Small Groups

I am sure that most, if not all teaches have tried using small groups in their classes.  Small groups are a great idea for students to connect and discuss text or writing assignments. They can share ideas and ask questions. Unfortunately, small group work can also be distracting.  Students can sit in groups discussing everything  but the work they are assigned to do.  With the right guidance group work can be beneficial to individual students and the teacher.  From the book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she lists the following reasons for having students do group work.
Discussion...stimulates higher levels of thinking,
develops social skills,
develops listening skills,
encourages articulation of thinking,
honors all learners,
holds kids accountable,
helps students remember,
allows students to make connections,
allows others to see different perspectives, and promotes deeper understanding. 

To help student stay on task, and for them to know you are paying attention to what they are doing, it helps to have a rubric or group observation form,  to record their individual participation.  While they are in groups, walk around and let the class see that you are listening and will grade the group project, but that individual work  and participation is also being graded.  The rubric helps the teacher to assess and be involved, without being overbearing to each group. 

Before establishing group work, establish guidelines for group work. Have students set their own goals while working in groups.  Some students may voice that they don't want to work with the kids who are lazy, who have not read the text, who are not prepared, or who talk the entire time.  After hearing their concerns for group work, come up with solutions. For instance, the kid who usually talks the entire time is the one who has to record everything, the one who hasn't read the material goes to sit in the corner and read for five minutes, or for the kid who doesn't talk or contribute each kid has to respond a certain number of times.  Having some guidelines will keep students on track and they will know what is expected of them each time they are in groups. 

In chapter 7 of this book, I thought Tovani did a good job in setting guideline for group work. I like her take on curriculum.  "Curriculum is often thought of as a set of specific knowledge, skills or books to be covered. I propose instead that we think of curriculum as a set of important conversations that we want students to engage in."