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Cooperative Learning in the classroom: How to do it

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A true cooperative learning experience requires that a number of criteria be met.

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Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

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The idea for sharing this post came from a session I recently conducted at the annual teaching conference organized by my university. A pedagogical conundrum was raised by a colleague whose enthusiasm and question stayed with me and inspired me to write this post. The question posed by this colleague is relevant to all instructors who have ever used group work to assess their students: How should one deal with the issues that arise when members of a group are not picking up their share of the responsibilities during a group work project?

The benefits of group work are well recognized (e.g., http://goo.gl/N8kqhy), as are the reasons students don't like working in groups (Taylor, 2011). We have all had groups that operated magically, when group members brought out each other's strengths and helped each member shine; but we have also had groups that failed miserably when members did not get along or did not pull equal weight in completing a group project.

Although much has been written about group work and its benefits and challenges, as well as variables, features, or components that can contribute to positive learning outcomes (Tomcho, & Foels, 2012), issues of implementation seem to pop up every time instructors get together to talk about their teaching challenges. In this post I focus on the persistent challenge of imbalance when not all group members contribute equally. What follows are a few simple ideas you might wish to consider that have worked well for me during years of trial and error in my teaching, as well as insights from my research.

1. Design a group project in which the students work in phases.

For instance, starting with a project idea, then moving to project development, followed by preliminary project outcomes - and requiring students to "check-in" at each phase before delivering the final project. Not only does this help ensure that the groups won't wait until the final deadline is upon them to work on their project, but it also enables the instructor to touch base with every group and to offer guidance, support, or mediation, if needed, during the process.

2. Develop an element of the project that allows group members to make their own choices.

In my teaching, I usually give students the freedom to choose a topic area that interests them within the scope of the course or that is the most relevant or meaningful to the team members. This decision helps create a sense of ownership and enhances the students' level of engagement, both of which are crucial for working on large group projects, and especially for those requiring students to carry out the work in phases throughout the term (see, for example, Enghag & Niedder, 2007, on the theoretical basis for student ownership of learning).

3. Within a group project, include a component requiring individual students to submit non-onerous individual work.

For example, the project could include a personal reflection piece (e.g., e.g., Huang, 2011a), in which each member individually reflects on the process and product of his or her own portion of the group work. Apart from the pedagogical benefits of learners engaging in individual reflection (Pavlovich, Collins, & Jones, 2009), this task or component will inevitably provide insights about the division-of-labor issue commonly raised by instructors and students alike. Both learners and the instructor can glean a great many insights from those individual reflection pieces, which instructors can take into account when assigning either project or final grades, depending on their individual approach to assessment. This process also enables students to gain greater understanding about what worked well and what could be improved.

One important matter to keep in mind when implementing the reflection component is the need to ensure that we, as instructors, clarify what we mean by "reflection" in order to minimize a potential mismatch between our expectations about reflective learning and our students' understanding of what it entails. What we'd like our students to do is to engage in critical reflection - that is, thinking that involves different levels of reflection, rather than simply restating or describing what they did, or what I have called "non-transformative" reflection.

The goal is to encourage students to move beyond simply recalling what they did either individually or together within the group and instead to reflect on their personal discoveries about their own learning and the process of working collaboratively (i.e., understanding, analyzing, and evaluating the process and the product of their group efforts), and, importantly, to "verbalize" what they would do differently the next time around (i.e., pointing to the future).

This component is an example of what is called "writing/speaking to learn" (Manchón, 2011). For this task, it's important that students not be required to follow any formatting or style guidelines. The reflection should be an informal piece of writing, much like a diary entry, and can be in any modality (e.g., writing, audio recording, video clip) that suits the characteristics or preferences of individual students to allow for their individual expression. For some additional simple guidelines about implementing learner reflection, refer to Huang (2011b).

