# data[].attributes.body
Interest Based Grouping- When an assignment has multiple possible topics, you can allow students to pick their topics and then form groups based on the individual interests of students (PCS Edventures, 2019). The strategy creates diversity in groups by having students paired up based on their educational interests rather than being biased by friendship or other personal similarities.

Interest Based Grouping could be used in high school U.S. History when researching the influence of Supreme Court Decisions. For example, the teach would select 3-4 monumental cases and allow students to submit which they would like to research. Upon having all students submit their responses, the teacher could either pair students themselves or have the students select a partner who selected the same topic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you've ever studied probability, wondered how many different types of pizza you could make with a set number of toppings or pondered the perfect arrangement of books on a shelf, odds are, you've calculated some combinations. Let's see if you can put your skills to the test in this real-world problem:

Question: In a class of 30 students, how many ways can you group them if you want five per group?

Answer: 142,506 possible groups.

In other words, a ridiculous amount of possibilities even before considering the decisions still to come. Do you change groups for every project or keep them the same for an entire semester? Do you vary ability levels or group learners with similar aptitudes? Do you let students create their groups or assign them into carefully selected teams?

It's a tough cookie, we know - so let's take a closer look at some of these grouping options and analyze when they would be most effective.

Student Choice (Self-Selection)

The most common method of grouping is student choice. Allowing learners to choose their groups takes very little instructor work. Once you set parameters (how many in a group, necessary roles to fill, etc.), students select teammates on their own and get to work. Usually they choose their friends first, then the classmates who they believe will be "good teammates," followed by people sitting conveniently close to them.

PROS: According to a study published in the Journal of Management Education, self-selection has a variety of positive effects when compared with random grouping strategies. These include:

Improved group dynamics.

Positive individual attitudes toward the group.

Higher outcome measures (grade or score).

Less instructor planning required.

Higher level of group cohesion on average.

CONS: While this can be an effective method, there are some additional negative factors to consider:

Self-segregation into homogenous groups.

Less diversity of perspectives and decreased creativity.

Remainder Problem - Some students get left out in the selection process which leads to feelings of exclusion and a lack of group cohesion.

Group work time is less focused.

In short, student choice is a great option if you have a reliable group of learners who you trust to work well together. However, keep a close eye on the group dynamics to ensure that students are focused on the task at hand and do not intentionally exclude any of their classmates.

Randomness

Another grouping option that takes relatively little instructor work is a random assignment. Random assignments can be done in many different ways. Consider drawing cards or popsicle sticks with student names written on them or choosing every nth student from a class roster. This method ensures that learners work with people they might not otherwise interact with, and it takes the stress off of students for group selection. If classmates have not previously grouped-up or do not know each other well, this can be a great strategy.

PROS:

Minimal instructor planning required.

Encourages group diversity.

Builds communication skills with classmates that students might not regularly interact with.

More focused group work time.

No one is left out in the selection process.

CONS:

Students may be unsatisfied with selected group and approach projects with a negative attitude.

Lower group cohesion.

Academic Ability Level

Grouping students based on ability level is a common practice, especially in elementary classrooms. All gifted and talented programs are a modified version of this strategy. Creating groups based on ability level can either be helpful to learners or create perceived unfairness. By separating high achievers and low achievers, an instructor can personalize learning and assign modified projects to each group based on their ability to complete it successfully. However, if students begin to identify as low-ability or low-achievement learners, it can disincentivize them to try harder and may widen the gap separating them from the upper group.

PROS:

Allows customized pacing based on student needs.

Content can be repeated or expanded depending on understanding levels.

Improved depth of student learning.

CONS:

Perceived unfairness in comparing top academic students to underperformers.

Widens achievement gaps.

Requires additional instructor planning.

Interest-Based

If you are assigning a project with multiple possible topics, interest-based grouping can be a great strategy. In this method, students select the subject which they are most interested in researching, which determines their pair or group. To create a framework for learners to choose their favorite option, you can create a list of pre-approved topics or allow students to propose subjects.

PROS:

Engagement increases when students are interested in the project.

Passionate learners will create better end products.

CONS:

Does not work if all students are working on the same assignment.

Friends may falsify interest to work together.

Cooperative (Role-Based)

In a cooperative group, each member is assigned a specific role or title. This means there is a job that they are responsible for on their team. Assigning specific roles gives students increased ownership over the project and supports group accountability. In "Assigning Individual Roles and its Effect on the Cooperative Learning Setting," Bonnie Coggeshall found that "groups reduced the amount of time students might get off task and increased the amount of participation within the groups."

PROS:

Everybody has a role - creates a sense of purpose and belonging.

