tips for group assignments

Ideas for Great Group Work

Many students, particularly if they are new to college, don’t like group assignments and projects. They might say they “work better by themselves” and be wary of irresponsible members of their group dragging down their grade. Or they may feel group projects take too much time and slow down the progression of the class. This blog post by a student— 5 Reasons I Hate Group Projects —might sound familiar to many faculty assigning in-class group work and longer-term projects in their courses.

We all recognize that learning how to work effectively in groups is an essential skill that will be used by students in practically every career in the private sector or academia. But, with the hesitancy of students towards group work and how it might impact their grade, how do we make group in-class work, assignments, or long-term projects beneficial and even exciting to students?

The methods and ideas in this post have been compiled from Duke faculty who we have consulted with as part of our work in Learning Innovation or have participated in one of our programs. Also included are ideas from colleagues at other universities with whom we have talked at conferences and other venues about group work practices in their own classrooms.

Have clear goals and purpose

Students want to know why they are being assigned certain kinds of work – how it fits into the larger goals of the class and the overall assessment of their performance in the course. Make sure you explain your goals for assigning in-class group work or projects in the course. You may wish to share:

• Information on the importance of developing skills in group work and how this benefits the students in the topics presented in the course.
• Examples of how this type of group work will be used in the discipline outside of the classroom.
• How the assignment or project benefits from multiple perspectives or dividing the work among more than one person.

Some faculty give students the option to come to a consensus on the specifics of how group work will count in the course, within certain parameters. This can help students feel they have some control over their own learning process and and can put less emphasis on grades and more on the importance of learning the skills of working in groups.

Choose the right assignment

Some in-class activities, short assignments or projects are not suitable for working in groups. To ensure student success, choose the right class activity or assignment for groups.

• Would the workload of the project or activity require more than one person to finish it properly?
• Is this something where multiple perspectives create a greater whole?
• Does this draw on knowledge and skills that are spread out among the students?
• Will the group process used in the activity or project give students a tangible benefit to learning in and engagement with the course?

Help students learn the skills of working in groups

Students in your course may have never been asked to work in groups before. If they have worked in groups in previous courses, they may have had bad experiences that color their reaction to group work in your course. They may have never had the resources and support to make group assignments and projects a compelling experience.

One of the most important things you can do as an instructor is to consider all of the skills that go into working in groups and to design your activities and assignments with an eye towards developing those skills.

In a group assignment, students may be asked to break down a project into steps, plan strategy, organize their time, and coordinate efforts in the context of a group of people they may have never met before.

Consider these ideas to help your students learn group work skills in your course.

• Give a short survey to your class about their previous work in groups to gauge areas where they might need help: ask about what they liked best and least about group work, dynamics of groups they have worked in, time management, communication skills or other areas important in the assignment you are designing.
• Allow time in class for students in groups to get to know each other. This can be a simple as brief introductions, an in-class active learning activity or the drafting of a team charter.
• Based on the activity you are designing and the skills that would be involved in working as a group, assemble some links to web resources that students can draw on for more information, such as sites that explain how to delegate and share responsibilities, conflict resolution, or planning a project and time management. You can also address these issues in class with the students.
• Have a plan for clarifying questions or possible problems that may emerge with an assignment or project.   Are there ways you can ask questions or get draft material to spot areas where students are having difficulty understanding the assignment or having difficulty with group dynamics that might impact the work later?

Designing the assignment or project

The actual design of the class activity or project can help the students transition into group work processes and gain confidence with the skills involved in group dynamics.   When designing your assignment, consider these ideas.

• Break the assignment down into steps or stages to help students become familiar with the process of planning the project as a group.
• Suggest roles for participants in each group to encourage building expertise and expertise and to illustrate ways to divide responsibility for the work.
• Use interim drafts for longer projects to help students manage their time and goals and spot early problems with group projects.
• Limit their resources (such as giving them material to work with or certain subsets of information) to encourage more close cooperation.
• Encourage diversity in groups to spread experience and skill levels and to get students to work with colleagues in the course who they may not know.

Promote individual responsibility

Students always worry about how the performance of other students in a group project might impact their grade. A way to allay those fears is to build individual responsibility into both the course grade and the logistics of group work.

• Build “slack days” into the course. Allow a prearranged number of days when individuals can step away from group work to focus on other classes or campus events. Individual students claim “slack days” in advance, informing both the members of their group and the instructor. Encourage students to work out how the group members will deal with conflicting dates if more than one student in a group wants to claim the same dates.
• Combine a group grade with an individual grade for independent write-ups, journal entries, and reflections.
• Have students assess their fellow group members. Teammates is an online application that can automate this process.
• If you are having students assume roles in group class activities and projects, have them change roles in different parts of the class or project so that one student isn’t “stuck” doing one task for the group.

Gather feedback

To improve your group class activities and assignments, gather reflective feedback from students on what is and isn’t working. You can also share good feedback with future classes to help them understand the value of the activities they’re working on in groups.

• For in-class activities, have students jot down thoughts at the end of class on a notecard for you to review.
• At the end of a larger project, or at key points when you have them submit drafts, ask the students for an “assignment wrapper”—a short reflection on the assignment or short answers to a series of questions.

Further resources

Information for faculty

Best practices for designing group projects (Eberly Center, Carnegie Mellon)

Building Teamwork Process Skills in Students (Shannon Ciston, UC Berkeley)

Working with Student Teams   (Bart Pursel, Penn State)

Barkley, E.F., Cross, K.P., and Major, C.H. (2005). Collaborative learning techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R., & Smith, K. (1998). Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.

Thompson, L.L. (2004). Making the team: A guide for managers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Information for students

10 tips for working effectively in groups (Vancouver Island University Learning Matters)

Teamwork skills: being an effective group member (University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence)

5 ways to survive a group project in college (HBCU Lifestyle)

Group project tips for online courses (Drexel Online)

Group Writing (Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill)

7 Tips to More Effectively Work on Group Projects

Want to work more effectively on group projects in your college classes? Check out these tips to help you and your group streamline the process.

