Blended Learning 1

1. Blended Learning 1 Group work

2. Concerns about group work? • Student (or teacher) anxieties? • More time often required for the preparation of instructions • Disengaged students ruin it for more engaged students? • Freeloaders / social loafers / ‘jerks’? • Dominant individuals oppress other group member/s? • Group conflict? • As the group size increases, the skills of co-operation, discussion, collaborative decision making required for a group to function well rise sharply • Teacher may lose touch with ‘where students are at’? • Assessment practices (especially in secondary schools) in conflict with daily learning practices?

3. Two Labels: Teacher-centred v. Student-centred • In the 60's , the terms teacher-centred v student-centred were used to describe different methods of classroom organization. •  At the time, teacher-centred was a perjorative term. It meant the teacher lecturing, with mainly closed questions, as well as setting and directing seatwork done by all students in the same way for the same time. The students were passive receivers and responders. The defining characteristic was that the class operated as a single unit. • We have looked at approaches that are whole class, but more interactive, flexible and reactive. These weaken the value of the labels teacher-centred v. student-centred. I find learning centred v task centred more useful.

4. Looking at group work Some reasons for group work • Management of a difficult class – it removes the teacher as a focus. • The content/domain requires it. • Variety and hence interest. • It is easier to differentiate the curriculum • It is a less threatening environment to promote tentative, hypothetical exploratory talk (PEEL Principle 5) and a less threatening way of both collecting and debating the range of views in the classroom

5. With appropriate training, a range of important social reasons • It encourages students to listen and respond to the views of other students (PEEL Principle6) • With appropriate tasks students can have a greater level of independence, decision making, flexibility and control.

6. Benefits of group work • Building communities within communities • In one setting at least (their classroom), students see and experience democratic, inclusive cultures • Shared intellectual control • Enhanced motivation • Enhanced social skills and knowledge • Teacher is ‘freed’ to work with specific groups or individuals as required

7. Some good group behaviours DiscussionDisagreementDecision making

8. What are characteristics of tasks are suited to good team/group behaviours? • Tasks that cannot be done by one student. All must be able to contribute. • Tasks that cannot be split into several small tasks which need little re-synthesis. • Tasks that require decision making, problem solving and brainstorming work particularly well for group work.

9. What are characteristics of tasks are suited to good team/group behaviours? • Tasks that can be done successfully in more than one way and with greater or lesser degrees of sophistication and creativity • Tasks where students must listen to and/or build on/use each other’s ideas or contributions.

10. Group work can be a divisive issue in staff rooms –my position • It is not a panacea and there are many situations where is probably not the best approach to use –the Content is an important factor here • It is not the only way of building a “student centred classroom” • There are good reasons for making regular use of it: --it broadens the types of tasks and challenges you can set -many students work better in a group environment -it builds some important social skills -it is a way of defusing management problems