Group work as one of tecniques to improve your lessons

Shenderuk O.B., Perminova V.A.

Chernigiv State Institute of Economics and Management

In many of the lessons plans group work plays a central role in the learning process. Before explaining how to form groups, let us examine the questions What is group work and Why use it? Group work. As given in its name, is basically a small number of students working toward a final product together. There are two main features of group work that emphasise its value as a learning tool. The first key feature of group work is delegating authority.

Delegating authority in an instructional task is making students responsible for specific parts of their work; students are free to accomplish their task in the way they think best, but they are accountable to the teacher for the final product. Delegating authority does not mean the learning process is uncontrolled; the teacher maintains control through evaluation of the final product.

The second feature of group work is that members need each other to some degree to complete the task; they cannot do it all by themselves. Students take over some of the teaching function by suggesting what other people should do, by listening to what other people are saying, and by deciding how to get the job done within the time and resource limitations set by the instructor. This may include asking questions, explaining, disagreeing, or making joint decisions. Interaction may also be nonverbal, such as pointing, showing, nodding, frowning, or smiling.

There are several reasons why a teacher should use group work in the classroom. First, it is an excellent technique for conceptual learning, creative problem solving and it improves students oral language skills. Next, relations within a group improve through increasing trust and friendliness. Furthermore, it helps in keeping students involved in their work and managing instructions for students with range of academic skills.

Group work is an excellent technique for conceptual learning, creative problem solving.

There are different ways to set up classroom groups. Here is our suggestion. As stated in the lesson plans, we suggest forming new groups at the beginning of each quarter. Keeping a group together for an entire quarter is useful for several reasons. First, transition time is cut down because students know exactly where to go when you say “groups”. Second, students learn to work in a group over a period of time. Trust is built plus they learn about each other’s strengths and how those can be used to help the group. This leads to a feeling of security and comfort in the classroom. As a result students are more willing to take risks. Of course, students might complain that they do not like the people in their group. However, learning to work with teammates one does not like is an important social/professional skill because we do not always work with people we like. Within each group try to include at least one higher level student, 2-3 middle-level students and one lower ability student. The higher ability students can help the weaker students. Group work is to the benefit of both strong and weak students. By explaining the rules/grammar/ideas to others, the higher ability student further deepens his/her knowledge of English. The other students will probably ask more questions than they would have the teacher, so they also learn more. To make sure that the higher ability student does not do all of the work, you can be changed daily or weekly. The possible roles are as follows:

Facilitator: This person keeps the conversation going and involves the group in the activity. The facilitator should not speak than the others.

Harmoniser: This person gives a positive feedback on different ideas. He/she keeps the group from arguing too mush. Some useful phrases are: Good idea. I like that. Right! We are doing a great job!

Secretary: This person takes notes for the group, writes down information that is needed etc.

Reporter: This person reports to the class about what his/her group did.

Materials person: This person is responsible for providing his teammates with necessary materials/books/etc, and returning them at the end of the lesson.

You may want to make badges for every member of the group so that they know who is who and also as you walk around the room, you can make sure the students are performing their roles.

Remember that group work requires practice. Everything may not go smoothly the first few times you try it. Do not give up. Learn from the mistakes and try again. Also you should realize that when students are working in groups, they talk and can make a noise. Remind students to speak softly, yet through speaking English they will master the language sooner.