TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL GROUPWORK

A positive attitude – be motivated and helpful.

Active listening – make sure the area where you work is such that everyone can talk to each other and participate productively in discussions. You must be able to listen to what all the group members have to say.

Purpose – set a common goal. If everyone knows what they have to do (the goal), everyone knows what to work towards.

Roles – as mentioned earlier, assign roles for each member. If everyone has a role, everyone will again be focused on the end product.

Planning – in your group, plan when you will meet, who should do what so that everyone stays up to date. Everyone must also know what the deadline is too.

Work division – if you are working with a group on a large project, divide the task into smaller parts. Smaller, more manageable tasks help ensure that everything will be done on time. Feedback – give positive feedback on others’ ideas.

GROUP WORK ADVANTAGES:

S Collaboration between learners.

S Improvement of communication skills. S Pupils learn to independently present their points of view.

They learn to listen patiently to others and work with different personalities.

The promotion of critical thinking – learners are challenged to think differently because they hear how others think.

Learners realise they are responsible for learning and thereby also learn a greater sense of responsibility.

That a lot of work can be completed in a short time.

DISADVANTAGES

Many learners do not like groupwork and prefer to work on their own.

Learners who are noise sensitive usually struggle with groupwork.

Class discipline can become a problem. Strict control must be applied.

A negative attitude can prevent the entire group from achieving success.

Learners do not want to be assessed as a group.

If some members don’t do their part, it disadvantages the whole group.