• News and Events

Tags in Article

• Tips & Best Practices
• Graduate Degree Programs
• Saint Leo Learning
• Undergraduate Studies

When you're in college, it is up to you to complete the work necessary to earn your degree. That said, assigning group projects is a common practice in higher education. Not to mention, many job roles require that you work as a team. So, the sooner you learn to master this type of interaction, the better. These seven tips can help, making your group project a success.

1. Start off the group project on the right foot.

Before you even begin the group project, meet as a group and introduce yourselves. Maybe even do a quick ice breaker, such as asking each member what they ate for breakfast or the best book they ever read. Taking a moment to get to know each other starts the group on the right foot. It helps each of you develop a greater level of comfortability, which is going to be important as you strive to work cohesively in the days and weeks ahead. If you are all in the same vicinity, perhaps you can hold this meeting in person. If you are scattered about, hold this meeting virtually so everyone can attend. Online platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom can be used for this purpose.

2. Designate a group leader.

Although it is important to hold each member of the group on the same level, designating someone as a leader gives each of you someone to go to if problems arise. Assigning someone to oversee the entire project also creates one more point of checks and balances. Ask for volunteers. If more than one person wants this role, have a group vote. If no one raises their hand, consider stepping up. This is a great opportunity to build your leadership skills, which can serve you well once you enter your career.

3. Set clear expectations for all group members.

One reason some groups fail to meet their objective is that the members aren't really clear about what they are responsible for completing. Avoid this by deciding upfront who will do what. Be extremely clear so every member knows what they must do to contribute to the final project. The clearer you are when setting these expectations, the fewer misunderstandings you will have as the group project progresses.

4. Be honest about your abilities.

Ideally, each group member should be assigned a task that matches his or her strengths. This leads to a higher quality finished product, a project that allows each member to shine. If you are competitive by nature, it may be tempting to want to be responsible for a task that is above your abilities. Stretching yourself is great, but not when it is at the expense of your team. With that in mind, don't promise something you can't deliver. Be honest about your strengths so the team can decide how you can best meet its needs.

5. Set deadlines and stick to them.

Napoleon Hill once said that " a goal is a dream with a deadline ." Setting mini-deadlines throughout the project keeps the team on task. It enables you to achieve your ultimate goal, which is to turn in the best project possible. Each project is different so, as a team, create a timeline that is realistic and allows you to submit your project on time. Decide what needs to be done at each step. The more specific you are, the better.

6. Meet regularly to check in.

Regular check-ins create accountability. It encourages members to complete their portion of the project on time because they know that they'll have to face the rest of the group on a pre-set day and time. Meeting often also gives the team the opportunity to step in if something goes off course. Maybe a member had an emergency that prevented them from doing their part. Other members can quickly step in and pick up the slack. As with the initial meeting, these check-ins can be done in person or online. Be sure to choose a time when everyone is available. This may require some flexibility as you work around different schedules.

7. Be respectful to all members…always.

Above all, always be respectful to each group member. Keep in mind that people have varying communication styles and some are naturally better at working as a team. Knocking them for their weaknesses doesn't further the group as a whole, nor does it speak well for you on a personal level. One strategy for always acting respectfully is to imagine that the other person is a family member that you respect—such as a sibling, parent, or grandparent—and treat them accordingly. Remember that the way you interact with them shapes the way you are viewed. Would you rather be known as someone who is patient and considerate or someone who easily loses their temper and puts their needs above those of the group?

The Bottom Line on Group Projects

Working in a group isn't always easy. However, following these seven tips can make your team project a greater success, and it will better prepare you for team projects once you complete your degree and enter your field.

Saint Leo University See more from this author

The 3Rs - by Alex Quigley

3 Rs is my fortnightly newsletter where I’ll share interesting w®iting, reading, and interesting research from the world of education and beyond.

Success! Now Check Your Email

To complete Subscribe, click the confirmation link in your inbox. If it doesn’t arrive within 3 minutes, check your spam folder.

Top 10 Group Work Strategies

If I am continually vexed by any one question in education it is ‘how can we enhance student motivation?‘ Of course, I do not have the answer, and if there is one it is multi-faceted, complex and, frankly, not going to be solved in this blog post. From my position

If I am continually vexed by any one question in education it is ‘ how can we enhance student motivation? ‘ Of course, I do not have the answer, and if there is one it is multi-faceted, complex and, frankly, not going to be solved in this blog post.

From my position as a classroom teacher, I am always on the look out for those strategies that create a state when students are motivated and in their element , where they work furiously without even realising they are doing so, without realising the clock is ticking down to the end of the lesson. There is no better compliment than when students question how long there is left and express genuine surprise at how fast time has passed, and that they have actually enjoyed that lesson.

My, admittedly non-scientific, observations are that many of the times students are in ‘ flow ‘, or their element, in my lessons is when they are collaborating in group work.

Why is this then? I believe that we are obviously social beings and we naturally learn in such groups (not always effectively it must be said), but that, more importantly, when working in a group we are able to correct, support, encourage, question and develop ideas much more effectively. The power of the group, guided by the expertise of the teacher, accelerates learning, makes it richer and demands a learning consensus that can push people beyond their habitual assumptions.

Don’t get me wrong, there are pitfalls and obstacles to group work. This constructivist approach should build upon expert teacher led pedagogy – ensuring that students have a good grounding in the relevant knowledge before undertaking in-depth group work. Group work can also be beset by issues in many nuanced forms: whether it is subtle intellectual bullying, where the student who shouts loudest prevails; or the encouragement of mediocrity and laziness, as students let others do all the work; or simply by poor, distracting behaviour.

Another issue is ‘group think’ miscomprehension – indeed, how does prejudice flourish if not in social groups? Yet, this failure is often great for learning as long as the teacher can illuminate the error of their ways. Of course, no teaching strategy is foolproof and plain good teaching should remedy many of the potential ills of group work, just as good teaching can make more traditional teacher-led ‘direct instruction’ wholly engaging and effective.

I am intrigued by the idea of ‘ social scaffolding ‘ (Vygotsky) – the concept that most of our learning is undertaken in group situations, where we learn through dialogue and debate with others, not simply by listening to that voice in our head! That being said, I am not talking teachers out of a classroom here.

The role of the teacher in devising and planning a successful group task takes skill, rigour and utter clarity and precision. Students need to be clear about a whole host of things: from their role, to the purpose of the task and the parameters of expected outcomes to name but a few. Teachers need to keep groups on track, intervene appropriately to improve learning and regularly regain student focus. Teachers have a pivotal role in guiding the group work at every stage.

