| Effective Instruction for Creating
a Classroom Community:
A
Brief Study of Contributing Factors in Group Work
Helen Hait
Illustrations by Fred Stamp and Richard Horvath
Vancouver, British Columbia
A
starting place for addressing inequities in society is recognizing
the value of each individual in our classrooms. Underlining
and woven throughout my research is a theme of respectful
interactions in building a community of learners. Within a
body of culturally, personally and academically diverse students,
I have explored how respect can be most effectively encouraged
and taught in the context of group work.
Community
Building in a Classroom
A
group of children quietly work and learn, alone and on their
own in a schoolroom setting—a class of students. Another
group of students interact, help, discuss, and communicate
and, in so doing, learn and grow together in their knowledge
of and respect for each other and the world around them—a
community of learners. There is a vast difference between
the two.
From
a global perspective, to survive successfully today, there
is a growing awareness of the need to cooperate more closely
with others, to understand interdependence, and to demonstrate
respect for the diversity that our shrinking world encompasses.
The values of community sharing, interacting, and connecting
with those around us, which were an accepted and necessary
part of life in the Agricultural Age, have largely been lost
to the promotion of individualism and competition which became
common with the onset of the Industrial Age. This pattern
of isolation continues to be espoused today in many organizational
systems, including schools (Gibbs, 2001).
Mako
Nakagawa (1986), a multicultural educator, states clearly
the challenge with which all teachers are confronted. It is
the one that, in the context of this changing world, I am
presently trying to address in my classroom research:
If
we are to succeed as a nation both in international trade
and in leadership for democracy, we need to use the diverse
cultural laboratory of our own country as a training ground
for producing citizens who value differences, respect the
validity of our own perspectives, understand the independence
of people and who have interpersonal skills to effectively
communicate across all spectra of ethnicity, nationality,
language, culture, gender, values and even political ideology.
—Cited in Gibbs, 2001: 34
What
does it take in a classroom to create an environment which
meets Nakagawa’s challenge? Am I giving my students,
in my short journey with them, the knowledge and as many of
the skills and abilities as I can to help them live and work
in the world as we know it now and as it will be in the future?
What are those skills? What is that knowledge? How does that
relate to building a community of learners?
Jeanne
Gibbs (2001) articulates some of the skills and abilities
I believe to be of the greatest importance for children today,
“The ability to listen attentively, express ideas, solve
group problems, resolve conflict, make decisions, research
and analyse material and encourage others are democratic skills
needed within families, work settings, government and all
organizational systems” (20). This view is reiterated
by Johnson and Johnson (1990) as they state what they feel
is key for students: “The ability of students to work
collaboratively with others is the keystone to building and
maintaining the caring and committed relationships that largely
determine quality of life” (18).
Group
Work: A Framework For Building A Community
One
of the most powerful factors contributing to community building
is group work. It is in the context of groups where social
development can be most easily facilitated, encouraged and
taught. Some of the personal and social benefits for the children
of learning in this type of arrangement include developing
more positive attitudes towards others as they interact and
work with classmates; growing in understanding and appreciation
of the differences and abilities of others; and developing
a more positive sense of who they are as they gain confidence
in themselves as learners and as active members of a community.
 |
Being
an appreciated team member becomes a reality for them and
they grow in their ability to work more effectively in a group
situation. Strengths and weaknesses can be seen more clearly,
and by accepting these in a context of growing together, change,
where needed, is seen as an attainable goal which they help
to set and monitor (Clarke, Weideman and Eadie, 1990). They
also learn the pro-social behaviours of sharing, helping,
and taking care of others within the context of interactions
with other children.
Hearing
and discussing perspectives other than their own, with peers,
helps them progress from stages of egocentrism to more mature,
advanced levels of social and academic development. Far more
time is given to each student to talk when in a group than
is possible in whole class discussions or in working on individual
projects. Through interactions and relationships with peers,
children can clarify their own values and attitudes and, in
the process, develop a healthy frame of reference for their
own identity (Johnson and Johnson, 1990).
My
Class
My
group of twenty-seven Grade 5’s and 6’s illustrated
the typical diversity found in most Vancouver classrooms.
