Collaboration is a huge part of my English/Language Arts block. Not only does it help break the monotony of independent work or direct instruction, but, in my opinion, is a time when students have to potential to learn the most. Students with different experiences, different strengths and weaknesses can come together and share their thoughts in order to reach a common goal. In theory, this sounds great! In reality, it can be terrifying!
What if they get off topic? What if chaos ensues? What if they have nothing to say to each other?
All of these are genuine questions and feelings regarding group work, which is why it is crucial to have clear cut expectations and procedures for the different strategies you may use in your class.
This post will be broken into two: first, general group work expectations and second, an explanation of the types of collaborative strategies I use in my classroom.
General Group Work Expectations
*NOTE: These expectations are practiced… literally. I shall explain further down!
1.Seating: Be sure to have students seated in a way that is conducive for collaboration. This doesn’t have to be in groups, per say, but it needs to be clear who is working with whom so students can quickly transition.
- Four desk pods
- Triads
- Partners facing front
- Traditional rows (If using rows, consider using a small colored dot sticker on the corner of desks to show which desks should go together for quick grouping!) Try these —> affiliate link!
2. Directions: Clear directions everywhere! We need students to understand what they should be doing for the assignment, but let’s be real. Sometimes students aren’t listening, sometimes the projector is broken, etc.
Directions need to be SAID by the teacher, WRITTEN on the board or screen, and HANDED to the students via hard or virtual copy. And no, don’t stop there!
The very first thing my groups do is review the directions. One students starts reading or summarizing the task, and they rotate to each person. Each person says one direction out loud to ensure everyone in the group knows the assignment’s expectations.
3. Roles: In the younger grades, I know many teachers assign roles, but in the middle school, I haven’t found a role system that I felt matched my style. I still feel students need focus, though, so in the beginning of the year, I assign different students as Group Leaders. Group Leaders change with each activity. The Group Leader’s job is simply to make sure everyone is on task. Find the answers to questions. Ensure all aspects of the assignment is completed. Using a Group Leader has helped with making sure tasks are fully complete and also helped end student disputes!
4. Accountable Talk: My experience with middle schoolers has shown me that majority of students don’t know how to communicate when doing group work. It’s something that needs to be explicitly taught, critiqued, and reviewed. I have posters that I use, and handouts for each table as reminders to use these techniques. We discuss the following:
- Body language
- Active listening
- Eye contact
- Respond with a brief summary of previous comment (ex. “When you said xyz, I thought…”)
- Taking turns
Check out my SLANT poster freebie here! I review the SLANT terms with students and hold them accountable for using these techniques during all group work! The Accountable Talk Stems, shown below, are laminated and given to each student to use as a reminder of the dialogue expected during group work!
5. Work Output: This one may be controversial, but it works for me. My biggest pet peeve is when I see one or two students in a group working hard and the others in the group copying their answers. That is not collaboration. That is cheating. Therefore, I have a rule in my class when it comes to group work: Everyone writes the same thing at the same time. Students are not permitted to move on without the whole group. They must have a dialogue about what is being written as it’s being writing. I’ve found that this rule helps keep the students in the group on track and on the same page!
Practicing Group Work
Like many of you, I have a Group Work Expectations poster in my room. I went over it the first week of school, but if that was the last time I referred to it, group work would never have been effective. Instead, the poster is a talking point. Let me walk you through how I do this.
First, I review the entire poster aloud. Then, each day, we practice ONE of the items on the list. I explain exactly what I am looking for when it comes to that rule. I model it to the class. Then, as they break into group work, I set a timer, get my clipboard, and walk the room. (get my fav timer here —> affiliate link!) While walking around the room, I take notes of things I’m observing that need to be improved and I mention positives aloud.
“I love how this group is XYZ!”- “I see STUDENT is using his accountable talk stems, excellent!” – “I love the eye contact from this group”
I literally walk and praise the students as I’m reviewing them. As I do this, naturally, the students in the class focus their own behaviors to those I am praising.
As the weeks go on, we gradually add in a different Expectation from the poster to use as our focus. We keep adding in more speaking and listening skills until eventually, group work is run efficiently and effectively!
It takes time. It takes commitment; however, scaffolding group work expectations starting in September leads to stronger collaboration and more learning as an outcome!
Hope these tips help you make group work more productive in your classroom! Stay tuned for some of my favorite Collaborative Strategies!
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