Group work is more than one person working together on a project or assignment. Group work is used in many places like school and the workplace. But group work is also controversial. So how does it all work and what are the guidelines?
Ms. Kelly Fransen says of group work, “Learning how to work with people is a skill.”
Research from 2007 agrees with her, saying, “Student group work enhances communication and other professional development skills. Estimates indicate that 80% of all employees work in group settings.”
Teachers, like Ms.Fransen, feel it’s important and helpful to get students to work together and get to know new people at the beginning of the year.
But, she acknowledges that everyone has to be held responsible for the assignment, so in her class, “Everyone has to fill out the sheet…kids are good because they are part of the process.”
Asking senior Heaven Smith about how she feels about group work is a 50/50 thing because it can be very stressful working in a group when the teacher doesn’t care for the other students slacking off. “I think sometimes depending on the project students should be able to have an alternative project if they work alone.”
Group work is not just something that happens in school. A recent graduate now works at Stop and Shop said, “Learning how to work with people is a skill. ““
This lines up with the research about group work: “Employers value effective oral and written communication skills as well as the ability to work effectively within diverse groups” (ABET 2016-2017; Finelli et al. 2011).”
Even though schools and employers like it, the biggest problem with group work is feeling unsatisfied academically. Smith notes, “There are also many students who are rather uninterested in their academic success. When group work is assigned, I often get a sinking feeling of dread from the fear of an uneven distribution of work…I talked to a friend about my feelings and was met with resounding agreement about the frequent unfairness of group work.”
Talking with your friends is one way to handle hard groups. Another way to cope with a hard-to-work group is to finish your work. Lastly, email the teacher and explain the situation and what is going on in the group.
