{"id":64205,"date":"2018-07-26T06:00:34","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T10:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/?p=64205"},"modified":"2018-07-24T09:59:52","modified_gmt":"2018-07-24T13:59:52","slug":"a-more-strategic-approach-to-arranging-students-into-groups-weimer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/2018\/07\/26\/a-more-strategic-approach-to-arranging-students-into-groups-weimer\/","title":{"rendered":"A more strategic approach to arranging students into groups [Weimer]"},"content":{"rendered":"

A more strategic approach to arranging students into groups<\/strong><\/a> — from facultyfocus.com by Maryellen Weimer<\/p>\n

Excerpt:<\/em><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best way to put students into groups? It\u2019s the first task that confronts teachers who want students to work together. And the best reply is one of those \u201cit depends\u201d answers. Here are the questions on which it depends.<\/p>\n

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If the group work is a project that requires extended collaboration and will benefit from a variety of opinions and perspectives, letting students form the groups may not be the best approach. On the other hand, for short, ad-hoc group work and for students who may be shy and not used to working with peers, knowing others in the group makes the experience less intimidating.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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If one of the goals of the group work is getting students acquainted with others in the course or providing the experience of learning to work with peers they don\u2019t know (which frequently occurs in professional contexts), then teachers should consider forming the groups.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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What criteria should teachers use when forming groups? There\u2019s a range of options. Here\u2019s some of the more common criteria.<\/p>\n