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3 Strategies for Keeping Students Accountable 

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3 Strategies for Keeping Students Accountable 

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Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

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I often get questions about group work. Recently, the question was phrased like this: "Can students learn anything in groups?" And, like faculty sometimes do, this questioner proceeded with the answer. "I don't think my students can. When they work in groups they have no interest in doing quality work. Whatever the first person says, they all agree with that and relax into a social conversation."

Standing opposite the experience of faculty members like this one is an accumulation of research that strongly supports students learning from and with each other in groups. There's research and analyses of group learning now reported in virtually every discipline. Here are five things students can learn in groups, all well-established by a wide range of empirical analyses.

1. They can learn content, as in master the material. Whether they are working on problems, answering questions about the reading, or discussing case studies, when students work together on content, they can master the basics. The reason they learn is pretty straightforward, when students work with content in a group they are figuring things out for themselves rather than having the teacher tell them what they need to know.

2. They can learn content at those deeper levels we equate with understanding. I just highlighted an article for the April issue of The Teaching Professor newsletter which reported that the explanations students wrote to justify a chosen answer were stronger after just seven minutes of discussion with two or three students. When students are trying to explain things to each other, to argue for an answer, or to justify a conclusion, that interaction clarifies their own thinking and often it clarifies the thinking of other students.

3. They can learn how groups function productively. In order for groups to function productively, students must fulfill individual responsibilities. Productive group members come prepared, they contribute to the group interaction, they support each other, and they deliver good work on time. In order for individuals to function productively in groups, they have the right to expect the group to value their individual contributions, to address behaviors that compromise group productivity, and to divide the work equitably among members.

4. They can learn why groups make better decisions than individuals. Students can see how different perspectives, constructive deliberation, questioning, and critical analysis can result in better solutions and performance. If students take an exam individually and then do the same exam as a group, the group exam score is almost always higher because students share what they know, debate the answers, and through that process can often find their way to the right answer.

5. They can learn how to work with others. Group work helps students learn how to work with people outside their circle of friends, including those who have different backgrounds and experiences. They can even learn how to work with those who disagree with them, and others they might not "like" or want as friends.

Now, it is absolutely true that students don't learn any of these things just by being put together in groups. Student attitudes about group work are often negative and that's because they've been in lots of groups where they didn't learn anything other than the fact they don't like working in groups. Much of the group work used in college classrooms is not well designed or well managed. But when group work is carefully constructed and when teachers help students deal with those group dynamic issues that compromise group effectiveness, students can learn the content and the skills listed above.

It would also be nice to be able to end this post with a reference of a comprehensive review of research on group work. I don't think that piece exists. Research that documents that students can learn these five things is so scattered across the disciplinary landscape that finding it all and then devising some way to quantitatively compare the results is all but impossible. But just because the findings aren't organized or integrated does not diminish what has been documented time and again in study after study. Students can learn from and with each other in groups.

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Five Things Students Can Learn through Group Work

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I often get questions about group work. Recently, the question was phrased like this: "Can students learn anything in groups?" And, like faculty sometimes do, this questioner proceeded with the answer. "I don't think my students can. When they work in groups they have no interest in doing quality work.

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It's frustrating.

You spend your entire prep-hour strategically placing students into groups. You teach, model, and role-play what you want them to do. You assign roles, provide clear objectives, and confirm their understanding of your expectations.

You give them all the support you know how to give, setting them up for easy success-a slam dunk on an 8-foot rim. All they have to do is follow your clear and simple guidelines and they'll succeed.

But once they start working, you realize that it isn't going to be so easy. Sure, they may be getting along okay, but it's taking them forever to warm up to each other, to get into substantive discussion, and to make even the most basic decisions.

Some students don't say a word. Others lean in, perhaps, but feel too unsure around their group mates to assert themselves. Still others are too assertive and end up doing most of the heavy lifting.

Your leaders try their best to get everyone involved, but it's a tough task. They look at you with eyes that say, "What more can I do?" So you find yourself jumping in, taking over, and making decisions for them -defeating the whole purpose of group learning.

There is an easy solution, though, that also happens to be a lot of fun. It's called the decision game, and in mere minutes it will accelerate your students' ability to work together to a level that otherwise could take weeks.

