Grouping Students

Providing students with opportunities to work in groups in the classroom can be successful in producing a wide range of educational outcomes including; improved achievement, and positive interpersonal relationships with other students. These outcomes however, are only achievable when teachers set up conditions that motivate students to prepare and engage in ‘give-and-take discussions’ (Michaelsen 1998). Simply allocating students groups does not mean students will be engaged with one another, thus it is crucial that you thoughtfully plan group work and the types of groups you will be using (BHE 2012). When implementing group work in the classroom your chief role is to plan, manage and monitor the learning environment ‘so that students can collaborate and engage productively in learning’ (Killen 2009 p222).

http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new/ehow/images/a07/hq/43/group-students-classroom-800x800.jpg

When forming groups in your classroom you have three choices. You can;

1) allow your students to form their own groups

2) form groups by random

3) place individuals learners in groups for a specific reason

If you choose to take the third approach, the basic choices are to make the groups heterogeneous or homogeneous (Killen 2009).

Heterogeneous

The first type is heterogeneous grouping. Heterogeneous means to group students of different ability levels together. This definition can also be extended to include grouping together students of different ages and races (BHE 2012).

Homogenous

The second type is homogenous grouping and simply means grouping students who are similar together.

Setting Up Group Work

¨     Start by introduce group work gradually to your class. This can be achieved by progressing from pair work to larger groups; short periods of time to longer periods of time; teacher formulated groups to student formulated groups (Killen 2009). As this will allow students to gradually assume greater responsibility.

¨     The nature of certain tasks you set will ultimately determine the type of grouping strategy that you implement in the classroom. While numeracy groups may be suited best to ability groups, the group for a problem-solving task for example, may be based on student interests (Marsh 2004).

¨     When implementing group work in the classroom be sure to make it clear what the purpose of the task you have set is, as well as the steps required to be complete within the time frame provided. As well as making it clear what you expect of the final product and how you plan to assess it (Killen, 2009).

See De Bono’s six thinking hats (De Bono 1992) for a way of assigning specific roles to students in group work tasks.

Take a look at the following links to find more detailed information on cooperative grouping strategies:

• http://www.myread.org/organisation.htm

• Group Work

Checkout the following link to find one strategy that a practicing teacher used in her class to allocate roles for students in groups: http://stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/group-work-jobs-and-sale.html

 Pictures sourced from http://stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/group-work-jobs-and-sale.html

Picture sourced from http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/upload/175218241722768471_jkR0Dcum.jpg

References

Bright Hub Education (BHE) 2012, ‘The Importance of Group Work in Your Classroom’, URL: http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/downloads/esl/booklets/Jones-Student-Centered.pdf (Accessed 23 October 2012).

De Bono, E., 1992, ‘Six thinking Hats for Schools Book 2. Victoria, Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.

Killen, R., 2009, ‘Effective Teaching Strategies: lessons from research and practice’ eth edition, Cengage Learning, Victoria: Australia.

Marsh, C., 2004, ‘Becoming a Teacher: knowledge, skills and issues’

(3^rd Edition). NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.

Michaelsen, L, K., no date, ‘Three Keys to Using Learning Groups Effectively’, URL: http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/downloads/esl/booklets/Jones-Student-Centered.pdf (Accessed 23 October 2012).

Classroom Management

See the following link for a guide to ‘Promoting and Managing Positive Pupil Behaviour’  (EPD Team 2009). http://www.belb.org.uk/Downloads/i_epd_promoting_and_sustaining_positive_pupil_behaviour.pdf

http://nyteachers.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/edi-700-blog-classroom-management.jpg 

For further tips and tricks for managing your classroom effectively see the behaviour management plan available on this blog, or alternatively visit the following links and watch these fantastic videos on Youtube:

Part One: ‘Creating an Effective Learning Environment’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvlR7o81x2Q&feature=channel&list=UL

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuDh9juNFsQ

Classroom Layout

The layout of your classroom can have a significant impact on the way you teach and hence, the way your students learn.

Seating Arrangements

There are a number of factors that need to be taken into careful account before you arrange the seating in your classroom (Arthur-Kelly, Lyons, Butterfield & Gordon 2007). For starters, the way you decide to seat out the desks in your classroom will no doubt reflect your personal philosophy of teaching and your preferred style of teaching (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007). Therefore it is crucial to ensure that the  way you arrange the furniture in your classroom lends itself to the range of instructional methods you plan on using, as well as enabling the elements of behaviour management as ‘identified by earlier research to be implemented, such as scanning, smooth transitions, organised deskwork and mobility’ (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007 p125).

