Group work is sometimes difficult to manage, but it builds valuable skills and contributes to a successful issue-oriented program. Lack of accountability of individuals within a group, off-task conversations, and students who try to dominate the discussion are just some of the potential problems surrounding group interactions. The 4-2-1 approach to cooperative learning (described on pages ii–iii of the Introduction to the Teacher’s Guide ) offers a structure that can help you reduce, though not necessarily eradicate, some of these problems. Described below are some strategies for facilitating group interaction.
Teaching group interaction skills explicitly can help prevent problems. Begin by establishing classroom guidelines for group interactions. Rather than providing a list of behavioral expectations, solicit student input in developing a list of behaviors appropriate for group interaction. For example, students may suggest that it is important for group members to listen to each other, participate and share work equally, respect other people’s ideas and opinions, make sure that everyone in the group understands the task or the response to a question, speak clearly but not shout, praise outstanding contributions, etc. As a class, attempt to summarize the list into three to five rules that students agree are important.
Post the rules in the classroom for easy reference and encourage students to record the rules in their own science notebooks. You may want to have each student write down why it will be important for him or her to follow these rules when working within a group. If necessary, update and/or revise the rules over the course of the school year. You may wish to select certain rules or expectations to focus on during particular class periods. For example, during one class you might focus on students listening to each