 8


Many faculty incorporate apeer-assessment componentin team projects. Because

faculty aren’t present when thegroups interact and therefore don’tknow who’s doing what in the group,they let students provide feedback onthe contributions of their group-mates. In addition to giving theteacher accurate information onwhich to base individual grades, theprocess gives students the opportu-nity to learn the value of constructive

peer feedback. It’s a skill applicablein many professional contexts.Most faculty have discovered that

the quality of peer feedback improvesif students use a form that articulatesassessment criteria. Otherwise, givena form that asks them to rate ordescribe the contributions of othermembers, students tend to avoidgiving negative feedback and to fallback on the “everybody contributedequally” mantra.A group of faculty (mostly in engi-

neering) looked at the inter-rater reli-ability of three short peer-evaluationforms. Inter-rater reliability is a statis-tical measure of the extent ofagreement among evaluators. It’s animportant feature of good assessmentinstruments. One of the forms usedwas a single-item instrument withoutany behavioral anchors or specific as-sessment criteria, similar to what’sdescribed in the previous paragraph.The second form used a five-point

learning and recall. Ask students toorganize new information,summarize it, suggest mnemonics forit, and then share their strategieswith the class. Again, the class islikely to generate more strategies col-lectively than individuals would ontheir own, and the weaker studentswill learn better strategies from thestronger ones.

3. Knowledge is recalled bestwhen it is learned in the context inwhich it will be used. Ask studentsto relate what they are learning totheir lives, their work, their families,and society with activities such asrole-plays, case studies, and applica-tion papers. Once again, groups aregoing to envision more relevantcontexts than individuals are likelyto.

4. Skills are learned by practicewith guidance and immediatefeedback. Since you can’t provideimmediate feedback to everyone at

the same time, enlist your students tohelp each other in the early learningstages when basic feedback is suffi-cient, but still vital. Offer clearexamples of excellent performance,and then provide students with arubric for critiquing each other’swork. The greater the number ofcritiques, the greater the likelihoodthat the average of the critiques willbe reasonably accurate. Besides bene-fiting from feedback, students arelearning something about providing itconstructively.

5. Problem-solving expertiserequires relevant basic skills andconceptual knowledge, along withbeing able to decide which basicskills and knowledge to apply inany given situation. Assignproblems to heterogeneous groups offive to seven students and facilitatecollaboration to solve the problems.Members of the group will havedifferent knowledge and skills to con-tribute, so the groups will tend tosolve problems better than the indi-vidual members can on their own. In

the process, students will learnknowledge, skills, and strategies fromeach other, especially if you havethem discuss the processes they used.Group strategies help you teach

more efficiently by harnessing theparallel processing power of all of theminds in your classroom and openthe possibility that you just mightlearn something from your students!If you are interested in references

that explore the research that standsbehind these principles, let merecommend two sources.

References:Clark, R., and Mayer, R. (2003). E-

Learning and the Science ofInstruction: Proven Guidelines forConsumers and Designers ofMultimedia Learning. San Francisco:John Wiley & Sons.

Gagne, E., Yekovich, C., andYekovich, F. (1993). The CognitivePsychology of School Learning, SecondEdition. New York: HarperCollins.

FROM PAGE 9

Feedback Forms for Peer Assessment in Groups

By Maryellen Weimer

PAGE 11�

11

rating scale and asked students toassess team members across 10 cate-gories that included variousbehaviors, e.g., attended groupmeetings regularly, contributed to dis-cussions, listened effectively,performed significant tasks, andcompleted tasks on time.The final form included these kinds

of behavioral anchors in its instruc-tions and elaborated descriptions ofthe rating words (excellent, forexample, was defined as “consistentlywent above and beyond, tutoredteammates, carried more than his orher fair share of the load”). However,on this form group members gave

peers a single rating assessment.Researchers found that both behav-iorally anchored forms had about thesame high inter-rater reliability whenthey were used by four raters in thesame group.The value, of course, is the

economy of the shorter form. It con-siderably expedites the gradingprocess, which benefits instructorswho may have large classes andhomework and other assignments tograde. Researchers also hypothesizethat students will complete shorterforms more conscientiously. However,they do recommend using the longerform to accomplish formative goals.They have their students complete itat the end of a first project so that

group members can use the feedbackto identify areas for improvement. Ifthe feedback indicates that a grouphas some members who are “hitch-hiking” (as in getting a free ride fromthe group) or “overachieving” (as indominating and overdirecting thegroup effort), the instructor meetswith those groups to explore betterways to distribute the workload andleadership within the group.

Reference: Ohland, M. W., Layton,R. A., Loughry, M. L., and Yuhasz, A.G. (2005). Effects of behavioralanchors on peer evaluation reliability.Journal of Engineering Education,94(3), July, 319–325

