Management of Group Work as a Classroom Activity

Abstract

Students appreciate group work as a means of learning and several studies also suggest that students who work together in groups have better learning outcomes. Nevertheless, teachers still seem reluctant to use group work as a pedagogical tool in the classroom.The main focus of this qualitative study is to address group work as a classroom activity from the teachers' perspectives, and more specifically to ascertain why teachers are reluctant to use group work as a mode of working in education.Data were collected by means of focus group interviews with teachers from three different schools, and the analysis was carried out using grounded theory.The uniqueness of this study is that the results show that teachers' presumptions, together with their mode of procedure and their negligible reflections regarding subject knowledge as a learning outcome when using group work, have a decisive influence on their willingness to use group work.

Group Work Management in the Classroom

“…The data this text draws upon originates from an extensive study intended to develop knowledge of teachers' experiences with group work as a pedagogical mode in educational settings (Hammar Chiriac & Forslund Frykedal, 2011). Data collection was accomplished by means of three focus groups with a total of 11 teachers who educated students ages 11-16 years.…”

“…In a previous article (Hammar Chiriac & Forslund Frykedal, 2011) we have shown that the concepts of leadership and teachership introduced by Granström (2007) could be beneficial to but are not sufficient for a profound understanding of group work management in the classroom. By employing symbolic interactionism (SI) as a complementary theoretical perspective (Blumer, 1969;Charon, 2006) it was possible to discover how teachers' takenfor-granted unreflective ideas affect their acts.…”

“…Many teachers argue that they have tried and abandoned group work as a mode of working in the classroom because of previous negative experiences, or simply because, in their own words, "It doesn't work." According to these teachers, students fail to take responsibility for learning, or do not learn enough when working in groups (Gillies & Boyle, 2010;Granström, 2007;Hammar Chiriac & Forslund Frykedal, 2011). Some teachers are unable or unwilling to delegate responsibility and allow students to solve problems for themselves.…”

“…Even though group work is not the only available method for learning, this article chooses to bring attention to the managing roles of teachers when using this particular pedagogical mode in their work. (For a more in-depth discussion of group work as a pedagogical practice, see Granström, 2006;Hammar Chiriac, 2010;Hammar Chiriac & Forslund Frykedal, 2011. ) …”

Task Influences on Students’ Collaboration in Mathematics Teaching

“…In a recently completed study, teachers clearly demonstrated that they primarily expect the students to develop the ability to collaborate, and thereby use group work as an object, and not principally to acquire subject knowledge, during group work (Hammar Chiriac & Forslund Frykedal, 2011). …”