Individual ownership and responsibility.

Builds collaboration and teamwork among all group members.

Improves group efficiency.

Models real-world teams.

CONS:

Potential disagreement based on desired roles.

"Blame Game" - group can isolate underachieving team member if their assigned role is incomplete or brings down the total score.

Roles can create inequity in the amount of work required.

What's the Right Answer?

In short, there is no perfect grouping strategy. Knowing the projects you'll be assigning and your students' personalities will be essential to creating successful groups. If you are willing to turn the reins over to your learners, student choice is often the easiest and most successful strategy. But you don't have to take our word for it! Try out a few different methods and see what works with your learners. Consider mixing and matching, even within one project. Combine randomness, student choice and cooperative grouping by randomly assigning groups, then allowing learners to choose who will perform which role.

STEM Project Ideas Worth Exploring

If you are looking for engaging projects to implement with your learners, look no further than the Discover Series! Discover products allow students to get their hands on today's technologies, approaching modern topics through hands-on, self-guided exploration. Promoting an atmosphere of creativity and innovation through exciting lessons in robotics, engineering, drones and video production, students explore topics they are actively interested in, all the while developing soft skills including communication, critical thinking and persistence.

Interested in learning more? Download a free Curriculum Sample, peek behind the scenes at PCS Edventures or contact a STEMbassador at (800) 429-3110 or sales@edventures.com for more information.

References

Catapano, J. (n.d.). 30 Ways to Arrange Students for Group Work. Retrieved from https://www.teachhub.com/30-ways-arrange-students-group-work

Chapman, K. J., Meuter, M., Toy, D., & Wright, L. (2006). Can't We Pick our Own Groups? The Influence of Group Selection Method on Group Dynamics and Outcomes. Journal of Management Education, 30(4), 557-569. doi:10.1177/1052562905284872

Coggeshall, Bonnie, "Assigning Individual Roles and its Effect on the Cooperative Learning Setting" (2010). Mathematical and Computing Sciences Masters. Paper 99.

Melser, N. A. (1999). Gifted students and cooperative learning:A study of grouping strategies. Roeper Review, 21(4), 315-315. doi:10.1080/02783199909553983

National Education Association. (n.d.). Research Spotlight on Academic Ability Grouping. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/16899.htm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Student Grouping Strategies to Maximize Engagement

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you've ever studied probability, wondered how many different types of pizza you could make with a set number of toppings or pondered the perfect arrangement of books on a shelf, odds are, you've calculated some combinations.

# data[].attributes.body
Social (Cooperative) Grouping- In tasks where students are assigned a specific role and must form groups based on these roles, it is referred to as social or cooperative grouping, and creates diversity in groups while allowing students to focus on practicing specific social roles (Shalaway & Opitz, 2021).

A specific example of this can be seen in the collaborative learning strategy called "fishbowl debate".

# data[].attributes.body
Student Choice (Self-Selection) Grouping- Student choice, or self-selection grouping is the most popular form of grouping which allows learners to choose their own partners or group (PCS Edventures, 2019). Student choice allows for minimal effort from teachers but does have some down-sides. When students pick their own groups, they tend to "self-segregate in homogeneous groups" and "some students are left out of the selection process which leads to feelings of exclusion and a lack of group cohesion" (PCS Edventures, 2019).

Like random grouping, student choice can be better used to maximize collaborative learning when combined with another form of grouping. An example of this can be seen in the section "CLS - Think/Write, Pair, Share".

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you've ever studied probability, wondered how many different types of pizza you could make with a set number of toppings or pondered the perfect arrangement of books on a shelf, odds are, you've calculated some combinations. Let's see if you can put your skills to the test in this real-world problem:

Question: In a class of 30 students, how many ways can you group them if you want five per group?

Answer: 142,506 possible groups.

In other words, a ridiculous amount of possibilities even before considering the decisions still to come. Do you change groups for every project or keep them the same for an entire semester? Do you vary ability levels or group learners with similar aptitudes? Do you let students create their groups or assign them into carefully selected teams?

It's a tough cookie, we know - so let's take a closer look at some of these grouping options and analyze when they would be most effective.

Student Choice (Self-Selection)

The most common method of grouping is student choice. Allowing learners to choose their groups takes very little instructor work. Once you set parameters (how many in a group, necessary roles to fill, etc.), students select teammates on their own and get to work. Usually they choose their friends first, then the classmates who they believe will be "good teammates," followed by people sitting conveniently close to them.

PROS: According to a study published in the Journal of Management Education, self-selection has a variety of positive effects when compared with random grouping strategies. These include:

Improved group dynamics.