When planning the seating arrangement in your classroom you need to consider where each child should sit and whether you will make this decision, or whether you will let your students decide. If your personal philosophy of teaching favours cooperative group your classroom seating arrangement may need to reflect your class’s social structure (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007). Some student input is advisable, particularly with older students, as they have to “cope with the consequences of seating choice” (Aurthur-Kelly 2007 p125). For mixed ability grouping however, free choice for students is unlikely to create the desired mix. ­­It is also important to note the research that suggests that students engage more in teaching-learning interaction if they are seated towards the centre front, rather than those seated on the periphery (Arthur-Kelly 2007).  You should also considering position students with learning difficulties or behavioural problems within the instructional focus. 

http://classroomchoreography.wordpress.com/2010/08/

Ultimately, the seating arrangement in your classroom will only be limited by your imagination. The following information should not be viewed as the only options for seating arrangements, but rather Arthur-Kelly suggest that “the more creative the design, the better…as it communicates that ‘this classroom is different from others’ and therefore establishes different expectations from the outset”, (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007 p126).

Rows

The preferred teaching style in classrooms with rows is certainly teacher-centred, combined with deskwork designed to be completed individually (Arthur-Kelly 2007). Whilst rows facilitate teacher-student interactions, it restricts student-student interactions and subsequently inhibits group-work situations. Rows however, are effective for recapturing any classroom management that may have been lost as a result of alternative seating arrangements.

According to Arthur-Kelly et al., (2007) rows can promote positive behaviours by;

- creating the expectation of order

- allowing the teacher to scan and monitor students with ease

- assisting with non-verbal communication through eye contact (p127).

Picture sourced from:

http://teacherinduction.ie/Pages2010/CDG/CDG.html

Groups

Groups involve several desks being grouped together usually on a rectangle or L-shape and in many ways is the polar opposite of rows (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007). Unlike, rows where the instructional focus is teacher-centred, groups are very much conducive of student-centred instruction. Therefore, some social-interaction is encouraged and noise levels are not expected to be as low as classrooms that are arranged in rows (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007).

If you choose to set out seating arrangement in groups, it is vital that all the instructional focus of the classroom is visible to all students without them having to physically turn (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007). Furthermore, you should true to ensure that there is at least one point in the room where you can have eye contact with all students, as ‘redirection in the early stages of off-task behaviour is more easily achieved without disrupting the instructional flow’, (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007 p127).

According to Arthur-Kelly et al., (2007) groups can promote positive behaviours by;

- enabling more varied instruction strategies to be implemented

- meeting students’ basic need for social interaction (p127).

U-Shape

Single or double U-shape table formations are basically halfway between rows and groups and therefore, have some of the advantages and disadvantages of each (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007). While U-shapes are generally teacher-centred, they also allow for opportunities for student-student interaction (Arthur-Kelly et al., 2007). Desks in a U-shape position can be formed when need be by moving desks together.

Picture sourced from:

  http://www.missfarah.com/index.php/2012/09/10/a-classroom-with-a-u-shaped-seating-arrangement/

The following questions will be helpful for you to consider when you plan on setting out your classroom.

Ask yourself:

Can I see the faces of every single student and can they see me?

Can everyone see the board (if you're planning on using it)?

Can the students see one another?

Can I move around the room so that I can monitor effectively? (Budden, J 2008).

References

Arthur-Kelly, M., Lyons, G., Butterfield, N., & Gordon, C., 2007, ‘Classroom Management: creating positive learning environments’, Cengage Learning, Victoria: Australia.

Budden, J., 2008, ‘Classroom Layout’, URL: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/classroom-layout (Accessed 20 October 2012). 

Creating and Maintaining a Safe Learning Environment

Physical Environment

The physical setting of the classroom can assist in preventing inappropriate or negative behavior. For example, student seating arrangements within the classroom, at the desks or on the floor can be arranged to position the students who have behavioral problems. These students can be seated closer to the front of the room nearer to the teacher so that the teacher can try and redirect negative behavior with minimal interruption to the class as a whole. Bring the student closer to the front will also help the student to remain focused on the work they are doing with less to distract them away from the teacher.  A well arranged classroom is not a guarantee of positive behavior, although it has been found that poor planning or mismanagement in this area can create conditions that lead to problems or issues within the room. To assist students in a flowing classroom frequently used areas of the room such as traffic lanes should remain unobstructed and be easily accessible. Students should be able to see the front of the classroom and board without having to turn or move unduly and commonly used classroom materials, should be easily accessible (Education Information for New and Future Teachers. 2010).  With this type of room management minor behavioral issues can be prevented. 

image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9B0iqVQjRRTmHUNhPRyYEKOVfbzl_PUwPwHEq8mNhHNopjfr18l7GipUlIoYA0vjUA34Iy7xCRHKJmsCUKiwIBI3h1vjwlAi-VBwmcpD161grmYDQlq2PRQutMeCgoV-GpldkI4rqTc/s400/classroom.jpg