Group work certainly isn’t the lazy option: it takes skill in the planning and the execution, and sometimes, despite our best laid plans, it still fails. That shouldn’t put us off – aren’t all teaching and learning strategies subject to such risks?

If I was to define a simple and straight-forward basis for the rules for group work it would be:

– Have clearly defined tasks, with sharp timings and with the appropriate tools organised – Have clearly defined group roles – Have clear ground rules for talk, listening and fair allocation of workload etc. – Target your support and interventions throughout the task, but make them interdependent of one another, not dependent upon you – Always be prepared to curtail group work if students don’t follow your high expectations.

So here it is, my entirely subjective top 10 strategies for group work that I believe to be effective (ideas for which I must thank a multitude of sources):

1. ‘Think-pair-share’ and ‘Think-pair-square’.

Well, no-one said this top ten had to be original! This strategy is one of those techniques that we employ so readily that we can almost forget about it, it is simply so automatic for most teachers; yet, because of that we can easily forget it in our planning. We need to use it regularly because it is the very best of scaffolded learning; it almost always facilitates better quality feedback by allowing proper thinking time and for students to sound out their ideas and receive instantaneous feedback from peers. ‘Think-pair-square’ adds a touch of added flavour, involving linking two pairs together (to form the ‘square’ to share their ideas before whole class feedback). I defer to this blog post by @headguruteacher for the skinny on ‘Think-pair-share’ here .

2. Snowballing or the Jigsaw method

Similar to the ‘square’ approach mentioned in ‘Think-Pair-Square’, the ‘snowballing’ activity is another simple but very effective way of building upon ideas by starting with small groups and expanding the groups in a structured way. As the metaphor of the snowball suggests, you can begin with an individual response to a question; followed by then pairing up students up; then creating a four and so on. It does allow for quick, flexible group work that doesn’t necessarily require much planning, but does keep shaping viewpoints and challenging ‘answers’ is a constructive fashion.

The ‘jigsaw method’ is slightly more intricate. David Didau describes here how it is the “ultimate teaching method”, but that it benefits greatly from careful planning. Put simply, when researching a topic, like the causes of the Second World War, each member of a group is allocated an area for which they need to become the ‘ expert ‘, such as ‘the impact of the Treaty of Versailles’, or ‘issues with the dissolution of Austria-Hungary’ for example. With five or six ‘ Home ‘ groups identified, the ‘ experts ‘ then leave that group to come together to pool their expertise on the one topic; they question one another and combine research, ideas and their knowledge. Then each ‘ expert ‘ returns to their ‘ home ‘ group to share their findings. It is a skilful way of varying group dynamics as well as scaffolding learning.

3. Debating (using clear rules)

As you probably know, our own inspiring leader, Michael Gove, was the President of the Oxford Union. Clearly, these ancient skills of rhetoric and debate have seen him rise to dizzying heights. Perhaps we need to teach debating with great skill if we are to produce citizens who can debate with the best of them…and with Michael Gove. The premise of a debate, and its value in enriching the learning of logic, developing understanding and the simultaneous sharpening and opening our minds, is quite obvious so I will not elaborate. If you are ever stuck for a debate topic then this website will be of great use: http://idebate.org/debatabase . The Oxford rules model is an essential model for the classroom in my view. It provides a clear structure and even a level of formality which is important, provide coherence and greater clarity to the debate. The rules, familiar steps though they are for many, are as follows:

Four speakers in each team (for and against the motion) First speaker introduces all the ideas that team has generated Second speaker outlines two or three more ideas in some depth Third speaker outlines two or three ideas in some depth Fourth speaker criticises the points made by the other team Each individual speaker has two minutes to speak (or more of course), with protected time of thirty seconds at the beginning or the end The rest of the team is the ‘ Floor ‘ and can interject at any time by calling out ‘ Point of Information ‘ and standing. The speaker can accept or reject an interjection.

You may wish to have the other groups work as feedback observers on the debate being undertaking (a little like Socratic circles – number 8 ). This has the benefit of keeping the whole class engaged and actively listening to the debate.

4. Project Based Learning/Problem Based Learning

I have to admit I have only ever undertaken project style work on a small scale, but in the last year I have been startled by the quality of work I have observed in project based learning across the world. The principals of Project Based Learning are key: such as identifying real audiences and purposes for student work (a key factor in enhancing motivation); promoting interdependent student work, often subtly guided by the teacher at most stages; letting students undertake roles and manage the attendant challenges that arise; learning is most often integrated and spans subject areas; and students constructing their own questions and knowledge. Truly the best guide is to survey these great examples:

The Innovation Unit has also produced this brilliant must-read guide to PBL in great depth here .

‘Problem based learning’ is clearly related to the project model, but it explicitly starts with a problem to be solved. It is based primarily upon the model from medicine – think Dr House (although he is hardly a team player!). David Didau sagely recommends that the teacher, or students in collaboration, find a specifically local problem – this raises the stakes of the task. Clearly, in Mathematics, real problem based learning can be a central way to approach mathematical challenges in a collaborative way; in Science or Philosophy, the options to tackle ethical and scientific problems are endless. There is criticism of this approach – that students struggle with the ‘ cognitive load’ without more of a working memory. Ideally, this learning approach follows some high quality direct instruction, and teacher led worked examples, to ensure that students have effective models to work from and some of the aforementioned working memory.

5. Group Presentations

I would ideally label this strategy: ‘ questions, questions, questions ‘ as it is all about creating, and modelling, a culture of enquiry by asking students questions about a given topic, rather than didactically telling them the answer – then helping shape their research. The teacher leads with a ‘ big question ‘; then it is taken on by groups who (given materials, such as books, magazines, essays, iPads, laptops, or access to the library or an ICT suite etc.) have to interrogate the question, forming their own sub-set of questions about the question/ topic. They then source and research the key information, before finally agreeing to the answers to the questions they had themselves formed. The crucial aspect about presentations is giving students enough time to make the presentation worthwhile, as well as allocating clear roles. High quality presentations take time to plan, research and execute.