Positive individual attitudes toward the group.

Higher outcome measures (grade or score).

Less instructor planning required.

Higher level of group cohesion on average.

CONS: While this can be an effective method, there are some additional negative factors to consider:

Self-segregation into homogenous groups.

Less diversity of perspectives and decreased creativity.

Remainder Problem - Some students get left out in the selection process which leads to feelings of exclusion and a lack of group cohesion.

Group work time is less focused.

In short, student choice is a great option if you have a reliable group of learners who you trust to work well together. However, keep a close eye on the group dynamics to ensure that students are focused on the task at hand and do not intentionally exclude any of their classmates.

Randomness

Another grouping option that takes relatively little instructor work is a random assignment. Random assignments can be done in many different ways. Consider drawing cards or popsicle sticks with student names written on them or choosing every nth student from a class roster. This method ensures that learners work with people they might not otherwise interact with, and it takes the stress off of students for group selection. If classmates have not previously grouped-up or do not know each other well, this can be a great strategy.

PROS:

Minimal instructor planning required.

Encourages group diversity.

Builds communication skills with classmates that students might not regularly interact with.

More focused group work time.

No one is left out in the selection process.

CONS:

Students may be unsatisfied with selected group and approach projects with a negative attitude.

Lower group cohesion.

Academic Ability Level

Grouping students based on ability level is a common practice, especially in elementary classrooms. All gifted and talented programs are a modified version of this strategy. Creating groups based on ability level can either be helpful to learners or create perceived unfairness. By separating high achievers and low achievers, an instructor can personalize learning and assign modified projects to each group based on their ability to complete it successfully. However, if students begin to identify as low-ability or low-achievement learners, it can disincentivize them to try harder and may widen the gap separating them from the upper group.

PROS:

Allows customized pacing based on student needs.

Content can be repeated or expanded depending on understanding levels.

Improved depth of student learning.

CONS:

Perceived unfairness in comparing top academic students to underperformers.

Widens achievement gaps.

Requires additional instructor planning.

Interest-Based

If you are assigning a project with multiple possible topics, interest-based grouping can be a great strategy. In this method, students select the subject which they are most interested in researching, which determines their pair or group. To create a framework for learners to choose their favorite option, you can create a list of pre-approved topics or allow students to propose subjects.

PROS:

Engagement increases when students are interested in the project.

Passionate learners will create better end products.

CONS:

Does not work if all students are working on the same assignment.

Friends may falsify interest to work together.

Cooperative (Role-Based)

In a cooperative group, each member is assigned a specific role or title. This means there is a job that they are responsible for on their team. Assigning specific roles gives students increased ownership over the project and supports group accountability. In "Assigning Individual Roles and its Effect on the Cooperative Learning Setting," Bonnie Coggeshall found that "groups reduced the amount of time students might get off task and increased the amount of participation within the groups."

PROS:

Everybody has a role - creates a sense of purpose and belonging.

Individual ownership and responsibility.

Builds collaboration and teamwork among all group members.

Improves group efficiency.

Models real-world teams.

CONS:

Potential disagreement based on desired roles.

"Blame Game" - group can isolate underachieving team member if their assigned role is incomplete or brings down the total score.

Roles can create inequity in the amount of work required.

What's the Right Answer?

In short, there is no perfect grouping strategy. Knowing the projects you'll be assigning and your students' personalities will be essential to creating successful groups. If you are willing to turn the reins over to your learners, student choice is often the easiest and most successful strategy. But you don't have to take our word for it! Try out a few different methods and see what works with your learners. Consider mixing and matching, even within one project. Combine randomness, student choice and cooperative grouping by randomly assigning groups, then allowing learners to choose who will perform which role.

STEM Project Ideas Worth Exploring

If you are looking for engaging projects to implement with your learners, look no further than the Discover Series! Discover products allow students to get their hands on today's technologies, approaching modern topics through hands-on, self-guided exploration. Promoting an atmosphere of creativity and innovation through exciting lessons in robotics, engineering, drones and video production, students explore topics they are actively interested in, all the while developing soft skills including communication, critical thinking and persistence.

Interested in learning more? Download a free Curriculum Sample, peek behind the scenes at PCS Edventures or contact a STEMbassador at (800) 429-3110 or sales@edventures.com for more information.

References

Catapano, J. (n.d.). 30 Ways to Arrange Students for Group Work. Retrieved from https://www.teachhub.com/30-ways-arrange-students-group-work

Chapman, K. J., Meuter, M., Toy, D., & Wright, L. (2006). Can't We Pick our Own Groups? The Influence of Group Selection Method on Group Dynamics and Outcomes. Journal of Management Education, 30(4), 557-569. doi:10.1177/1052562905284872

Coggeshall, Bonnie, "Assigning Individual Roles and its Effect on the Cooperative Learning Setting" (2010). Mathematical and Computing Sciences Masters. Paper 99.