Ihave used collaborative groups ina graduate counseling theoriesclass to increase dialogue on theo-

retical concepts, integrate current lit-erature, and model lifelong learning.In my teaching, this learning strategyis much more than a technique. It’s asystematic, coherent approach to theentire course. Groups meet for one-third of the course time, do group pre-sentations, and participate in a varietyof other class activities.When using groups this extensively,

how they are formed is essential. I letstudents create their own three- tofour-member groups using threedifferent criteria: random selection,common interests, or program areas.For example, in a master’s-level coun-seling program, students pursue

options in school counseling,marriage and family counseling, ormental health counseling. Studentsare educated about the groupselection process and are encouragedto select group members only afterclass activities have occurred inwhich students learn about eachother’s professional interests andpersonal belief systems. Self-selectionof group members increases peerpressure to be prepared for groupdialogues and creates mutual depend-ence—students come to class so theydon’t let their group down.Once groups have formed, students

are given the assignment: review thecurrent literature and select an articleof interest to discuss in the groups.Each student does his or her own lit-

erature search and article review eachweek. For example, during the weekthat existential theory is the topic,students need to find current litera-ture on existential theory. School-counseling students might conductliterature searches using the terms“existential theory” and “children.”Early on, groups are instructed to

develop ground rules. Here are someexamples of ground rules: comeprepared for the group meeting; takeownership of your ideas by using “I”statements and “It is my percep-tion...”; wait until others are finishedbefore speaking; present reasons fordisagreeing; paraphrase what youhear; ask for clarification; and provide


FROM PAGE 10

Using Collaborative Groupsto Teach Literature and Theory

By Penny Dahlen

PAGE 12�

Many students don’t greet withmuch enthusiasm teachers’efforts to have them work in

groups. They may not state their ob-jections verbally, but the nonverbalreactions are eloquent. They just sitthere; only with much urging do theylook at those sitting nearby and moveminimally in the direction of gettingthemselves seated together as agroup. This lack of enthusiasm is atsome level a recognition that it is somuch easier to sit there and writedown the teacher’s answers. The re-sistance also derives from previousexperiences in groups where nothingor very little happened.Often very little happens in groups

because students don’t tackle thetasks with much enthusiasm—a kindof vicious cycle develops here—butgroup ineffectiveness may be theproduct of poorly designed grouptasks as well. A carefully thought out,creative, and purposeful task canimpact student passivity andengender much more positive feelingsabout group work.A newly published second edition

of a book on teaching beginningstudents, Teaching First-Year CollegeStudents, by Bette La Sere Erickson,Calvin B. Peters, and Diane WelterStommer, contains a great list ofgroup tasks for in-class discussions.These authors propose them for

beginning students, but there is noreason they would not work withmore advanced learners.• If the goal is having small groupsreview content from the previousclass, have students compare anddiscuss their notes in the groupand then create a list of the mostimportant ideas contained inthem. Sharing some of the listspublicly provides an effective wayof linking previous material withnew content.

• Before introducing a new topic:have students break into groups,put their heads together, and list

12

constructive feedback. Groups set upwritten contracts that list their rulesand that are signed by all members.This enhances group commitment topreparation and learning.I believe it is essential that the in-

structor model effective group collabo-ration. I do current literature searchesand join a group each week. I makesure my article has been publishedwithin the last year and join in adifferent group each week. Studentsnever know which group I will bejoining, so this also encourages prepa-ration on their part. In joining thegroup, I talk with them. I do not takeover the discussion; I listen, probe,question, hypothesize, model, andrephrase their comments just as anymember committed to group analysisand understanding should do. The

groups meet during the last 45minutes of class, and I do notreconvene the entire class at the endof the period. I have noticed thatmany times the groups are still talking15 to 30 minutes past class endingtime.Toward the end of the course, each

group does a presentation focused on“deepening the understanding of sometheoretical concept.” Students are en-couraged to be creative and to enjoythe presentation. One group conducteda Jeopardy game on Freud’s concepts.Also each group member is required toprovide a draft copy of his or her finaltheory paper to each other groupmember. Members read and edit eachother’s papers between group sessionsand then meet to discuss content andwriting processes. After this feedbacksession, students have a week to in-corporate group feedback before

turning in the final paper.Group members grade each other’s

participation based on the group rulesand how collaboratively the memberworked on the group presentation.The final course grade also includes avariety of other assignments, such aslarge group participation, written caseanalyses, journals, and a final paper.This collaborative group strategy

could be adapted to any course inwhich theory and philosophy aremajor content components. Keepingcurrent on research, joining groups,and modeling dialogue make thecourse exciting for students and forthe instructor. It’s also a great modelfor lifelong learning. It represents howwe would hope people would jointogether at work and in their commu-nities to learn and to solve problems.


Small Group Discussion Tasks

By Maryellen Weimer

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everything they already knowabout the topic. Several of theselists can be used to introduce thetopic.

• To get students ready for a wholeclass discussion, let them start byspending a few minutes in a smallgroup where people discuss anyaspect of the reading assignmentor discussion topic they wish.

• If the goal is to get students to askmore questions, let them generatethose questions in groups. If theclass is to discuss a reading as-signment, let those groups comeup with the one or two questionsaround which they think thewhole class discussion shouldfocus.

• To help students develop theirproblem-solving skills, give thema problem a bit more challengingthan one they’ve just done. Let

them work on solving that newproblem in groups. If they can’tcome up with the solution,challenge the group to list thequestions they need answered inorder to solve the problem.

• If the goal is making sure thatstudents understand a concept,put students in groups and havethe groups define the concept intheir own words. Also have themidentify an example (not oneproposed in class or the reading)and be able to explain how it il-lustrates the concepts.

• To encourage thinking morebroadly about a topic, working ingroups, have students take oneposition on an issue and list allthe arguments they can think ofthat support that side. Whenthey’ve completed that task, havethem take a different position onthe same topic and list the

arguments supportive of thatposition.

• To help students summarizecontent as it is being presented,take a short break during whichstudents compare notes with twoor three people sitting near them.Have the group agree on the mostimportant ideas presented so far.Encourage everyone to writethose ideas in their notes.

Reference: Erickson, B. L., Peters, C.B., & Strommer, D. W. (2006).Teaching first-year college students(2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.


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