Personally, I find the timekeeper role a waste of time (I can do that for free!), but other roles, such as leader, designer and scribe etc. have value. Also, the teaching needs to be carefully planned so the entire presentation is not reliant solely upon any one person or piece of technology. Developing a shared understanding of the outcome and the different parameters of the presentation is key: including features like banning text on PowerPoints; or making it an expectation that there is some element of audience participation; to agreeing what subject specific language should be included. The devil is in the detail!

6. ‘Devise the Display’

I have a troubled relationship with displays! I very rarely devise my own display as I think displays become wallpaper far too soon considering the effort taken to provide them – like newspapers, they become unused within days. I much prefer a ‘ working wall ‘, that can be constantly changed or updated (or a ‘learning continuum’ for an entire topic when can be periodically added to each lesson). That being said, I do think there is real high quality learning potential in the process of students devising and creating wall displays. It is great formative feedback to devise a wall display once you are well under way a topic. It makes the students identify and prioritise the key elements of their knowledge and the skills they are honing.

I find the most valuable learning is actually during the design ideas stage.You can ‘snowball’ design ideas with the students; beginning individually, before getting groups to decide collaboratively on their design; then having a whole class vote. I do include stipulations for what they must include, such as always including worked examples. Then, the sometimes chaotic, but enjoyable activity it to create the display. I always aim for the ‘ 60 Minute Makeover ‘ approach – quick and less painful (it also makes you less precious about the finer details)!

I think they also learn a whole host of valuable skills involving team work, empathy and not to annoy me by breaking our wall staplers! I think it is then important to not let any display fester and waste, but to pull it down and start afresh with a new topic. I know this strategy does put some people off, because it can be like organised chaos, but if everyone has a clear role and responsibility the results can be amazing. [Warning – some designs can look like they have been produced by Keith Richards on a spectacular acid trip!]

7. Gallery Critique

This stems from the outstanding work of on Berger. Both a teacher and a craftsman himself, Berger explains the value of critique as rich feedback in his brilliant book ‘ The Ethic of Excellence ‘. It can be used during the draft/main process or as a summative task. This strategy does have some specific protocols students should follow. The work of the whole group should be displayed in a gallery style for a short time. Students are expected to first undertake a short silent viewing (making notes to reflect is also useful here). The students make comments on the work – post it notes being ideal for this stage. Then the next step is a group discussion of ‘ what they noticed ‘ in particular, with debate and discussion encouraged – of course, the feedback should be both kind and constructive. The next step for discussion is talking about ‘ what they liked ‘, evaluating the work. The final stage has the teacher synthesise viewpoints and express their own; before ensuring students make notes and reflect upon useful observations for making improvements.

8. Socratic Talk

I have spoken about this strategy before here . What is key is that like the debating rules above, a clear and defined structure is in place, particularly with ‘ Socratic circles ‘ which embeds feedback and debate in a seamless way. It takes some skill in teaching students how to talk in this fashion, but once taught, it can become a crucial tool in the repertoire. In my experience, some of the most sensitive insights have emerged from this strategy and the listening skills encouraged are paramount and have an ongoing positive impact. It also allows for every student to have a role and quality feedback becomes an expectation.

9. Talking Triads

Another simple, but highly effective strategy. It is a strategy that gets people to explore a chosen topic, but with a really rigorous analysis of ideas and views. The triad comprises of a speaker , a questioner and a recorder/analyst . You can prepare questions, or you can get the questioner and the analyst to prepare questions whilst the speaker prepares or reflects upon potential answers. This can be done in front of the class as a gallery of sorts, or you can have all triads working simultaneously. If they do work simultaneously, then a nice addition is to raise your hand next to a particular triad, which signals for other groups to stop and listen whilst that specific triad continues, allowing for some quality listening opportunities.

10. Mastery Modelling

This involves a form of formative assessment from students, whereat the teacher gives a group a series of models, both exemplar models and lesser models, including some with common errors that students would likely identify. The students need to do a critical appraisal of the these models as a group and identify their summary assessment of the models first, before then devising and presenting a ‘mastery model’ that is a composite exemplar model of work. This strategy works in pretty much every subject, with the subject being either an essay, a piece of art, or a mathematical problem. This presentation should include an explicit focus upon the steps taken leading to create the ‘ mastery model ‘ during the feedback – this unveils the process required for mastery for the whole class.

Useful links:

A great research paper that analyses group work and its importance: ‘Toward a social pedagogy of classroom group work’ By Peter Blatchford, Peter Kutnick, Ed Baines, and Maurice Galton

An excellent National Strategies booklet from back in the day when the DfE was interested in pedagogy. I particularly like the ‘ different grouping criteria’/’size of grouping’ tables: Pedagogy and Practice: Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools Unit 10: Group work

Nice step by step guide to the implementation and the delivery of group work ‘ Implementing Group Work in the Classroom ‘

The 3Rs - Reading, writing, and research to be interested in #40

Adaptive Teaching: Scaffolds, Scale, Structure and Style

Adaptive teaching may be tricky to define, but we must define it well, and exemplify it, otherwise it will prove an empty buzzword.  I’ve tried to characterise it into broadly two types of adaptations: * Microadaptations (Corno, 2008). Sensitive, moment-to-moment adaptations responding to pupils’ learning e.g. deploying flexible grouping

The 3Rs - Reading, writing, and research to be interested in #39

Alex Quigley (The Confident Teacher) is a blog by the author, Alex Quigley - @AlexJQuigley - sharing ideas and evidence about education, teaching and learning.

Copyright © 2024 Alex Quigley. Published with Ghost and Alex Quigley .

• Effective Teaching Strategies

10 Recommendations for Improving Group Work

• September 12, 2014
• Maryellen Weimer, PhD

Many faculty now have students do some graded work in groups. The task may be, for example, preparation of a paper or report, collection and analysis of data, a presentation supported with visuals, or creation of a website. Faculty make these assignments with high expectations. They want the groups to produce quality work—better than what the students could do individually—and they want the students to learn how to work productively with others. Sometimes those expectations are realized, but most of the time there is room for improvement—sometimes lots of it. To that end, below is a set of suggestions for improving group projects. A list in the article referenced below provided a starting place for these recommendations.