Melser, N. A. (1999). Gifted students and cooperative learning:A study of grouping strategies. Roeper Review, 21(4), 315-315. doi:10.1080/02783199909553983

National Education Association. (n.d.). Research Spotlight on Academic Ability Grouping. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/16899.htm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Student Grouping Strategies to Maximize Engagement

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you've ever studied probability, wondered how many different types of pizza you could make with a set number of toppings or pondered the perfect arrangement of books on a shelf, odds are, you've calculated some combinations.

# data[].attributes.body
Random Grouping- Random grouping is when the grouping of students has no intentionality. It is best used when you are trying to create groups of equal size and introduce students to others that they don't normally associate with (Shalaway & Optiz, 2021).

Random grouping should be used with discretion as most group work that requires a partner should have purposeful pairing. However, this can be used in combination with other grouping strategies to better maximize the effects of collaborative learning. Using random grouping in combination with another form of grouping can be seen in the example given in the collaborative learning strategy called "fishbowl debate".

# data[].attributes.body
Jigsaw - Jigsaw collaboration involves students becoming "experts" in a sub-topic of the lesson. Students then share their expertise with other students so that the students piece together their knowledge of all sub-topics (similar to a jigsaw puzzle) until all students are fully knowledgeable of all components of the lesson (Centre for Teaching Excellence, n.d.).

This could be utilized in High School U.S. History during a lesson over the Bill of Rights. Sets of students would be assigned 1-2 amendments (depending on the class size) that they would become "experts" in. Afterwards, the groups would shuffle until all students had met with experts of all 10 amendments.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
One way to change the pace in your classroom is to do a small group activity. But what type of small group should you use? It depends on the size of your class, the length of time you have available, the physical features of the classroom, and the nature of the group task. Here are several options you could try. Consult the Centre for Teaching Excellence teaching tip " Group Work in the Classroom: Small-Group Tasks " for task ideas.

Buzz groups

Description: These groups involve students engaging in short, informal discussions, often in response to a particular sentence starter or question. At a transitional moment in the class, have students turn to 1-3 neighbours to discuss any difficulties in understanding, answer a prepared question, define or give examples of key concepts, or speculate on what will happen next in the class. The best discussions are those in which students make judgments regarding the relative merits, relevance, or usefulness of an aspect of the lecture (Brookfield & Preskill, 1999). Sample questions include, "What's the most contentious statement you've heard so far in the lecture today?" or "What's the most unsupported assertion you've heard in the lecture today?" Reconvene as a class and have a general discussion in which students share ideas or questions that arose within their subgroups.

Comments: This method is very flexible: it is easy to implement in any size of class and in most classrooms, even the most formally arranged lecture hall. Consider how to regain the attention of a large group: turning the lights off and on is one simple yet effective method.

Think-pair-share

Description: This strategy has three steps. First, students think individually about a particular question or scenario. Then they pair up to discuss and compare their ideas. Finally, they are given the chance to share their ideas in a large class discussion.

Comments: Think-pair-sharing forces all students to attempt an initial response to the question, which they can then clarify and expand as they collaborate. It also gives them a chance to validate their ideas in a small group before mentioning them to the large group, which may help shy students feel more confident participating.

Circle of Voices

Description: This method involves students taking turns to speak. Students form circles of four or five. Give students a topic, and allow them a few minutes to organize their thoughts about it. Then the discussion begins, with each student having up to three minutes (or choose a different length) of uninterrupted time to speak. During this time, no one else is allowed to say anything. After everyone has spoken once, open the floor within the subgroup for general discussion. Specify that students should only build on what someone else has said, not on their own ideas; also, at this point, they should not introduce new ideas (Brookfield & Preskill, 1999).

Comments: Some shy students might feel uncomfortable having to speak. Lessen their fear by making the topic specific and relevant or by giving each person a relevant quote to speak about. A variation to this method, which encourages students to listen more carefully to each other, involves requiring each person to begin by paraphrasing the comments of the previous student or by showing how his or her remarks relate to those of the previous student. For this variation, students will need less preparation time before the "circle" begins, but they may need more time between speakers.