It was composed of many students from China as well as others
from Korea, Iran, the Philippines, Russia and Japan. There
were two designated special needs children, many others who
needed Learning Assistance, and a small group of gifted students.
Three students began the year with no English skills at all,
and another group required some continuing daily English Language
Assistance support.
My
Research
Part I
Initially,
for the purposes of my research inquiry, I wanted to know
what my students’ definitions of community would include.
Their responses to the questionnaire which I had them fill
out (see Appendix
A), revealed a very clear understanding of the importance
of positive social interactions, predominantly in terms of
how they responded to class members around them. The most
common phrases which appeared discussed communications of
some kind between students. Often repeated phrases were, “helping
each other,” “interact with each other, socializing,
talking,” “working and learning together,”
and “treating others the way you want to be treated.”
Opinions
described by other phrases such as, “Treating people
nice, showing kindness, getting along with each other,”
“friendly...,” and “respecting each other,”
also expressed their community building criteria. Apparent
also in the section on differences and similarities was an
appreciation both for the diversity which was reflected in
our class because of the variety of cultures in it, and of
the contribution these differences made to our individuality.
From
this point, my questions narrowed. How do I take a group,
already very aware of themselves as active members within
a group structure, and further help them to be an even more
effectively functioning and thriving community? What are the
factors in group work which would enable them to do this?
Part II
My
research then involved looking specifically at how four different
types of grouping situations or activities, varied in their
structural and teaching components, contributed to the building
of community within our classroom. The types of groups I utilized
were:
1) Changing table groups
2) Discrimination activity groups
3) Cooperative groups
4) Literature Circles
I
made anecdotal observations of the children as they worked
in these groups over a period of about six weeks. I noted
such things as overall group functioning, specific interactions,
comments between children, and any problems that were hindering
positive group dynamics. In the midst of the group activities
or after they were completed, I also had the children answer
three general questions about the group work itself (see
Appendix
B ). The students were asked:
·
Did
this type of activity teach you about others or help you in
your thinking about other people? If yes, how? What did you
learn?
·
How
does this new knowledge affect what you will do when relating
to others in the class and outside the class? How are you
different now?
·
How
effective was this activity in helping to create a community
of learners where respect for differences and kindness and
understanding towards one another is encouraged?
They
answered this third question with a scale of one to five with
one being ‘Not very effective’ and five being
‘Highly effective,’ and then explained why they
rated it this way. Some self-evaluation comments were also
considered in the data collection process. These responses
included information about what the children liked about the
group exercises, what they were learning and what they, as
individuals and as a group, needed to work on to improve their
groups.
1)
Changing Table Groups
This first grouping arrangement involved the physical layout
of the class. The children were arranged in clusters, mostly
of six students, at hexagonal tables. These groupings were
changed every month or so to provide opportunities to meet
and to get to know different classmates. Before I decided
on the group members, I used a sociogram to ensure the children
always had at least one friend at their table.
The
results on the rating scales indicated they seemed to feel
that this type of grouping was ‘effective’ to
quite effective for community building. Twenty out of twenty-three
students responded with a three or four rating of this activity.
Different
comments from the children seemed to indicate a variety of
social benefits from this type of grouping arrangement. Because
of opportunities to connect with more classmates, there appeared
to be an improvement in general social skills. “I have
more people and topics to talk about,” was one student’s
comment. From another student came a similar statement, “Joe’s
sister just got her first birthday so now I might ask, is
she walking or talking?” A part of maturing social development
is becoming more “other-centered.” “I have
at least one thing in common with everybody,” stated
one student and, “We know each others’ likes and
dislikes...” reflected another. There seemed to be a
growing acceptance of more students as evidenced by comments
such as, “...helped me by getting to know people. I
got to know some people better and learn who they are and
accept them like that. I even like them better now.”
Friendships were developed. “I didn’t know Angela
last year. I got to know her and we became friends,”
said one child. Other comments voiced similar reflections.
“I had no friends at the beginning of the year but table
groups helped me make friends,” and “We sometimes
get together out of class,” and “I started playing
with people at my table.”
