Practical Insights on the Pedagogy of Group Work

The topic group work carries over from the last column, which focused on classroom management strategies for large writing classes. Unlike the material presented there, which addressed logistical concerns, group work follows a specified pedagogical framework from which certain logistical matters follow. Due to its complexity, the topic receives singular attention here, and while a good portion of this piece focuses on the writing classroom, the material presented is applicable to all disciplines and skill areas.

Given the blend of pedagogy and logistics, group work encompasses complexities for implementation that straightforward classroom management strategies do not. Common questions capture the nature of this complexity. These focus on a range of elements-group size, forming groups, getting groups started and monitoring their work, handling problems with participation or groups going offtopic, accounting for group work in course grades, and the frequency of group meetings. Additional concerns include the role of faculty and reduced time for direct instruction.

These areas of concern point to issues about implementation rather than weak points or limitations in the pedagogy itself. Consistently, in both research and practice, we learn the benefits of having students learn through one another. The advantages reach to skills and personal development, acquisition of content, orientation to diversity, and other plusses that capture the true essence of the education of individuals.

A belief about the benefits of group work does not make incorporating it in the classroom automatic or easy, though. The aforementioned questions manifest the dynamics of group work that faculty members themselves must organize when preparing to get group work underway. Challenging their efforts is the reality of the classroom experience. Group work will vary from class to class in relation to the student body, the setting, and resulting dynamics. Accordingly, incorporating group work in class is best understood through multiple examples and models. This column opens the topic for readers' reflection by presenting illustrations in two settings: (1) a literature course in which the development of critical thinking skills is emphasized and (2) a first-year composition course delivered in formats for both atlevel and developmental students. The former describes a two-step methodology for introducing group work and stresses the link between group work and instruction; the latter describes an instructor's work to make group activity an integral part of the course for an entire semester.

Group Work in Two Different Settings

Dr. Mia Zamora provides an orientation to the topic by describing group work in her literature class.

In the literature classroom, I often utilize organized group work as a productive means to foster the development of my student's critical thinking skills. It is particularly effective in courses with non-English majors, such as the General Education core literature course I teach. Since I engage a "captive" audience in this required course, I have particular goals in mind regarding student outcomes.

Fundamentally, I strive for each student to become a more critical thinker. As both critical thinking skills and close reading skills are the foundations of any good education, they are not only a necessary key to analyzing literature and fiction, but the cornerstones of all analytical thinking as well. I often stress to my students that non-critical readers limit their knowledge by memorizing statements within a text. A non-critical reader reads for information. In contrast, a critical reader reads for something beyond information-a critical reader reads to understand, to capture meaning. My students seem to grasp this elusive yet crucial distinction regarding knowledge by the end of our course together. They understand that critical readers/thinkers come to discern textual meaning by understanding a text's tone and persuasive elements, apprehending the subtly of language, and actively engaging interpretative possibilities. In class, students are taught to engage literature beyond plot summary and paraphrasing, and their group work plays a key role in how they learn to think and read analytically.

With the above overall goal in mind, I have developed a two-step method in guiding a class reading of any literary text. My first pedagogical move is a contextual presentation of the literature. This portion of my overall lesson (which usually takes one to two class periods) is professor driven. At the outset, it is crucial to situate each choice of literary text. An explanation of how a certain reading fits into the design of the overall course, and a presentation of the text's connection to the history of ideas explored in the course, is an important "stage" to set. As I draw a context for understanding each text, I review literary aspects of our reading as well as biographical information on the author. This is the "information" necessary for students as they begin to engage with the literature more closely. The second phase of our overall class reading effort is the close reading exercises, which are organized around student group work (at least two class periods are devoted to this work).