Rotating trios

Class size: 15-30

Time frame: 10 or more minutes

Setting: a fair bit of space, moveable seating helpful (they could stand) Purpose: introduce students to many of their peers, generate ideas

Description: This strategy involves students discussing issues with many of their fellow classmates in turn. Beforehand, prepare discussion questions. In class, students form trios, with the groups arranged in a large circle or square formation. Give the students a question and suggest that each person take a turn answering. After a suitable time period, ask the trios to assign a 0, 1, or 2 to each of its members. Then direct the #1s to rotate one trio clockwise, the #2s to rotate two trios clockwise, and the #0s to remain in the same place; the result will be completely new trios. Now introduce a new, slightly more difficult question. Rotate trios and introduce new questions as many times as you would like (Silberman, 1996).

Comments: This type of group can be arranged with pairs or foursomes and works well with most subject matter, including computational questions. It would be difficult to implement in a large class, however.

Snowball groups/pyramids

Class size: 12-50

Time frame: 15-20 minutes, depending on how many times the groups "snowball"

Setting: moveable seating required

Purpose: generate well-vetted ideas, narrow a topic, develop decision-making skills

D escription: This method involves progressive doubling: students first work alone, then in pairs, then in fours, and so on. In most cases, after working in fours, students come together for a plenary session in which their conclusions or solutions are pooled. Provide a sequence of increasingly complex tasks so that students do not become bored with repeated discussion at multiple stages. For example, have students record a few questions that relate to the class topic. In pairs, students try to answer one another's questions. Pairs join together to make fours and identify, depending on the topic, either unanswered questions or areas of controversy or relevant principles based on their previous discussions. Back in the large class group, one representative from each group reports the group's conclusions (Habeshaw et al, 1984; Jaques, 2000).

Comments: This method takes time to unfold, so should be used only when the concepts under discussion warrant the time. Also, depending on the amount of time allotted, students may feel that certain nuances of their discussions are lost.

Jigsaw

Description: This strategy involves students becoming "experts" on one aspect of a topic, then sharing their expertise with others. Divide a topic into a few constitutive parts ("puzzle pieces"). Form subgroups of 3-5 and assign each subgroup a different "piece" of the topic (or, if the class is large, assign two or more subgroups to each subtopic). Each group's task is to develop expertise on its particular subtopic by brainstorming, developing ideas, and if time permits, researching. Once students have become experts on a particular subtopic, shuffle the groups so that the members of each new group have a different area of expertise. Students then take turns sharing their expertise with the other group members, thereby creating a completed "puzzle" of knowledge about the main topic (see Silberman, 1996). A convenient way to assign different areas of expertise is to distribute handouts of different colours. For the first stage of the group work, groups are composed of students with the same colour of handout; for the second stage, each member of the newly formed groups must have a different colour of handout.

Comments: The jigsaw helps to avoid tiresome plenary sessions, because most of the information is shared in small groups. This method can be expanded by having students develop expertise about their subtopics first through independent research outside of class. Then, when they meet with those who have the same subtopic, they can clarify and expand on their expertise before moving to a new group. One potential drawback is that students hear only one group's expertise on a particular topic and don't benefit as much from the insight of the whole class; to address this issue, you could collect a written record of each group's work and create a master document-a truly complete puzzle-on the topic.

Fishbowl

Time frame: 15 or more minutes

Setting: moveable seating and a lot of space preferable; if necessary, have inner group stand/sit at front of lecture hall and the outer group sit in regular lecture hall seats

Purpose: observe group interaction, provide real illustrations for concepts, provide opportunity for analysis

Description: This method involves one group observing another group. The first group forms a circle and either discusses an issue or topic, does a role play, or performs a brief drama. The second group forms a circle around the inner group. Depending on the inner group's task and the context of your course, the outer group can look for themes, patterns, soundness of argument, etc., in the inner group's discussion, analyze the inner group's functioning as a group, or simply watch and comment on the role play. Debrief with both groups at the end in a plenary to capture their experiences. See Jaques (2000) for several variations on this technique.

Comments: Be aware that the outer group members can become bored if their task is not challenging enough. You could have groups switch places and roles to help with this. Also note that the inner group could feel inhibited by the observers; mitigate this concern by asking for volunteers to participate in the inner circle or by specifying that each student will have a chance to be both inner and outer group members. Although this method is easiest to implement in small classes, you could also expand it so that multiple "fishbowls" are occurring at once.

Learning teams

Description: For this type of group, students are divided into groups at the beginning of the term. When you want to incorporate small group discussion or teamwork into your class, you direct the students to get into these term-long learning groups. Groups of four work well, because each foursome can be subdivided into pairs, depending on the activity.