2)
Discrimination Activity Groups
The
discrimination activity consisted of a set of four very structured
lessons about marginalized groups and related to:
·
disabilities
·
ageism
·
sexism
·
classism
or poverty issues
The
activities all involved working with one partner, who changed
each time, and included a teaching story or video, answering
questions with the partner, some role playing, and whole class
discussions. The role playing, for example, included pairs
working together with one member, whose eyes were closed,
being led around by the other. In rating the effectiveness
of these activities, a total of sixteen out of twenty-three
students chose either a four or five.
Almost
all of the children’s responses indicated a growth in
their understanding of those with disabilities or disadvantages
of some kind over the course of these kinds of activities.
Their increase in empathy was clearly evident in often repeated
comments such as, “It helped me imagine how other people
feel,” “I learned how hard it is for people with
disabilities...,” “...they might have suffered,”
“It made me very sad because they have to go through
a hard and rough life...,” and “We tried it and
couldn’t even stand a few minutes but most (disabled)
have to live with it forever.”
The
exercises had succeeded in enabling the students to feel what
others who are disadvantaged experience. As Kevin Kumashiro
(2000) states in his article on anti-oppressive teaching methods,
this was a one-time attempt at disrupting the partial knowledge
which the students had about the ‘Other.’ Empathy
is important but it is only a starting place that hopefully
challenges the children to want to learn more.
3)
Cooperative or One-Product Group
Although
there were aspects of cooperative learning reflected in each
of the types of groupings, this particular set of exercises
was designed with all of the following cooperative principles
in mind, that students:
·
work
in positive interdependence
·
work
in small, heterogeneous groups
·
are
accountable for their own and their group’s learning
·
learn
through opportunities for meaningful conversations
·
learn
and practice cooperative skills as they work through and learn
the subject matter together. (Clarke, Wideman and Eadie, 1990).
In
this set of activities, I included math problem-solving questions
done in triads, and different creative thinking exercises
conducted in pairs. For each activity, the group handed in
one finished product. Members of the math groups were also
assigned roles as reader (of the problem); encourager (that
everyone was doing okay); and checker (that everyone understood
the problem and had their work written out).
The
average effectiveness rating for this type of group was three,
a rating chosen by most of the children. Many of their comments
demonstrated that they saw the value of working together to
help each other understand a concept, particularly as it related
to the math triads. It was not only okay to help someone or
to need help, it was expected that everyone would work together
to ensure the individuals in the group all knew how to explain
the answer. Being in either position—teaching or being
taught —was fine. One student’s comment, reflecting
a common perspective, was, “Everybody will understand
and know how to solve the problem and not just one person.
I know people will help you when you need help and will check
if you got it.”
4)
Literature Circle Groups
Once
a week the children participated in four or five member, non-changing
groups to discuss one or two chapters of a novel. The four
roles the children took in these groups were rotating and
involved different levels of leadership. The roles were:
·
Artful
Illustrator
·
Discussion
Director
·
Passage
Picker
·
Word
Hunter
Each
role required the students to present their thinking and reasons
for their thinking. Although one product was not the goal
of each meeting, each group member was expected to present
a different perspective of the chapter for the group task
to be completed. Evaluations at the end of each session gave
the children an opportunity to discuss how their work was
presented and what might be improved in the group dynamic
for the next time.
The
ratings given for this group activity were mostly fours and
fives—the highest rating compared to all other groupings.
The children’s comments about the grouping were very
positive and linked their involvement in this type of group
with valued social and academic outcomes. A number of participants
expressed a growing level of confidence in and an increasing
understanding of themselves. Others wrote about changes to
their behaviour because of their interactions in the group.
From
my observations as well, I could see their involvement and
level of social maturity grow in this exercise during the
few weeks of observations. They worked on specific group dynamics
such as improving eye contact, using appropriate voice levels,
and responding to each others’ ideas with comments like,
“Do you mean...,” or “Well for me...,”
or “I disagree because...,” and in keeping each
other on track, “Okay, group, back to... .”
In
their responses, one student summarized observations I had
made of many of them. She wrote, “I like everything
about it. It is fun. I used to need to work on eye contact
and a loud voice. But now every week I get better....”