• Emphasize the importance of teamwork—
• Teach teamwork skills—Most students don’t come to group work knowing how to function effectively in groups. Whether in handouts, online resources, or discussions in class, teachers need to talk about the responsibilities members have to the group (such as how sometimes individual goals and priorities must be relinquished in favor of group goals) and about what members have the right to expect from their groups. Students need strategies for dealing with members who are not doing their fair share. They need ideas about constructively resolving disagreement. They need advice on time management.
• Use team-building exercises to build cohesive groups—Members need the chance to get to know each other, and they should be encouraged to talk about how they’d like to work together. Sometimes a discussion of worst group experiences makes clear to everyone that there are behaviors to avoid. This might be followed with a discussion of what individual members need from the group in order to do their best work. Things like picking a group name and creating a logo also help create a sense of identity for the group, which in turn fosters the commitment groups need from their members in order to succeed.
• Thoughtfully consider group formation—Most students prefer forming their own groups, and in some studies these groups are more productive. In other research, students in these groups “enjoy” the experience of working together, but they don’t always get a lot done. In most professional contexts, people don’t get to choose their project partners. If the goal is for students to learn how to work with others whom they don’t know, then the teacher should form the groups. There are many ways groups can be formed and many criteria that can be used to assemble groups. Groups should be formed in a way that furthers the learning goals of the group activity.
• Make the workload reasonable and the goals clear—Yes, the task can be larger than what one individual can complete. But students without a lot of group work experience may struggle with large, complex tasks. Whatever the task, the teacher’s goals and objectives should be clear. Students shouldn’t have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what they are supposed to be doing.
• Consider roles for group members—Not all the literature recommends assigning roles, although some does. Roles can emerge on their own as members see what functions the group needs and step up to fill those roles. However, this doesn’t always happen when students are new to group work. The teacher can decide on the necessary roles and suggest them to a group with the group deciding who does what. The teacher can assign the roles, but should realize that assigning roles doesn’t guarantee that students will assume those roles. Assigned roles can stay the same or they can rotate. However they’re implemented, roles are taken more seriously if groups are required to report who filled what role in the group.
• Provide some class time for meetings—It is very hard for students to orchestrate their schedules. Part of what they need to be taught about group work is the importance of coming to meetings with an agenda—some expectation about what needs to get done. They also need to know that significant amounts of work can be done in short periods of time, provided the group knows what needs to be done next. Working online is also increasingly an option, but being able to convene even briefly in class gives groups the chance to touch base and get organized for the next steps.
• Request interim reports and group process feedback—One of the group’s first tasks ought to be the creation of a time line—what they expect to have done by when. That time line should guide instructor requests for progress reports from the group, and the reports should be supported with evidence. It’s not good enough for the group to say it’s collecting references. A list of references collected should be submitted with the report. Students should report individually on how well the group is working together, including their contributions to the group. Ask students what else could they contribute that would make the group function even more effectively.
• Require individual members to keep track of their contributions—The final project should include a report from every member identifying their contribution to the project. If two members report contributing the same thing, the teacher defers to the student who has evidence that supports what the student claims to have done.
• Include peer assessment in the evaluation process—What a student claims to have contributed to the group and its final product can also be verified with a peer assessment in which members rate or rank (or both) the contributions of others. A formative peer assessment early in the process can help members redress what the group might identify as problems they are experiencing at this stage.

Students, like the rest of us, aren’t born knowing how to work well in a group. Fortunately, it’s a skill that can be taught and learned. Teacher design and management of group work on projects can do much to ensure that the lessons students learn about working with others are the ones that will serve them well the next time they work in groups.

Reference: Hansen, R.S. (2006). Benefits and problems with student teams: Suggestions for improving team projects. Journal of Education for Business, September/October, 11-19.

Reprinted from Improving Group Projects. The Teaching Professor, 27.6 (2013): 4-5. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.

This Post Has 7 Comments

Maryellen, I don't know how you continue to "hit it out of the park" — everything you share is right on! Thanks for your dedication to helping us teach better!

Thanks. Very helpful!

Pingback: How to Effectively Improve Student Group Work

Pingback: 10 Recommendations for Improving Group Work - KidScholastic

Pingback: Spotlight on Presentations | interlochenblog

Pingback: Problems In America: Group Projects | haleyfossitt

Pingback: Another Year Over… | foundations for learning

Comments are closed.

Stay Updated with Faculty Focus!

Get exclusive access to programs, reports, podcast episodes, articles, and more!

• Opens in a new tab

Welcome Back

Username or Email

Remember Me

Already a subscriber? log in here.

• Jump to menu
• Student Home
• Accept your offer
• How to enrol
• Student ID card
• Set up your IT
• Orientation Week
• Fees & payment
• Academic calendar
• Special consideration
• Transcripts
• The Nucleus: Student Hub
• Referencing
• Essay writing
• Learning abroad & exchange
• Professional development & UNSW Advantage
• Employability
• Financial assistance
• International students
• Equitable learning
• Postgraduate research
• Health Service
• Events & activities
• Emergencies
• Volunteering
• Clubs and societies
• Accommodation
• Health services
• Sport and gym
• Arc student organisation
• Security on campus
• Maps of campus
• Careers portal
• Change password

Guide to Group Work

This page will inform you about the nature of group work, about what you should expect and the expectations teachers have of you in group learning situations.

Learning and working effectively as part of a team or group is an extremely important skill, and one that you will refine and use throughout your working life. Group projects should be among the most valuable and rewarding learning experiences. For many students, however, they are also among the most frustrating.

Here are some pointers to help you work effectively on your group tasks and assignments. These are mostly general principles that you should apply to group work here, in other courses and in the workplace.

Why we use group learning tasks

Learning in groups means that you need to share your knowledge and ideas with other students. There are two principal ways that you benefit from doing this:

• you need to think carefully about your own ideas in order to explain them to others
• you expand your own awareness by taking account of the knowledge and ideas of others.

When you work as a group on a project or assignment, then you have the opportunity to draw on the different strengths of group members, to produce a more extensive and higher quality project or assignment than you could complete on your own.

To do this effectively you need to learn group work skills, which are an extremely important part of your professional development. In most professions people are required to work in multidisciplinary project teams or teams with a responsibility for a specific task. Many professional organisations and employer groups stress the importance of interpersonal and group skills, such as communication, negotiation, problem solving, and teamwork. These skills can be as important as your subject knowledge in enabling you to be an effective professional.