4. Devote a segment (30 minutes or so) during class before all group projects begin to implement two important steps.

Step 1: Get to know each other. The first 10 minutes can be a period for all students to find and meet with the group members they have either been assigned or have self-selected. They should then spend some time exploring each other's communication styles, which may arise from personal or culture-related differences (Lewis, 2006), to help them better anticipate different communication preferences and approaches to group work. This time can be spent sharing responses to guiding questions or statements, such as "I would describe my communication style/personality as ...," "I tend/prefer to deal with conflict by ...," and "I would appreciate my team members doing/not doing ...." (Huang, 2014). Guiding questions are especially helpful for groups that are culturally and linguistically diverse.

Step 2: Establish group norms. During the next 20 minutes, encourage each group to negotiate its own group norms (derived from Step 1) and ground rules. During this time, members of each team should elucidate, negotiate, and establish roles, responsibilities, and expectations. This process makes explicit the specific contributions and ownership of responsibilities that each team member negotiates and agrees to.

Below is a sample checklist that instructors can modify and use to facilitate this process and help prepare each group project to succeed (Huang, 2014). You can revise the items to suit a project or provide the list as an example for each group to use in creating its own list. The list can also be revisited during each check-point mentioned earlier and adjustments made as needed. Upon completion of the project, instructors can request the checklist(s) to be submitted (but not graded), along with other deliverables that are due.

5. Prepare students to expect the unexpected.

Rather than directing their every concern to you, students should be encouraged to become problem solvers not only by identifying problems, but also by developing solutions and choosing and evaluating the best ones so as to balance personal learning with the group's project goals. At the same time, you'll want to create and maintain a culture of openness that lets your students know you are readily available to provide guidance when groups reach an impasse.

In any group work situation, it is always possible that compatibility issues will arise between or among team members, as well as conflicts or problems with unequal distribution of work. The pre-group-project considerations described above, however, can easily be implemented to help minimize the likelihood that conflicts will develop that could negatively affect learning and outcomes. They may also help instructors and students in dealing with the specific common challenge of students who are not pulling their own weight in group collaborations, while maximizing the benefits of a group project not only in terms of content, but more, if not most, importantly, in learning how to work with others - a valuable life lesson that's best learned through experience.

References:
Enghag, M., & Niedderer, H. (2008). Two dimensions of student ownership of learning during small-group work in physics. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 6(4), 629-653.

Huang, L.-S. (2011a). Language learners as language researchers: The acquisition of English grammar through a corpus-aided discovery learning approach mediated by intra and interpersonal dialogues. In J. Newman, S. Rice, & H. Baayen (Eds.), Corpus-based studies in language documentation, use, and learning (pp. 91-122). Amsterdam: Rodopi Press.

Huang, L.-S. (2011b, Fall). Key concepts and theories in TESL: Learner reflection. TEAL News: The Association of B.C. Teachers of English as an Additional Language, pp. 9-13.

Huang, L.-S. (2014). Lessons learned from team-facilitation in ELT: Strategies for navigating the challenges and making it work. IATEFL ES(O)L Newsletter, pp. 13-17.

Lewis, R. D. (2006). When cultures collide: Leading across cultures (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Manchón, R. M. (Ed.). (2011). Learning-to-write and writing-to-learn in an additional language. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Pavlovich, K., Collins, E., Jones, G. (2009). Developing students' skills in reflective practice: Design and assessment. Journal of Management Education, 33(1), 37-58.

Taylor, A. (2011). Top 10 reasons students dislike working in groups...and why I do it anyway. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 39(2), 219-220.

Tomcho, T. J., & Foels, R. (2012). Meta-analysis of group learning activities: Empirically based teaching recommendations. Teaching of Psychology, 39(3), 159-169.
Dr. Li-Shih Huang, Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of Linguistics, Learning and Teaching Scholar-in-Residence, Learning and Teaching Centre, University of Victoria, BC, Canada.

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Students Riding on Coattails during Group Work? Five Simple Ideas to Try

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How should faculty deal with the issues that arise when some students ride on the coattails of others during a group work project?