Another girl, who often used put-downs, recognized significant
growth in her own attitude, “First, I don’t want
to be in the same group as.…Now I know more about him...he
made the group more fun....This affected me a lot. It also
teaches me don’t judge the person until I know the person
really well because you might be really wrong about them.…It
helped me think in many ways instead of just my own way.”
Another response reflected growth about seeing others’
perspectives, “I like to listen to other people’s
ideas because you actually gain interest in their ideas because
their thinking is unique...and different. You might change
your thinking.…”
A
couple of students also summarized an important aspect of
heterogeneous grouping related to the benefits of changing
roles. This was similar to Elizabeth Cohen’s idea of
multiple-ability orientation (1994). In this approach to group
tasks, everyone has some of the abilities necessary to complete
the task for that exercise but no one person will have all
the abilities. All students are needed to complete the task
successfully and thereby a mixed set of expectations for competence
is created. This addresses the problem of what she calls ‘high-status,’
more verbal, controlling students dominating a task and making
decisions. Students referred to this with comments such as,
“...There are different roles, so everyone can prove
themselves at what they are good at. Everyone knows exactly
what to do, so the group can function very well and fulfil
its purpose fairly quickly,” and “I learned Malcolm
is very helpful...[and]...If I would need help on a drawing
project I could ask Matt for a few tips.”
Dealing
with Problems of Group Work
One
of the greatest deterrents preventing teachers using group
work more in their classrooms is a belief that the children
will encounter frustrations or difficulties when working with
each other, and that this could result in more management
problems for teachers. Keeping students separate is easier,
quieter and simpler for them and helps to maintain better
control. This can be the case and it certainly is quieter.
While group work can create management problems, this is not
a good reason to have the children avoid group work. Rather,
the frustrating or negative situations which result when students
are together reflect ‘classroom life’ and real
world situations. These can be used as opportunities for walking
the children through the dilemmas and teaching them how to
handle them constructively.
It
is crucial to monitor how groups are functioning on a regular
basis, to be honest yet respectful about what is not working
well, and to work through the difficulties together. Sometimes,
a quick class reminder is all that is necessary, such as,
‘‘Please remember to keep your answers interesting
and to the point.” At other times, it will take more
specific interventions with individuals or groups or more
direct and longer teaching sessions. Knowing strategies for
handling a problem respectfully is empowering for the students
because they are learning important life skills.
Discussion,
Conclusions, and Recommendations
My
research into the factors in group work which most contribute
to community building in a classroom revealed a few major
themes: physical layout of the class; varied grouping opportunities,
self-evaluation of group work, and curriculum issues. All
of these are connected to each other and revolve around what
the children had made clear was the most important element
in defining a community—respectful interactions.
Physical
layout of the class
The
physical layout of the class makes a statement about the teacher’s
philosophy of effective education. Does the teacher value
the children being close enough to each other to talk easily?
Does she believe that, if close to each other and able to
talk easily, they will be able to work quietly without talking
when necessary? The changing table groups allowed my students
to interact and to get to know more children on a personal
level than they might have were they not given this opportunity.
Judging from the responses of the children and my own observations
of this more casual, non-structured grouping arrangement,
there was value in continuing with this practice. It did make
a difference. A stage was set for the other interactions which
occurred throughout the day.
Varied
Grouping Opportunities
Providing
the children with numerous opportunities to interact in different
types of grouping situations with various classmates is a
must in creating a community of learners. This affords them
practice in knowing how to handle themselves with friends,
with acquaintances, and with those they may not know well
or even want to know. A tone of comfort and a valuing of the
practice of group work is set when interactions with others
are expected and are a common part of every day for the children.
In
all of their responses to the different types of grouping
arrangements, a growing maturity and developing social awareness
was clearly evident. Students became increasingly familiar
with what other classmates were like. They liked finding out
what their opinions were about work and play, and they enjoyed
learning how to talk and interact with them effectively and
more often. Respect, overall, was increased. Differences were
acknowledged and sometimes celebrated and often minimized
in the context of the importance of the similarities they
saw in each other as they worked on common tasks. Getting
to know each other as people became important.