This kind of group work is actually an ongoing process of generating ideas and planning as a group, working as an individual to carry out parts of that plan and then communicating as a group to draw the individual components together and plan the next step.

Skills in group work

Group work requires both interpersonal and process management skills. Group work is included in a course to provide a safe environment in which you can try out new ideas and practices and learn some group skills. Some of the skills you need to develop are outlined here, you will discover some others for yourself.

Interpersonal skills

• Building positive working relationships
• Communicating effectively in meetings
• Negotiating to agree on tasks and resolve conflicts
• Accommodating people with different cultural orientations and work habits

Process management skills

• Identifying group goals and dividing work
• Planning and complying with meeting schedules and deadlines
• Managing time to meet group expectations
• Monitoring group processes and intervening to correct problems

Interpersonal skills and considerations

• Take some time early on to chat with and get to know each of your group mates. The better you know one another and the more comfortable you are communicating with one another, the more effectively you will be able to work together. The online discussion set up for your group can be used to exchange information about backgrounds and interests as an icebreaker that elicits information that may not normally be available. The online discussion often helps people who are shy or reluctant to speak in a conversational way.
• feel comfortable voicing their opinions, and feel that these opinions will be listened to.
• feel that all group members are contributing positively to the tasks by keeping to agreed procedures and plans and producing good quality work, on time.
• feel that their feelings are being considered by team members, yet the goals and objectives of the group are not being compromised to accommodate the whim or the wants of a few members.

Make sure that you both express your views and listen to others. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with your group mates, no matter how confident they may seem to be about what they are saying. When you disagree, be constructive and focus on the issue rather than the person. Likewise when someone disagrees with you, respect what they are saying and the risk that they took in expressing their opinion. Try to find a way forward that everybody can agree to and that isn't the opinion of just one confident or outspoken member.

Managing the process

Effective group work does not happen by accident. It involves deliberate effort, and because there are many people involved it must not be left up to memory; good note taking is essential. Following these steps will help you and your group to work effectively together.

• Have clear objectives . At each stage you should try to agree on goals. These include a timetable for progress on the project as well as more immediate goals (e.g. to agree on an approach to the assignment by Friday). Each meeting or discussion should also begin with a goal in mind (e.g. to come up with a list of tasks that need to be done).
• Set ground rules . Discussions can become disorderly and can discourage shyer group members from participating if you don't have procedures in place for encouraging discussion, coming to resolution without becoming repetitive, and resolving differences of opinion. Set rules at the outset and modify them as necessary along the way. An interesting rule that one group made was that anybody who missed a meeting would buy the rest of the group a cup of coffee from the coffee shop. Nobody ever missed a meeting after that.
• Communicate efficiently . Make sure you communicate regularly with group members. Try to be clear and positive in what you say without going on or being repetitive.
• Build consensus . People work together most effectively when they are working toward a goal that they have agreed to. Ensure that everyone has a say, even if you have to take time to get more withdrawn members to say something. Make sure you listen to everyone's ideas and then try to come to an agreement that everyone shares and has contributed to.
• Define roles . Split the work to be done into different tasks that make use of individual strengths. Having roles both in the execution of your tasks and in meetings / discussions (e.g. Arani is responsible for summarising discussions, Joseph for ensuring everybody has a say and accepts resolutions etc.) can help to make a happy, effective team. See Sharing and organising work for more information.
• Clarify . When a decision is made, this must be clarified in such a way that everyone is absolutely clear on what has been agreed, including deadlines.
• Keep good records . Communicating on the online discussion for your group provides a good record of discussion. Try to summarise face-to-face discussions and especially decisions, and post them to the online discussion so that you can refer back to them. This includes lists of who has agreed to do what.
• Stick to the plan . If you agreed to do something as part of the plan, then do it. Your group are relying on you to do what you said you would do not what you felt like doing. If you think the plan should be revised, then discuss this.
• Monitor progress and stick to deadlines . As a group, discuss progress in relation to your timetable and deadlines. Make sure that you personally meet deadlines to avoid letting your group down.

Set up a contract

A useful tool to help with the steps above is a contract. Within the first week of each group task you and your group will need to negotiate and agree to a contract. In this signed agreement, you will outline what you are going to do, who is going to do what, and by when. As a guide to negotiating your group contracts a contract proforma is reproduced at the end of this document.

Sharing and organising work online

Two kinds of work must be shared: to make the team function and the task to be performed.

Making the team function

An effective team requires the following roles to work efficiently. It is useful to explicitly allocate these functions.

• Facilitator or leader (depending on context) for making sure the aims of the meeting are clarified and for summarising discussions and decisions; to ensure the meeting keeps on track and ground rules are followed.
• Note taker to keep a record of ideas that are discussed and decisions that are made and who is doing what.
• Time keeper to make sure that you discuss everything you need to in the time available for the meeting.
• Progress chaser to chase people up and make sure that the jobs get done by the time agreed and sort out problems if they are not.
• Process watcher someone who has an eye on process rather than content and can bring problems to the attention of the team. It is important to be positive in this role and not judgemental.
• Editor to compile contributions, identify gaps or overlaps, and ensure consistency in the final submission.

Sharing the task

Tasks need to be broken down into smaller parts and scheduled. Sometimes one part cannot be started until another part is finished so it may be worth drawing a simple time line.

• Consider the resources that you have and those that you will need to find.
• Define the outcome required.
• Consider how will you know when you have done it well enough?
• Divide the tasks among the team and
• Set the deadlines for the sub-tasks and times for future meetings.

Team writing

Three methods are possible (and acceptable).

• One person writes the lot -this tends to mean a narrow range of idea are used and the rest of the team don’t learn from the activity of preparing the report.
• Each person writes one bit - it is then hard to make a single coherent report and you don’t learn about much except your own section.
• Joint writing. This is the most productive way of approaching group tasks, and ensures the greatest benefits from collaboration. Eg: Each section has a writer and at least one reviewer with each team member being both a writer and a reviewer of some section. The final product should be reviewed by all team members prior to finalisation by the editor. Alternatively you can have a single writer with others editing, adding and proof reading and someone tidying up the finished report.