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written by: Amanda Smith * edited by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch * updated: 7/12/2012

Accountability is one of the most important concepts to teach a child. Teaching students how to respect one another and work together as a team will help them succeed throughout their academic and working career. Here are seven steps to help create an accountability system in the classroom.

1. Redefine Group Work

Almost all students have had some experience working in groups. They have most likely worked in groups to complete large projects or worked with partners to complete smaller assignments. As the first step in creating a classroom accountability system, it is important to educate your students about what it really means to work in groups. Teach them how working with others holds them accountable. It is also a good idea to set up standards for group work in your classroom. Encourage students to hold each other accountable by limiting the amount of teacher facilitation. This will help students find ways to solve problems on their own and support one another during the process.

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7 Easy Steps for Creating a Classroom Accountability System

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Check out these seven easy steps to teach your students how to be accountable in the classroom. This is essential in helping students grow and succeed in their future endeavors. It is also a great way to create trust and team building in your classroom and may even cut down on bullying.

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Accountability in the workplace means that all employees are responsible for their actions, behaviors, performance and decisions. It's also linked to an increase in commitment to work and employee morale, which leads to higher performance. However, accountability is lacking in many workplaces.

Accountability in the workplace

Accountability is about ownership and initiative. This means that when an employee says they will do something, they follow through and get it done. It's recognizing that other team members are dependant on the results of your work. It's about open, proactive communication to keep team members informed of the status of your commitments because it has a direct impact on their ability to achieve their own commitments.

Taking ownership at work is about taking initiative and doing the right thing for the business. It's about taking responsibility for results and not assuming it's someone else's responsibility. It's the opposite of passing the buck.

Ultimately, when team members consistently demonstrate ownership and accountability, trust is formed. You trust someone will do the right thing and trust that they'll do what they said they'd do. Trust is the backbone of high-performing teams.

What happens when there's no accountability?
It damages the team.
When people are not accountable, one person's delay becomes the team's delay. One shortfall snowballs into bigger shortfalls. Tolerating missed deadlines, lack of punctuality, and unfinished work have the tendency to make this behavior "no big deal." People learn that the real deadline is a week from the published one; that consistently being 10 minutes late for a meeting is the norm; that sub-par work is acceptable. Your team suffers, and ultimately your workplace culture suffers. too.

Having a member of the team that isn't meeting their commitments and isn't being held accountable causes frustration and disengagement with the rest of the team.

According to Partners In Leadership, a lack of accountability in the workplace leads to:

Low team morale

Unclear priorities across the team

Employees become less engaged

The team or individual is not meeting goals

Low levels of trust

High turnover

How to make accountability a core part of your culture and a core value of your team

The two biggest reasons that we resist holding others accountable are because we're uncomfortable doing it and because we forget to do it. Here's how to tackle these issues.

1. Lead by example and hold yourself accountable first

As a manager, you're the pacesetter of tone, performance, and culture for your team. People will follow your lead. If you're continuously showing up to meetings late, pushing deadlines, and not owning up to your mistakes, the team will follow suit.

So how do you demonstrate your own accountability in the workplace?

Complete tasks that have been assigned to you by the timeline you agreed on.

Be responsible for the success of your team and make the effort to support your team when needed.

When you schedule meetings, respect everyone else's time by showing up prepared and on time (and expect that others do too).

2. Work on your feedback skills

Giving tough feedback isn't easy, but you can get better at it. One of the most important things you do as a manager is to provide feedback. In fact, a global survey conducted by Deloitte found that learning and development is a top priority for both Millennials and Gen Z, coming in third after fair pay and opportunities for advancement. So, even negative feedback is better than no feedback at all. When you regularly give feedback (including positive feedback), it makes tough feedback much easier to give and receive. It also reduces the chance of your direct report being surprised by the feedback they're receiving, leading to further disengagement.

