Group learning space
The group learning space can be adapted into the classroom from day dot with the organisation of the students desk, having the students sitting in small groups will encourage the students to start to work effectively with their peers. Group work allows students to peer teach and encourage their group members in a variety of situations. Also for those students that are flying with their work, having them with a student or two that are not as fast as they are, it enables them to step up and help their peers.
Group work can look and sound messy but in most cases this can mean students are getting on with the task at hand, but teachers need to monitor this as students can get off task and loose track of the task.
Some strengths and weaknesses of group work are the following;
Strengths-
weaknesses-
Curriculum and pedagogy
Group learning spaces can be categorised into three types- Collaborative, cooperative and group learning spaces. When it comes to the terms Collaborative learning, Cooperative learning and group learning spaces they have some similarities but also differences the definitions are the following;
Group work can look and sound messy but in most cases this can mean students are getting on with the task at hand, but teachers need to monitor this as students can get off task and loose track of the task.
Some strengths and weaknesses of group work are the following;
Strengths-
- Allows students to peer teach
- peer group collaboration
- interactions with others
- diversity in children's abilities
weaknesses-
- groups discussing activities create noise
- possibility of insufficient room for groups to work away from each other
- group members not cooperating within one another causing disagreements
- Speed and finishing early can take place of thoughtfulness and step by step learning.
- Students sometimes swap the dependency of the teacher to the "expert" in the group- this can result in what is learnt to be wrong.
Curriculum and pedagogy
Group learning spaces can be categorised into three types- Collaborative, cooperative and group learning spaces. When it comes to the terms Collaborative learning, Cooperative learning and group learning spaces they have some similarities but also differences the definitions are the following;
- "Collaborative- process in which groups intereact, skills are developed, social leaning and manageent of the environment are empasised. The conrtol of the learning is more so passed on to the students.
- Cooperative- a pracitice that fosters the students socialisation. This learning style emphasis on the teacher involvement on setting goals, determining activities and evaluating students acheivements.
- A group learning space is simply several students working together – they may or may not be cooperating or collaborating (Churchill et. al., 2011). "
This picture shows a small group working corporately together to achieve the task at hand. It is evident the students have a role in the group work as seen, there is a number of students reading and a number writing and some gathering information.
It is important that students have a role in the group so that they know what they need to be doing.
(Sanford School, 2012)
It is important that students have a role in the group so that they know what they need to be doing.
(Sanford School, 2012)
Teachers and students
Its a handy tip for teacher to not think of group work as something that is added on to an existing lesson structure, but a learning space that can help shape the design of the syllabus and can help synthesise specific lesson objectives (Gross-Davis, 1999). Teacher should make good use of group work situations, in the same sense students need to take advantage of the time they have working in groups and make the most of the situation. Teacher need to be able to assess students in group situation, this can be done by monitoring each group one at a time and taking note on the dynamics of the group and the progress the groups are making on the task at hand. Therefore teachers need to implementing strategies for group work to ensure work is effectively working and students are benefiting form the experience. To make this happen teachers can do a number of things prior to the group task, they can set the expectation of the group work, set a clear task, have group member given a sole role within the group (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010)
Its a handy tip for teacher to not think of group work as something that is added on to an existing lesson structure, but a learning space that can help shape the design of the syllabus and can help synthesise specific lesson objectives (Gross-Davis, 1999). Teacher should make good use of group work situations, in the same sense students need to take advantage of the time they have working in groups and make the most of the situation. Teacher need to be able to assess students in group situation, this can be done by monitoring each group one at a time and taking note on the dynamics of the group and the progress the groups are making on the task at hand. Therefore teachers need to implementing strategies for group work to ensure work is effectively working and students are benefiting form the experience. To make this happen teachers can do a number of things prior to the group task, they can set the expectation of the group work, set a clear task, have group member given a sole role within the group (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010)