Here's how it works:
Number each group.
Assign each group a number and write these numbers in separate columns on your whiteboard. You'll keep score of the game by tallying points below each column.
Encourage your students to lean in.
The object of the game is for each group to quickly come to a unanimous decision. Because of the urgency involved, encourage your students to lean in-even if it means placing a knee or two on their chair.
Provide a decision topic.
After asking for attention, give your students a simple topic of interest to them for which to make a group decision-like, for example, their favorite amusement park or favorite subject in school. There is no need to write it on the board. Just call it out.
"Your favorite flavor of ice cream!"Allow ten seconds to make a decision.
Each group will then agree on one answer that represents the entire group. Whether each individual actually likes chocolate chip ice cream or Six Flags is irrelevant. The idea is to come to a consensus. The challenge is that they only have ten seconds to do it.
Give your "times up."
After ten seconds or so, depending on your grade level, call "times up!" If any group continues to talk, subtract one point from their column. The game is fast and fun and losing points is part of it. No big deal.
Call each group.
One by one call each group number. Say, "Group one?" Then allow that group to respond aloud and in unison with their answer. In a short time, you and your students will find a rhythm to this part of the game.

Example: "Group one?" "Chocolate!" "Group two?" "Cookies and cream!" "Group three?" "Chocolate chip!"
Assign points.
If every member of a group responds the same, then give that group a score of five. If not, if one student calls out a different answer or no answer, then they get a score of four. If two students call different answers, then give three points, and so on.
Go to the next round.
To be most effective, move the game along quickly. Don't give your students a chance to lament their lost points or consider who may have made a mistake during the previous round. Call out your next topic as fast as you're able. "Funniest movie!"
Model how to play.
Although it's critical to teach and model the game thoroughly before playing, it will take actual play before you and your students get the hang of it. After a few practice rounds, though, you'll pick it up quickly.
Add challenge and creativity.
One way to make the game more challenging, especially for older students, is to assign greater points for more creative answers-which can be based on your judgment or on whether any other group provides the same answer.

So if they want to agree that their favorite soft drink is beet juice, they can-and should be rewarded for their creativity.
Let the winning team celebrate.
After playing the game for ten minutes or so, tally up the points and declare a winner. You can call them up to the front to take a bow, dance, or high five each other. Give them their brief moment in the sun, then erase the points and move on with your day.
Why It Works
The decision game works because its speed and urgency forces students to count on each other-in equal measure. And because it's fun and furious, and the engaging topics seize upon their natural desire to voice their opinion, they'll readily set aside their fears and anxieties and dive right in.

You may have students who naturally take on a leadership role, but as long as they're not making decisions for the entire group, it won't diminish the effectiveness of the game. Your class will still grasp that the betterment of the group comes before any individual preference.

You can use the game as a warm up before beginning academic group work or as a stand-alone exercise. Either way, once your students get down to business collaborating on a science project or sharing their thoughts in literature circle groups, you'll be thrilled with how much better they work together.

Although there is always the need to thoroughly teach what you expect of your students-i.e., taking turns, compromise, active participation of every member-making the jump from knowing what to do to actually doing it can be a challenge.

The decision game is an experiential way to speed up their understanding of how to work together. It turns what can seem like an impossible leap across a rushing river . . .

Into a stroll over a footbridge.

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How To Get Your Students To Work Together - Smart Classroom Management

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It's frustrating. You spend your entire prep-hour strategically placing students into groups. You teach, model, and role-play what you want them to do. You assign roles, provide clear objectives, and confirm their understanding of your expectations. You give them all the support you know how to give, setting them up for easy success-a slam dunk ...

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Implementing Group Work in the Classroom | Centre for Teaching Excellence

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Group work can be an effective method to motivate students, encourage active learning, and develop key critical-thinking, communication, and decision-making sk

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“Real World” Class Jobs: Sharing Responsibility in the Classroom (Virtual Tour)

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Students complete applications and performance reviews to obtain and keep classroom jobs that match their skills and interests.