Comments: Students get to know a small number of their classmates well over the course of the term, and may come to see their team mates as study partners even outside the classroom. Using learning teams eliminates the time it takes to organize students into groups each time you wish to use group work. However, because students will be working with each other over an extended time period, be very careful about how you assign them to groups. Have students submit data cards about themselves at the beginning of term, possibly even completing a short personality inventory. You might want to ask them also to suggest the names of two or three classmates with whom they would and would not like to work.

Support

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the CTE Support page to find the most relevant staff member to contact.

References

Brookfield, S.D., & Preskill, S. (1999). Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Habeshaw, S., Habeshaw, T., & Gibbs, G. (1984). 53 Interesting Things to Do in Your Seminars & Tutorials. Bristol: Technical and Educational Services Ltd.

Jaques, D. (2000). Learning in Groups: A Handbook for Improving Group Work, 3rd ed. London: Kogan Page.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K. A. (1991). Cooperative Learning: Increasing College Faculty Instructional Productivity. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No.4. Washington, D.C.: School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University.

Race, P. (2000). 500 Tips on Group Learning. London: Kogan Page.

Silberman, M. (1996). Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Slavin, R. E. (1995). Cooperative Learning: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Group Work in the Classroom: Types of Small Groups. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Group Work in the Classroom: Types of Small Groups | Centre for Teaching Excellence

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One way to change the pace in your classroom is to do a small group activity. But what type of small group should you use? It depends on the size of your class, the length of time you have available, the physical features of the classroom, and the nature of the group task.

# data[].attributes.body
Fishbowl Debate- A Fishbowl debate is used in groups of threes. Two of the students are assigned opposing sides of the argument and must present their arguments to the third student. The third student is responsible for taking notes and then deciding which side of the argument was more convincing. The third student must also elaborate on the factors that lead to their decision (Center for Teaching Innovation, n.d.). The purpose of this activity is to have students critically think about both sides of the argument, including pros and cons on each side.

One way this could be used in high school U.S. Government is when covering the Federalist vs Anti-Federalist debates. Students would draw a number when they walk in the door (1-Federalist, 2-Anti-Federalist, and 3-Note Taker). They must then get into groups so that the groups have one student with each number. By assigning the numbers randomly on the day of it requires the students to be prepared to argue for either side. The random assignment of numbers will provide enough randomness that students aren't just able to pair up with their two best friends, but the freedom to chose a group with the other numbers allows for students to pick students who they would feel most comfortable and constructive with.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Stump Your Partner

Students take a minute to create a challenging question based on the lecture content up to that point.

Students pose the question to the person sitting next to them.

To take this activity a step further, ask students to write down their questions and hand them in. These questions can be used to create tests or exams. They can also be reviewed to gauge student understanding.

Think-Pair-Share/Write-Pair-Share

The instructor poses a question that demands analysis, evaluation, or synthesis.

Students take a few minutes to think through an appropriate response.

Students turn to a partner (or small groups) and share their responses. Take this a step further by asking students to find someone who arrived at an answer different from their own and convince their partner to change their mind.

Student responses are shared within larger teams or with the entire class during a follow-up discussion.

Catch-Up

Stop at a transition point in your lecture.

Have students turn to a partner or work in small groups to compare notes and ask clarifying questions.

After a few minutes, open the floor to a few questions.

Fishbowl Debate

Ask students to sit in groups of three.

Assign roles. For example, the person on left takes one position on a topic for debate, the person on right takes the opposite position, and the person in the middle takes notes and decides which side is the most convincing and provides an argument for his or her choice.

Debrief by calling on a few groups to summarize their discussions.

Case Study

Create four to five case studies of similar difficulty.

Have students work in groups of four or five to work through and analyze their case study.

Provide 10-15 minutes (or adequate time) to work through the cases.

Walk around and address any questions.

Call on groups randomly and ask that students share their analysis. Continue until each case study has been addressed.

Team-Based Learning

Start a course unit by giving students some tasks to complete, such as reading or lab assignments. Consider assigning these to be completed before class.

Check students' comprehension of the material with a quick multiple-choice quiz. Have students submit their answers.

Assign students to groups and have them review their answers with group members to reach consensus. Have each group submit one answered quiz.

Record both the individual student assessment scores and the final group assessment score (both of which are used toward each student's course grade).

Deliver a lecture that specially targets any misconceptions or gaps in knowledge the assessments reveal.

Give groups a challenging assignment, such as solving a problem or applying a theory to a real-world situation.

Find more information on this strategy at  the Team-Based Learning Collaborative.

Group Problem-Solving

There are many instructional strategies that involve students working together to solve a problem, including inquiry-based learning, authentic learning, and discovery learning. While they each have their own unique characteristics, they fundamentally involve:

Presenting students with a problem.

