Is working in groups an effective way of learning?

Question

Is working in groups ona particular topic, then presenting you topic to the class. Do you this that is an effective way of learning? Why or why not.

Answer 1

Different people learn differently. My daughter does great in a group, it really helps her. One of my grandchildren needs to be alone to learn his lessons. He gets it just from reading, I excel in a lecture class.

Answer 2

One argument that I've heard and like is that it all depends on how things are set up. You can't just tell a group to work together on something, sit back, and feel like you've helped foster an effective learning enviornment. Things like this can be very effective, but you have to set it up and orginize it right, and it might include some pre-group activies days and weeks before you have them do a full group project. I'm sure if you research some more you'll find some suggestions on how to set it up to be the most benificial for all the students.

Answer 3

It can work with proper scaffolding from the instructor. For example, the instructor may have to present a general overview of what is being studied. Then, while the groups work together to prepare their presentations the instructor should supply them with positioning questions and additional information to guide their inquiry. The instructor should preview every presentation to make sure it touches on all the important information, and the instructor should design listening tasks to keep the audience engaged during presentations. If the instructor designs and facilitates the activity properly, group inquiry and peer teaching can be very effective.

Answer 4

Of course it is an effective way of learning. The students are learning to share their ideas and talking through problems... that is getting them ready for the real world where most just rely on working with others. Although all students learn differently, every child needs to learn to work with others! Even a job at McDonald's requires to work with others not just businesspeople.

Answer 5

It can be as long as all the group is responsible for learning. Teachers have to be careful that one leader will do all the work.

Answer 6

It depends. For example, if you put the loudest students on a group, they probably won't work at all, but if you put good students on a group, they are surely to do a great job.