Check the following:

• Is the objective of the exercise clear from the report?
• Are the conclusions or recommendations clear?
• Do conclusions follow from the body of the report?
• Do the sections fit together well?
• Does the report achieve the objectives (and the assessment criteria)?
• Are the required components adequately covered?

Whichever method you use, all group members should agree on the process, and how they are going to maximise the collaborative approach to writing.

Collaborative writing

Writing collaboratively is one of the trickiest parts of group work. There are many ways to do this, and your group will have to resolve how to divide the work of writing, collating, editing and putting the final touches on your work. Writing by committee (six people crowded around a keyboard) is a recipe for conflict and lack of progress. The other extreme, where one person takes the most responsibility and ends up doing most of the work, is also unproductive and promotes resentment.

Try to divide the initial writing into tasks, and tackle these individually or in pairs. Once the first drafts of the components have been written, circulate all the components and read them. You will probably need to get together to discuss how to marry them together so that they are consistent with one another. Any members who were not involved in the initial writing can do some of this work. Then edit, improve and polish the manuscript.

Circulate the files as online discussion attachments, or set up a Google doc or Wiki for everyone to add to. If using attachments, ensure that everybody knows who has and is working on the current version; otherwise it becomes

Monitoring group effectives and overcoming problems

The checklist at the end of this document provides a list of common issues that emerge in group work. Use it regularly to identify problems before they get out of hand. If major problems and tensions do arise, use it to identify where things may be going wrong. First answer each question about yourself, then answer it about the group as a whole. Then get together as a group and discuss where each of you think there may be problems and consider how you might overcome these problems.

Group tasks and assignments may mean that marks are assigned to everybody in the group based on the result for the whole group. It is in everybody's interest to ensure an effective contribution from all group members, to make sure that the finished assignment is of high quality. Sometimes a system of peer assessment will be used to determine the relative contributions of everyone to the group process. This could be used to moderate the marks for the assignment, or simply as a way to provide feedback on your group work skills.

Teamwork checklist

Each member should complete this checklist. You will need time to reflect in order to make this a worthwhile exercise. You should complete this exercise reasonably regularly in order to monitor and improve how effectively your group is working.

• Answer each question regarding your own performance in the group.
• Answer each question regarding the rest of the group.
• Get together with your whole group and discuss where you think any problems are arising.

Discuss what you are going to do to overcome these problems.

Adapted from Scoufis (2000).

Teamwork contract

Here's an example of how you might format a group contract.

We, the members of .....(group name)..... agree to the following plan of action regarding our work toward the group assignment tasks:

(The following is a list of items you may wish to include in your contract).

Meetings and communication

• Times and places for in person meetings.
• Frequency of checks to WebCT discussion area.
• Rules and procedures during face-to-face meetings.
• Who will summarise decisions, when will he/she post them on the discussion area.

Work and deadlines

• How will the group come to agreement on a topic (what research are members expected to do before you meet / go online to discuss the topic)?
• When will you make a final decision on a topic?
• Who will write the first draft of and who will first edit each component? Deadlines.
• Who will collate the whole submission and then circulate it for the group to comment on? Deadline.
• Who will prepare and submit the final submission? Deadline.
• What happens if members don’t meet agreed-to deadlines?
• What happens if members do not contribute / come to meetings?

The agreement should be finalised within the first week. It must be signed and dated by the group members. Each member should get a copy, a copy should be posted on the discussion area and the original should be submitted to your tutor.

Acknowledgement

This document (version: BA300112) was developed by staff at the Learning and Teaching Unit at UNSW, and includes material adapted from handouts developed by faculty teaching staff at UNSW.

• Gibbs, G. (1994). Learning in Teams: A student Manual. Oxford: The Oxford Centre for Staff Development.
• Scoufis, M. (2000). Integrating Graduate Attributes into the Undergraduate Curricula. University of Western Sydney. (ISBN 1863418725).

Lectures, tutorials, group work

• Discussion skills
• ^ More support

Hexamester 3: Library 101 Webinar 8 May 2024

Scholarly Resources 4 Students | scite.ai 21 May 2024

• Utility Menu

GA4 Tracking Code

fa51e2b1dc8cca8f7467da564e77b5ea

• Make a Gift
• Join Our Email List

Many students have had little experience working in groups in an academic setting. While there are many excellent books and articles describing group processes, this guide is intended to be short and simply written for students who are working in groups, but who may not be very interested in too much detail. It also provides teachers (and students) with tips on assigning group projects, ways to organize groups, and what to do when the process goes awry.

Some reasons to ask students to work in groups

Asking students to work in small groups allows students to learn interactively. Small groups are good for:

• generating a broad array of possible alternative points of view or solutions to a problem
• giving students a chance to work on a project that is too large or complex for an individual
• allowing students with different backgrounds to bring their special knowledge, experience, or skills to a project, and to explain their orientation to others
• giving students a chance to teach each other
• giving students a structured experience so they can practice skills applicable to professional situations

Some benefits of working in groups (even for short periods of time in class)

• Students who have difficulty talking in class may speak in a small group.
• More students, overall, have a chance to participate in class.
• Talking in groups can help overcome the anonymity and passivity of a large class or a class meeting in a poorly designed room.
• Students who expect to participate actively prepare better for class.

Caveat: If you ask students to work in groups, be clear about your purpose, and communicate it to them. Students who fear that group work is a potential waste of valuable time may benefit from considering the reasons and benefits above.

Large projects over a period of time

Faculty asking students to work in groups over a long period of time can do a few things to make it easy for the students to work:

• The biggest student complaint about group work is that it takes a lot of time and planning. Let students know about the project at the beginning of the term, so they can plan their time.
• At the outset, provide group guidelines and your expectations.
• Monitor the groups periodically to make sure they are functioning effectively.
• If the project is to be completed outside of class, it can be difficult to find common times to meet and to find a room. Some faculty members provide in-class time for groups to meet. Others help students find rooms to meet in.