Providing some structure or guidance toward solving the problem. Note however, that they are all student-centered activities in which the instructor may have a very minimal role.

Reaching a final outcome or solution.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Examples of Collaborative Learning or Group Work Activities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Students take a minute to create a challenging question based on the lecture content up to that point. Students pose the question to the person sitting next to them. To take this activity a step further, ask students to write down their questions and hand them in.

# data[].attributes.body
Center for Teaching Innovation. (n.d.). Examples of collaborative learning or group work activities. Cornell University. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://teaching.cornell.edu/resource/examples-collaborative-learning-or-group-work-activities

Centre for Teaching Excellence. (n.d.). Group work in the classroom: Types of small groups. University of Waterloo. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/developing-assignments/group-work/group-work-classroom-types-small-groups

"Collaborative learning techniques [Infographic]." (2016). Bates College. https://www.bates.edu/faculty-commons/files/2016/08/Collaborative-Learning-Techniques.pdf

PCS Edventures. (2019, March 21). Student grouping strategies to maximize engagement. https://edventures.com/blogs/stempower/student-grouping-strategies-to-maximize-engagement

Shalaway, L., Optiz, M. O. (2021). Organizing small groups: Do you know all the options? Scholastic Inc. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/organizing-small-groups-do-you-know-all-options/

The Bell Foundation. (n.d.). Great idea: Collaborative activities. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.bell-foundation.org.uk/eal-programme/guidance/effective-teaching-of-eal-learners/great-ideas/collaborative-activities/

# data[].attributes.body
Think/Write, Pair, Share- Students form their own thoughts on an idea that has been presented then share with a partner. The partners are then put into larger groups. This allows for multiple levels of collaboration, but students feel more confident presenting their ideas to a large group with the support of their partner ("Collaborative Learning Techniques", 2016).

In high school level U.S. History, I could utilize this by having students read historical documents and putting together 3-4 sentences with their thoughts. They would then be allowed to select a partner (which would more than likely be someone they are comfortable with) and then 2-3 sets of partners would be put in groups assigned by the teacher (done in an intentional way to pair up groups that normally would not collaborate with each other by their own choosing) to continue sharing and building upon the information.

# data[].attributes.body
Competitive Games- Competitive games can be used to motivate learners to work with their teammates and consolidating curriculum content (The Bell Foundation, n.d.).

A specific competitive game that could be used in High School U.S. History is Jeopardy. The groups would be formed by dividing the classroom in thirds based on where the students sit. The teams would compete against each other in answering questions, most likely for a test or unit review to ensure there is a fair level of comprehension of the entirety of the unit before we move on to our next. The winning teams could be rewarded with extra points on the test or tangible rewards such as treats.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What are collaborative activities?

Collaborative activities are any activities where learners are working co-operatively in pairs or groups. For example:

Pair or group discussions

Completing shared tasks in a pair or group, e.g. matching, sorting, ranking

Activities or games with a competitive element, e.g. bingo

Drama and role play

Information exchange activities, including barrier games and jigsaw activities

Examples of activities

Collaborative activities can be used for any age-range and in any subject. EAL learners at any stage of language development can take part, particularly if those who are New to English are grouped with supportive peers. Here are some examples:
1. Group or pair discussion:
There are a range of pair or group discussions, for example:

Listening triangles: learners work together in groups of three: a speaker, a questioner and a note-taker.

The speaker explains the topic (or expresses their opinion on an issue) as directed by the teacher

The questioner listens carefully and asks for clarification or further detail

The note-taker observes this process and provides feedback to both speaker and questioner

Talk partners: Learners are paired for short discussion activities. Pairs can be selected, chosen randomly or regularly switched. It may be useful to establish ground rules and model some appropriate question types and responses.

Think-Pair-Share: Learners prepare a response to a text or prepare a piece of work and then explain their ideas to a partner. After the pairs have discussed the issue, they join with another pair, share views and emerge with a group conclusion or perspective.

Snowballing: Learners discuss something or investigate an issue in pairs. The pairs then join another pair to form a group and share their findings.  The small groups then join together to make a larger group: 2 →4 →8 →16 → whole-class.
2. Working on shared tasks, e.g. matching, sorting, ranking:
Working collaboratively on a task encourages use of the vocabulary of the curriculum area, and at the same time encourages use of the language of making suggestions, justifying opinions, agreeing and disagreeing, etc. It also gives practice in listening. Many of the resources on this website have images that can be made into flashcards which can be used for matching, sorting or ranking. For example, in A Balanced Diet learners are asked to sort cards with different foods on into groups according to their nutrient content.
3. Games and activities with a competitive element:
Games can be very effective in motivating learners, and in revising or consolidating curriculum content. They also practise the language of turn-taking and negotiating. Bingo is a popular game included in several of the resources on this site, e.g. food bingo. A quick noughts and crosses game can be produced for any topic on a whiteboard, i.e. a 3x3 grid with answers in each square. Split the class into two teams, and teams discuss possible questions to match the answers. There are likely to be a range of possible correct questions. In this example a question to which the correct answer is 'protein' could be 'What do you find in fish, nuts and meat?' or 'What do we need to build and repair tissue?'