One
of the most effective types of grouping arrangements for this
was Literature Circles. Every child was expected to contribute
some part towards an end product which was, in this case,
a ‘whole picture,’ a representation of a chapter
in a novel. This type of group gave each child ongoing practice
with providing a piece of the puzzle. Doing this seemed to
minimize the occurrence of ‘high’ and ‘low
status’ students contributing differentially to the
group dynamic (as discussed by Cohen, 1994). Some parallels
here can be drawn to conclusions Slavin reached in his work
on harmonious interracial relationships. He found that having
multicultural groups of students work together on group product
tasks produced the “high quality, positive interpersonal
interactions...[which led to] interpersonal attraction and
seeing similarities as more important than cultural differences”
(cited in Cohen, 1994: 18).
Self-Evaluations
of Group Work
Children
need to know that their responses to their group work and
their learning are valued and will help to direct some aspects
of their instruction. Self-evaluations could contribute to
instructing the teacher in how to make things better. Teachers
encourage children to take responsibility for their own learning
when they present opportunities to evaluate the processes
they are being taken through. A sense of building a community
is enhanced when the students’ comments and recommendations
for what works well and what might need to be improved are
shared and discussed.
Curriculum Issues
Social
Responsibility is a part of the required curriculum for students.
In the past, I have often dealt with it in only incidental
or fractured ways. Ongoing group work provides numerous opportunities
to teach important aspects of social responsibility. For groups
to function smoothly, there must be a concerted effort to
teach the social skills required for respectful interactions
with others. With numerous opportunities for interactions,
must come the varied types of accompanying instruction necessary
for positive and constructive communications to occur. Direction,
guidance, and teaching these skills need to be ongoing. For
example, direct instruction on the issues of disabilities,
ageism, sexism, and classism proved to be helpful in sparking
students’ interest in these issues and in dealing with
some aspects of the partial knowledge they expressed in these
areas. Teaching about social justice issues brings a greater
awareness of inequities which students need to address in
their own behaviours. Again, respect for all is crucial.
From
‘com’—a prefix from the Latin meaning ‘with,
together,’ we have ‘to combine,’ ‘to
make a composition from parts toward a whole,’ and ‘communication
between others’ in forming and sustaining ‘a community.’
Through my brief journey as a researcher, I caught a clearer
glimpse, as an educator, of what I am attempting to create
and develop: a peaceful classroom where all know they are
welcome, a safe place where students know they will be expected
to express their opinions and can trust they will be heard,
a space where diversity is recognized and celebrated, a place
where talking and learning from one another occurs often throughout
the day and where interactions are respectful and kind, an
energetic environment where learning—social, emotional,
and academic—is maximized, and finally, an arena where
there is an awareness of growth as an individual but also
as a responsible, contributing member of a vibrant collective
whole—a community of learners.
Reflections
on Research and How My Teaching Has Been Affected by it in
the Last Year
In
my twenty plus years of teaching, this research project proved
to be one of the most helpful and effective tools for me to
examine and improve my teaching practices. By taking the time
to read about group processes and ideas, by implementing some
of those ideas, and by closely observing and analyzing the
resulting interactions and evidence of student growth, my
understanding of the importance of group work in a classroom
was greatly enhanced.
Whereas
my class from last year modelled some exemplary social behaviours,
even before our focus on group work and social growth, this
year’s class revealed an entirely different social make-up.
Being one year younger, and mostly Grade 5’s, also contributed
to significant differences. In the first months of this year,
there were nine or ten children who needed extra reminders
to practice socially responsible, respectful, and kind behaviour.
Although group work with this class resulted in more altercations,
rudeness with each other, arguing, and other inappropriate
interactions, it was through these social situations that
training in proper responses to each other was facilitated.
The
students worked very hard at learning polite and respectful
ways of interacting and at the time of this writing, just
a week after student-led conferences in March, I can truly
say that I am thrilled with the efforts they have made and
with the progress I have seen them achieve. I see evidence
of their progress in their willingness to help each other
more, use respectful words and voice tones, demonstrate care
towards each other, and monitor tendencies to criticize each
other.
Group
work is a key structure in supporting and building a community
in the process of learning and growing together. After carefully
observing this in action for over a year now, I am more convinced
of the truth of this than ever. |
