How to Assign Cooperative Groups Inside the Classroom
When students work in groups on projects, the students learn cooperatively. Cooperative learning lets students work actively together on projects in the classroom. Students enjoy working in cooperative groups, but creating the groups in the classroom takes a little bit of time. Teachers create cooperative learning groups using several different methods. Some of the easiest methods are students choosing groups, using team captains and the teacher assigning groups according to ability and behavior.
Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Red, yellow, blue and green construction paper
- Scissors
- Red, blue and green pens
Instructions
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Let Students Choose Their Own Groups
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Discuss cooperative learning with the students. Give the students a maximum amount of students for each group. If you have 25 students, make five groups of five students. Remember, smaller groups usually have better behavior.
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Assign each group an area of the room. Do a five minute activity, and see how the group works together. Have students work together doing a chart or puzzle as the five minute activity. See how the group works together. When students choose their friends, they play more. Students are less productive in groups where they choose their own group.
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Rearrange groups as necessary. If you see a problem with behavior, change the group. You are better off changing the group at the beginning, rather than after the group is established.
Picking Groups Using Team Captains
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Cut red, yellow, green and blue construction paper into strips about 1 inch long and 3 inches wide. Place the strips to the side.
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Write the students name down on a piece of paper with different colors. Write students who excel at their work in green, students who do okay at their work in blue and students who have problems with their work in red. Beside each name place a red check if the student has anger management problems or problems working with others.
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Put students' names on the strips of construction paper. If a student has a check by their name write their name on a strip of yellow construction paper. Write the rest of the students' names on the color of paper you wrote their name with on the sheet of paper.
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Choose a captain for each group from the names on the green paper, and let them choose one person from each color of paper. Hopefully, you only have one or two on red paper. If you run out of a color let the captains choose from the other colors. This way you get a mixed group of ability and behavior levels for each group. The students who excel help students who have problems with the project.
Choosing Groups By Ability and Behavior
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Write the students name down on a piece of paper with different colors. Write students who excel at their work in green, students who do okay at their work in blue and students who have problems with their work in red. Beside each name place a red check if the student has anger management problems or problems working with others.
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Create groups by mixing one of each color of name into the group, so students who excel and students who need help are in each group. Keep a good mixture of high and low level students in the groups.
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Place any students with a check by their name into a group with students they get along with. If students with checks can't work in a group easily, monitor their behavior closely during the group activity.
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Tips & Warnings
Change students from one group to another if necessary. It takes several times rearranging groups before you get them right.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