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NEW WAYS OF WORKING TOGETHER - TEAM SESSION

New Ways of Working work best when you work as a team

Are you about to switch to 'New Ways of Working'? Or has your journey already started and do you see connections within the team deteriorate? Then your team will certainly benefit from our 'New Ways of Working Together' team sessions. We will help you successfully implement 'New Ways of Working' (NWOW); together, you'll define the playing field and its rules to better team results; you will feel more connected as a team, supported by mutual trust and freedom to make your own choices; and as a team, you will discover new ways of working together that will lead you to greater successes, and greater enjoyment.
This session is beneficial for teams if one or more of the following apply:

You and your team are about to start NWOW, but haven't quite figured out how teamwork fits in.

There is a lot of talk about trust and freedom, but they seem hard to come by in reality.

What have participants said about their team session?

"Letting team members create their own practical solutions supported by useful advice, tips and tricks - what a good idea." "How wonderful to think beyond implementing New Ways of Working, and to also look at implementing within a team. After all, it's not an individual effort, it's a team effort." "What a great way to work out goals and increase NWOW engagement." "I was surprised to see the level of enthusiasm when we made these clear, new commitments."

Some background information:

Research shows that when implementing New Ways of Working, difficulties often arise around collaboration and colleague interaction. 76% of employees worry about this.

Lack of personal attention - 49% feel there is too little attention for the personal wellbeing of colleagues.

Difficulties collaborating - 48% fear a deterioration of coordination and cooperation within the team.

Less supportive environment - 37% expects less support from colleagues, because they will be more focused on their own results.

In addition, a large number of NWOW-participants experience an uneven work-life balance, with 24/7 availability resulting in longer hours.

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New Ways of Working Together - Team Training

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NEW WAYS OF WORKING TOGETHER - TEAM SESSION New Ways of Working work best when you work as a team Are you about to switch to 'New Ways of Working'? Or has your journey already started and do you see connections within the team deteriorate?

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Active Learning Classrooms: Sharing responsibility for learning

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Devote a segment of time (30 minutes or so) during class. This lets the students know that they will have enough time to ask questions and receive the help if it is needed.

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Responsibility Song (Learn Responsibility for Kids - Audio)

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Prepare students to expect the unexpected. Instead of 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

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A is for Asking. If you want people to participate, you must ask. The number one reason people cite for not volunteering: "Nobody asked."

B is for Black Hole. People are afraid that if they volunteer, they'll be sucked into a black hole of time commitment from which they can't escape. Let them know up front that your group is not a black hole. Then, make sure you honor their time constraints.

C is for Communication. Use a variety of communication tools to make sure your message gets through. Flyers and e-mails are good for communicating a date and time. Use your newsletter and Web site to let people know about your accomplishments. Invite local media to activities involving kids.

D is for Diversity. Reach out to all parents in your school, not just the ones who are easy to reach. Sponsor multicultural events. Translate parent group materials, if necessary. Organize transportation for those who need it. Your school, your group, and the kids all will benefit tremendously from broad-based parent involvement.

E is for Examine. Look closely at your activities to decide what's working and what isn't. Don't just do something because "that's what we've always done." New ideas can create new excitement for your group.

F is for Fun -don't forget about it! Some special people will dedicate their time and energy to a group because it's the right thing to do. Many, many more will participate if it's fun. Make sure your group has fun. You'll build involvement and fight burnout, too.

G is for Gradual. Introduce parents to participation in the PTO gradually. Parents who participate in family events are the most likely to become volunteers. Those who volunteer occasionally are the most likely to take on more responsibility, such as organizing an event. And those organizers are the most likely to become interested in serving as board members. Moving people from step to step takes the stress out of finding future leaders.

H is for Hour, the length to which you should limit meetings. People worry about time commitments. You have better ways for them to spend their volunteer time than at meetings, so don't hold meetings that go on all night. Use your committees to do the detail work. Limit general meetings to one hour, and limit business to finalizing the work of the committees.

I is for Invitation. The best way to get parents involved is to extend a personal invitation. People are most likely to take part in any group when they know someone who already does. Don't just send flyers home, then wonder why nobody "signed up." Create situations in which you can communicate with people one on one.

J is for Just. Don't use this word to describe your group. You are doing important work. You should know it, and others should, too. So don't think of your organization as "just a PTO." If you do, you'll have a much harder time getting others involved.