This is such an important topic, we've dedicated a whole post to giving good feedback to employees. At its heart, good feedback comes from a place of genuinely wanting to help someone grow. You need to "give a damn". The second part of it is to be clear and direct. Feedback should not be ambiguous.

3. Recognize that procrastinating feedback only makes things worse

As uncomfortable as it is, when we procrastinate providing feedback, we only make matters worse. Issues very rarely resolve themselves and just turn into bigger issues. Eventually, you have to deal with it. It's easier to deal with the issue as soon as possible for you, for the person you're providing the feedback to and for the rest of the team. Remind yourself of this often.

4. Make accountability a habit

Setting up a reminder to give (and solicit) feedback as part of each meeting agenda will help ensure that feedback flows consistently. We believe one-on-ones and team meetings are great opportunities to build a habit around accountability.

Here are a few of the questions that managers using Hypercontext add to their one-on-ones to make accountability a habit:

Is there anything we should START doing as a team?

Would you like more or less direction from me on your work?

Do you feel you're getting enough feedback on your work? If not, where would you like more feedback?

Is there an aspect of your job where you would like more help or coaching?

How could we improve the ways our team works together?

For more questions you can ask, check out these 121 one-on-one questions that managers and employees can add to their one-on-one agenda.

5. Keep track of your commitments and hold each other accountable

If you make a promise to provide more feedback to your direct reports, make sure you add that as a future agenda item to hold yourself accountable. If your employee commits to providing a work back schedule for a project by such and such a date, make sure you have a way to check-in on that day.

One easy way to foster a culture of accountability - or, if the damage has already been done, address a lack of accountability - is to make sure you're assigning action items during meetings. This is a perfect way to hold each and every member of your team accountable for their actions. In Hypercontext, for example, our Next Steps feature allows you to assign action items to team members, complete with deadlines, right in each meeting agenda item. You can't close the agenda item until all the next steps are complete, so the team has a clear picture of what's being done - and who needs to be held accountable for tasks that have been missed.

Next Steps in Hypercontext

Making these tips a part of your day-to-day takes time, but it's worth it when it comes to building a culture of accountability for your team. (And Hypercontext can help!)

6. Use an accountability framework

When there's a lack of clarity around who's responsible for what, it makes accountability all the much harder on a team. In fact, a Gallup study found that only 50% of employees strongly indicate that they know what's expected of them at work. That's a big miss for those leading these employees.

Luckily, accountability frameworks like the RACI matrix can help with this problem. Also known as a RACI chart, this accountability framework ensures that all individuals involved with a project are assigned a role every step of the way. These roles are broken out into four levels of accountability:

Responsible: Those who are responsible for completing the task at hand.

Accountable: Those who are ultimately accountable for the completion of the task or deliverable. This individual is also responsible for delegating the work to those who are responsible for completing it.

Consulted: These individuals are typically the subject-matter experts on the task at hand. They are involved in the specific stage of the project in a consulting and advisory capacity.

Informed: These are the individuals who are kept up-to-date on progress at each stage of the project. This is usually done in the form of one-way communication.

Here's an example of what the RACI matrix would look like for an engineering team:

Download the RACI chart template here

Wrapping up

All in all, fostering a culture of accountability on your team will not only improve employee morale and productivity, but it will also give your team the autonomy and sense of ownership they need to truly thrive. If you feel accountability is lacking on your team, it's time to make some changes!

Build a culture of accountability on your team with Hypercontext

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How to make accountability a core part of your workplace culture

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Accountability in the workplace means that all employees are responsible for their actions, behaviors, performance and decisions. It's also linked to an increase in commitment to work and employee morale, which leads to higher performance. However, accountability is lacking in many workplaces. Accountability is about ownership and initiative.

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Digital story about sharing in the classroom. Made for Social Studies Methods class Spring 2013.

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Classroom Responsibilities: Management in the Active Classroom

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From online teaching resources to in-room consultations, the Center for Teaching and Learning supports instructors by helping them take their teaching to the next level.