Drama and role play can be fun and used successfully in any area of the curriculum. Drama is a very valuable tool for exploring issues, making learning memorable, encouraging co-operation and empathy. The use of drama and role play can create an opportunity for the learner to hear and rehearse language in a meaningful context, so as to be able to use it confidently in speech or writing.

5.  Information exchange activities:

Information exchange (or information gap) activities are communicative activities for two or more learners. They include barrier games and jigsaw activities, or any activity that involves learners having different pieces of information that they then have to convey to each other orally. Here are two examples:

Barrier games: In a barrier game Learner A and Learner B sit with a barrier between them and are required to convey information to each other, for example while looking at different text or images. A book or file propped on its side can be used as a barrier. E.g. Charles Dickens barrier game.

Rainbowing: This is a form of jigsaw activity where each member of a working group is given a different colour.  When the group task is complete the learners form new groups according to their colours. Within the colour groups, they compare findings, discuss what they have achieved, or carry out another task that they all need to contribute to, e.g. completing a grid.

How collaborative activities work

Many tasks can be made into collaborative activities by asking learners to complete them in pairs or groups rather than individually. For collaborative activities to work effectively it is important to:

Consider the grouping of learners carefully, for example placing early stage bilingual learners with peers who can provide good models of English, and/or share the same first language

Establish the type of behaviour that will be expected from learners for them to benefit most from these types of activities and ensure that everyone is clear what their role is, e.g. asking questions, answering questions, observing, collaborating on the set task

Bear in mind that group discussions can take place in English or in the learners' first language(s). Think about what they should get from the discussion and decide which language or languages the learners should use.

Encourage other members of the group to include EAL learners who may need support to take part in a discussion or activity. Make sure the EAL learner has a role in the discussion. Speaking frames can be useful to scaffold the language used, e.g. in the Charles Dickens barrier game cards with sentence starters on are provided to support learners who are at the New to English, Early Acquisition or Developing Competence levels.

For a range of free teaching resources that promote collaborative activities see the Collaborative Learning Project website.

Top tip: Ensure the tasks are sufficiently challenging and will provide a genuine need for discussion, problem-solving and working together.

Why are collaborative activities a Great Idea for EAL learners?

Collaborative activities are great for EAL learners because they encourage speaking and listening, and particularly exploratory talk as defined by Douglas Barnes. The idea that exploratory talk is really important for language development was adopted by socio-cultural researchers like Neil Mercer and Gordon Wells and also links to Michael Halliday's theories on the importance of interaction and the negotiation of meaning to language development.

Working with a partner or in a small group allows learners to feel more confident, and the language is being used for a meaningful purpose rather than out of context, as recommended by Swain and Lapkin (1995). Gardner (2012) argues that collaborative learning is a feature of inclusive classrooms, and the benefits of group work are also supported by Cordon (2000). Kotler et al (2001) and Wong Fillmore and Snow (2005) also highlight the importance of social interaction and active participation in language acquisition.

References

Cordon, R., 2000, Literacy and learning through talk: strategies for the primary classroom, Buckingham: Open University Press.

Gardner, P., 2012, Strategies and Resources for Teaching and Learning in Inclusive Classrooms (2nd edition), Oxford: Routledge.

Kotler, A., Wegerif, R. and Le Voi, M. 2001, Oracy and the educational achievement of pupils with English as an additional language: the impact of bringing 'Talking Partners' into Bradford schools, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 4 (6), 403-419.

Swain, M. and Lapkin, S., 1995, Problems in output and the cognitive processes they generate: a step towards second language learning, Applied Linguistics 16 (3), 371-391.

Wong Fillmore, L. and Snow, C., 2005, What teachers need to know about language, Washington DC: Centre for Applied Linguistics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Collaborative Activities - The Bell Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Great Idea: Collaborative Activities Play What are collaborative activities? Collaborative activities are any activities where learners are working co-operatively in pairs or groups. For example: Pair or group discussions Completing shared tasks in a pair or group, e.g. matching, sorting, ranking Activities or games with a competitive element, e.g.