K is for Kudos. Awards, compliments, a simple thank-you. Always let people know that you appreciate their help, whether they just organized a smashing fundraiser or spent an hour selling tickets at the carnival.

L is for Leadership. Being a leader means looking beyond today. Does your group have long-term goals? How will you get there? If you want to get parents excited, share your vision and give them something to work toward.

M is for Marketing. Sing the praises of your parent group. Make sure people know what you do. When you donate an item to the school, put a plaque or sticker on it that gives you credit. When you raise money, make sure people know what it was able to buy for their kids. A little basic marketing goes a long way toward building your reputation with parents-and encouraging parent involvement.

N is for New Parents -make a special effort to reach out to them. Parents new to the school need your help. You can provide them with information about the school, teachers, schedules, and more. Reach out to them early-and individually-to give them a positive feeling about the PTO.

O is for Organization. Make sure you have bylaws. Adopt sound financial practices. Obtain an Employer Identification Number from the IRS. Incorporate. Consider applying for tax-exempt status from the IRS. Take your group seriously and others will, too.

P is for Priorities. Make parent involvement, not fundraising, your priority. Run two or three major fundraisers a year. Then concentrate on activities that get parents connected to the school. The kids, teachers and administrators, and the PTO will all benefit.

Q is for Questionnaire. Don't just ask for your volunteers' time; ask for their talents. Use a questionnaire to discover parent interests. You'll find dedicated volunteers more easily if you match skills and talents to the jobs you need done.

R is for Research -share it with parents. Research shows that students with involved parents perform better in school, score better on standardized tests, have fewer behavioral problems, are less likely to use drugs and alcohol, and go to better colleges. Make sure you get the word out!

S is for School Family Nights. These are events that get parents and kids together for a night of fun and, perhaps, learning. These events are parent involvement. They get parents connected to the school more successfully than anything else you do. Don't think of family nights as extras, and don't make them fundraisers. Schedule at least two per semester. For free kits on a variety of family nights, check out PTO Today's School Family Nights.

T is for Training. Don't give anyone, officers or volunteers, a job they're not ready for. Make sure people know what is expected of them and have the resources and knowledge to do the job. If you don't, volunteers won't return.

U is for Unite. Whenever possible, seek to unite diverse groups. Work together with teachers and administrators, parents of varying ethnic and economic groups, people with a variety of views. Make the parent group a source of strength for the school.

V is for Visibility. Be visible at all events. Set up a table at open house, registration, and school activities. Assign a board member to walk around at parent group functions; she should introduce herself and make sure people are having fun. Put a welcoming face on the PTO.

W is for Welcome, the way you should make people feel. Have a greeter at meetings to welcome newcomers and make sure they feel comfortable. Use name tags so people who don't attend often won't feel left out. Make that first experience a positive one, so people will want to come back.

X is for X-factor. The x-factor in building a successful parent group is balance. You can run a good event or fundraiser without it. But to sustain a group over the long term, you must find balance: work and fun, PTO time and personal time, fundraising and involvement events.

Y is for Year. Plan out your activities for the entire year. Use your checkbook to create a budget, so you'll know how much money you need to raise. Balance your activities throughout the year so you won't burn out your volunteers or yourself. Take the pressure off with good planning.

Z is for Zero In -on building parent involvement!
Originally posted in 2004 and updated regularly. School Family Nights® is a trademark of School Family Media®.
The best PTO advice, ideas, and inspiration delivered weekly. Don't miss it!

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26 Ways To Build Involvement - PTO Today

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A is for Asking. If you want people to participate, you must ask. The number one reason people cite for not volunteering: "Nobody asked." B is for Black Hole. People are afraid that if they volunteer, they'll be sucked into a black hole of time commitment from which they can't escape.

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Design a group project in which the students work in phases. For example, starting with a project idea, then moving to project development and requiring students to “check-in” at each phase before delivering the final project. By using this strategy it helps ensure that the groups won’t wait until the final deadline is upon them to work on their project.

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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.

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Group Work in the Classroom: Types of Small Groups | Centre for Teaching Excellence

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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.