Group Work

Depending on the type of student and teacher, the use of group work has many supporters and those who completely despise the use. The general theory behind group work seems free of complications, however, the implementation is not. Individual learning seems to be the most popular and full proof way to conduct a classroom. Many classrooms also mix methods or try new experimental ways, some successful and some not. This is an apparent problem for students and teachers everywhere, but only the theories have been presented and very little attention has been given to the effects of the theories in place. I chose to explore this problem because it directly relates to my school experience and I have yet to make up my own opinion.
Prior to research, I knew the two main perspectives of students and that I myself fell somewhere in the middle. In general, students that are “lazy” or “procrastinators” like group work for the extra help. However, these same students are the ones that make group work a burden for others as they don’t want or like to do more than their share. I have experienced both successful and not so successful groupings. Being a student who can identify with both sides I sway from one perspective to the other. What I really wanted to learn more about in addition to the students, to
According to the article “What Are the Benefits of Group Work?” positive aspects of group work for students is the ability to break up complex tasks, develop better communication skills, “share diverse perspectives,” and “delegate roles,” all things that cannot be done with individual learning. Students can delegate to tackle tasks they would not be able to alone, through communication with group members and the exposure to new perspectives. The argument is that group work is strengthening individual and collaboration skills for