GROUP WORK ORGANIZATION

Originally published in “The Teacher’s Magazine”. Year 5, Issue 53. November, 2003.
Ed. EDIBA. ISSN 1514 142X

It has been stated (The Teacher’s Magazine nº 52) that group work activities
are of particular value in the practice of oral fluency and that they have many
advantages that make group work a must in present-day classrooms. Part of
the success of group work will depend on an effective and careful organization.
Group work can go wrong if it is not carefully planned, monitored and followed
up on in some way. If the class is not accustomed to group work, it is better to
select, as a start, short and simple activities with controlled language.

Practical steps to carry out successful group work

1.- Pair work or group work? It depends on the task.

On the whole, it has been pointed out that group work is a term that covers all
techniques in which two or more students are engaged in a collaborative and
linguistically significant task. However, when it comes to deciding how to
arrange students, there are some distinctions that must be considered as a first
step to organizing work.
Pair work is more appropriate for tasks that are short, simple and quite
controlled in terms of structure; it allows students to engage in interactive
communication for a short period of time with a minimum of desk arrangement.
The activities which can be recommended for not more than two students are:
 Practicing dialogues  Checking of written work
 Simple question and answer  Any activity that involves moving
interchanges students and furniture in a small
 Quick brainstorming activities classroom

Typical group work activities are:

 Games  Brainstorming activities in
 Role play and simulations preparation for a longer task
 Drama  Information-gap activities
 Projects  Jigsaw activities
 Interviews

2.- Introducing the activity and setting the goals

It is important to get students involved, engaged and ready. It is motivating to let
students know that something ‘new’ is going to happen and that the activity is
going to be enjoyable or interesting. At this point, teachers should give a
rationale for the activity that students are ready to perform; thus, instead of
doing something just because the teachers says so, they are prepared for an
activity they understand; if teachers think that their students have doubts about
the significance of group work, or that they are reluctant to carry out the activity,
remind them explicitly that this will be an opportunity to practice certain
language forms or functions within the safety of their group, if the problem is
that they are afraid of being exposed in front of the class. It is helpful,
especially with the younger ones, to give the activity a name, making it easier
for students to recall both the activity and the rules the next time the activity is
introduced.
3.- Giving instructions
Once the students are ready for the activity, students will need instructions as to
how to carry it out; instructions at the beginning are very important because the
success of the activity may depend on them: if students do not understand what
they have to do, there will be a lot of time-wasting afterwards. Simple, familiar
activities will not need many guidelines, but new and potentially complex ones
will need more time. To make instructions more effective teachers must:
 Use simple language and short expressions. The language for instructions
should be at a level lower than that which is being taught or practiced; if
possible, teachers must always use the same set of words for the same
instruction and present them in a logical order, that is start from the first
action students must take and continue in a sequence. In monolingual
classes, you may find it cost-effective to explain some or all the instructions
in the students’ mother tongue (Ur; 1999: 234)
 Use visuals or written clues to support instructions, wherever possible.
Students will find the activity easier if they have cards that they may have a
look at while working.
 Demonstrate, show them what they have to do, which is often more effective
than telling what to do. Teachers may choose a strong student to play one
part while the teacher herself plays the other, or the teacher may play both
parts while changing positions, using mimics or gestures.
 Check that the instructions have been understood by asking students to
repeat them or by asking the different members of the group to put up their
hands when you call out their roles, for example.
 Only after the instructions have been made clear, the material should be
given out, so that students do not get distracted while you are talking.
 Before giving them the sign to start, a time limit should be set and then the
teacher must remember to keep it; it is better to stop the activity while the
students are still enjoying it.

4.- Monitoring the task

At the beginning of the activity, the teacher should allow a short time for the
students to get into the activity. While students are working, the teacher can
circulate among the groups to make a note of the problems students may be
having and take the opportunity to make some suggestions as to the language
they are using, or they can stay at the front or at a side of the room and keep
an eye (and an ear!) of what is going on in each group to, then, approach any
which might appear to have problems and help the members. In any case,
interventions must be kept to a minimum, and in the case they are needed,
they must be as unobtrusive as possible. Sometimes teachers feel they are not
doing their job if they are not always correcting and they forget that it is also
very sensible to step away from the plan and take some time to watch and listen
to their students, as a way of providing affective support. During group work
activities, teachers must show interest in what their students are doing and don’t
have to sit down at their desk and correct homework or prepare reports, nor
leave the room to take a break; care should also be taken so as not to spend
too much time with one group at the expense of other or interrupt a member of
the group to correct details. It is, of course, advisable to interrupt if the teacher
perceives that a group has misunderstood the activity.
Monitoring will help teachers see the strengths and weaknesses of students’
performance; gathering data to give feedback, later, is one of the main
purposes of monitoring.
5.- Debriefing
After the end of group work, there should be a feedback session, generally in
the form of a whole class activity, to report on the process. If the task had
involved a preparation for a presentation by each of the groups, students must
be given the opportunity to show their classmates what they were able to do; for
example, they may display the materials they have produced. If the task had
involved the finding of a right answer or a solution, a short debate may be a way
of rounding off the activity, or else the teacher can give the solution herself. It is
important, at this step, that the teacher expresses appreciation of the effort that
has been invested and its results, together with a simple ‘Did you enjoy the
activity?’, to show some concern about the students’ feelings. Feedback on
language forms may be integrated into this discussion or may provide the focus
of the following class.

Group work activities may, at first, seem a bit awkward to handle and teachers
may feel they have the exact excuse to postpone them, but ‘all the do’s and
don’t’s…will in due course of time become part of [the teacher’s] subconscious,
intuitive behaviour. [Teachers] won’t have to process every minute of their class
in terms of whether the right thing has been done. In the meantime, just
remember that conscientious attention to what makes for successful group work
will soon pay off’ (Brown; 2001: 190)

Lic. Patricia N. Carnicina

patcarnicina@gmail.com

Reference bibliography

Brown, Douglas H. (2001) Teaching by Principles. NY: Longman Pearson

Gower, R and S. Walters (1990) Teaching Practice Handbook. GB: Heinemann
Ur, Penny (1999) A Course in Language Teaching. UK: CUP