In the last ten years or so of my high school teaching career, the big push was group work. It seemed we were always rearranging the desk to form foursomes, twosomes, whenever we could. This also meant strategic planning beyond the actual lesson itself: If I let kids choose their groups, all the doofuses would sit together so they wouldn’t have to work, all the achievers would sit together so they could be sure of a good grade. If I chose the groups, I’d have to be careful so one kid didn’t do the work of the other three, or that I didn’t put too many cut-ups together, or that an outcast didn’t sit with a mean kid. And of course, we needed to structure the assignment so there was enough – of value – for everyone to do.
It always made me wonder what these kids would do when they got out into the world and were solely responsible for what they produced.
Yesterday, I realized we’ve gone full-circle, thanks to Covid and distance learning. For a year and more, kids have been sequestered at home, learning on their own with just a distant teacher checking in.
Now, even if kids are back in school physically, I imagine group work – sitting together, breathing on each other – still isn’t part of the teaching plan.
I liked reading this post because I can relate completely. I taught elementary my whole career and did end up teaching online this past year (at least for part of it). Not only was arranging groups a tricky thing, as you described, but even coming up with new seating plans (moreso when desks could be grouped together) was an organizational nightmare. I used to keep all my previous seating plans of the year so I could keep track of who already sat beside whom. My daughter always despised group work because she didn't want to be brought down by others in the group - still had to do group work in university! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI was never a fan of it, either. How is anyone going to come up with an original thought if they've never had to analyze something on their own.
DeleteBeing neither a teacher nor a parent this is a perspective I hadn't thought about. I fear it is true (and have NO fond memories) of group projects either as a child or in the workplace.
ReplyDeleteI wonder whose idea groups were. They're a nightmare for a conscientious teacher and a nightmare for kids in rooms with casual teachers who don't notice if they've put them in harm's way.
ReplyDeleteAnd another set of bad marks for group projects. They never play to the skills of everyone, and often not even to someone.
ReplyDeleteYou were there for the beginning of group work. You attended the professional development sessions. And you were well organized for group work. Kids became pretty good at it.
ReplyDeleteGroup work is where they learn the kind of co-operation necessary in so many work places, but can also be where you find the willing, the ladder-climber, the shirker and where teachers can then help them. That can't always be learned at home by computer learning.
ReplyDeleteI never/seldom did the group thing, but maybe because it didn't fit my subject. Or perhaps it doesn't fit high school very well. Were you an elementary teacher?
ReplyDeleteHigh school
DeleteIt would be hard to consider how to arrange the groups. I don't remember many group projects in my own school years, but I don't think I would like them very much. :-)
ReplyDeleteAll of our lives are put on hold and it is with some loss, but the world was moving oo fast anyway.
ReplyDeleteWell, I wonder?! Here in the UK kids are sitting together at tables and working, at least at our school. When I was a kid I don't remember teachers putting so much work into grouping students -- but maybe they did and I was none the wiser!
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