Designing Groupwork Chapters 1-3

Chapter 1 of Designing Groupwork, by Elizabeth Cohen, discusses the power of groupwork. "If a teacher wants to produce active learning, then groupwork, properly designed, is a powerful tool for providing simultaneous opportunities for all class members" states Cohen. This chapter also discusses how groups are set up and what implications this has on the structure of the group. If students truly have the authority in their groups, then they will take over, and delegate the authority for themselves. If the teacher is the one hold the authority, it is likely that the students will always look to the teacher for authority.
I have seen an example of this in our education classes. In one of our classes, a teacher had us participate in a socratic seminar. The professor places themselves in the circle, near the front of the classroom. In addition, the professor would often times redirect the conversation and take control of asking questions. The result was that everyone in the group looked at the professor when they spoke, and seemed to look to her for confirmation for the points they were making.

Chapter 2 gives concrete reasoning for why groupwork should be used in the classroom. An example they give is Geraldo. Through groupwork, Geraldo is able to make mistakes and learn from his peers. If he had been given verbal or written instructions from a teacher, he most likely would have shut down because of his language needs. The structure of the group allowed him to figure out for himself what he needs to do to complete his work. This gives him more confidence and will help him remember what he learned far better.

Chapter 3 discusses the hierarchies that often form in classroom groups. This is a common problem found in the implementation of groupwork. This can lead to issues such as low students learning less, high performing students' continual domination, and social behavior issues. The point of this chapter is to highlight one of the many issues surrounding groupwork.