Forming the group

• Forming the group. Should students form their own groups or should they be assigned? Most people prefer to choose whom they work with. However, many students say they welcome both kinds of group experiences, appreciating the value of hearing the perspective of another discipline, or another background.
• Size. Appropriate group size depends on the nature of the project.  If the group is small and one person drops out, can the remaining people do the work? If the group is large, will more time be spent on organizing themselves and trying to make decisions than on productive work?
• Resources for students. Provide a complete class list, with current email addresses. (Students like having this anyway so they can work together even if group projects are not assigned.)
• Students that don't fit. You might anticipate your response to the one or two exceptions of a person who really has difficulty in the group. After trying various remedies, is there an out—can this person join another group? work on an independent project?

Organizing the work

Unless part of the goal is to give people experience in the process of goal-setting, assigning tasks, and so forth, the group will be able to work more efficiently if they are provided with some of the following:

• Clear goals. Why are they working together? What are they expected to accomplish?
• Ways to break down the task into smaller units
• Ways to allocate responsibility for different aspects of the work
• Ways to allocate organizational responsibility
• A sample time line with suggested check points for stages of work to be completed

Caveat: Setting up effective small group assignments can take a lot of faculty time and organization.

Getting Started

• Groups work best if people know each others' names and a bit of their background and experience, especially those parts that are related to the task at hand. Take time to introduce yourselves.
• Be sure to include everyone when considering ideas about how to proceed as a group. Some may never have participated in a small group in an academic setting. Others may have ideas about what works well. Allow time for people to express their inexperience and hesitations as well as their experience with group projects.
• Most groups select a leader early on, especially if the work is a long-term project. Other options for leadership in long-term projects include taking turns for different works or different phases of the work.
• Everyone needs to discuss and clarify the goals of the group's work. Go around the group and hear everyone's ideas (before discussing them) or encourage divergent thinking by brainstorming. If you miss this step, trouble may develop part way through the project. Even though time is scarce and you may have a big project ahead of you, groups may take some time to settle in to work. If you anticipate this, you may not be too impatient with the time it takes to get started.

Organizing the Work

• Break up big jobs into smaller pieces. Allocate responsibility for different parts of the group project to different individuals or teams. Do not forget to account for assembling pieces into final form.
• Develop a timeline, including who will do what, in what format, by when. Include time at the end for assembling pieces into final form. (This may take longer than you anticipate.) At the end of each meeting, individuals should review what work they expect to complete by the following session.

Understanding and Managing Group Processes

• Groups work best if everyone has a chance to make strong contributions to the discussion at meetings and to the work of the group project.
• At the beginning of each meeting, decide what you expect to have accomplished by the end of the meeting.
• Someone (probably not the leader) should write all ideas, as they are suggested, on the board, a collaborative document, or on large sheets of paper. Designate a recorder of the group's decisions. Allocate responsibility for group process (especially if you do not have a fixed leader) such as a time manager for meetings and someone who periodically says that it is time to see how things are going (see below).
• What leadership structure does the group want? One designated leader? rotating leaders? separately assigned roles?
• Are any more ground rules needed, such as starting meetings on time, kinds of interruptions allowed, and so forth?
• Is everyone contributing to discussions? Can discussions be managed differently so all can participate? Are people listening to each other and allowing for different kinds of contributions?
• Are all members accomplishing the work expected of them? Is there anything group members can do to help those experiencing difficulty?
• Are there disagreements or difficulties within the group that need to be addressed? (Is someone dominating? Is someone left out?)
• Is outside help needed to solve any problems?
• Is everyone enjoying the work?

Including Everyone and Their Ideas

Groups work best if everyone is included and everyone has a chance to contribute ideas. The group's task may seem overwhelming to some people, and they may have no idea how to go about accomplishing it. To others, the direction the project should take may seem obvious. The job of the group is to break down the work into chunks, and to allow everyone to contribute. The direction that seems obvious to some may turn out not to be so obvious after all. In any event, it will surely be improved as a result of some creative modification.

Encouraging Ideas

The goal is to produce as many ideas as possible in a short time without evaluating them. All ideas are carefully listened to but not commented on and are usually written on the board or large sheets of paper so everyone can see them, and so they don't get forgotten or lost. Take turns by going around the group—hear from everyone, one by one.

One specific method is to generate ideas through brainstorming. People mention ideas in any order (without others' commenting, disagreeing or asking too many questions). The advantage of brainstorming is that ideas do not become closely associated with the individuals who suggested them. This process encourages creative thinking, if it is not rushed and if all ideas are written down (and therefore, for the time-being, accepted). A disadvantage: when ideas are suggested quickly, it is more difficult for shy participants or for those who are not speaking their native language. One approach is to begin by brainstorming and then go around the group in a more structured way asking each person to add to the list.

Examples of what to say:

• Why don't we take a minute or two for each of us to present our views?
• Let's get all our ideas out before evaluating them. We'll clarify them before we organize or evaluate them.
• We'll discuss all these ideas after we hear what everyone thinks.
• You don't have to agree with her, but let her finish.
• Let's spend a few more minutes to see if there are any possibilities we haven't thought of, no matter how unlikely they seem.

Group Leadership

• The leader is responsible for seeing that the work is organized so that it will get done. The leader is also responsible for understanding and managing group interactions so that the atmosphere is positive.
• The leader must encourage everyone's contributions with an eye to accomplishing the work. To do this, the leader must observe how the group's process is working. (Is the group moving too quickly, leaving some people behind? Is it time to shift the focus to another aspect of the task?)
• The leader must encourage group interactions and maintain a positive atmosphere. To do this the leader must observe the way people are participating as well as be aware of feelings communicated non-verbally. (Are individuals' contributions listened to and appreciated by others? Are people arguing with other people, rather than disagreeing with their ideas? Are some people withdrawn or annoyed?)
• The leader must anticipate what information, materials or other resources the group needs as it works.
• The leader is responsible for beginning and ending on time. The leader must also organize practical support, such as the room, chalk, markers, food, breaks.

(Note: In addition to all this, the leader must take part in thc discussion and participate otherwise as a group member. At these times, the leader must be careful to step aside from the role of leader and signal participation as an equal, not a dominant voice.)

Concerns of Individuals That May Affect Their Participation

• How do I fit in? Will others listen to me? Am I the only one who doesn't know everyone else? How can I work with people with such different backgrounds and expericnce?
• Who will make the decisions? How much influence can I have?
• What do I have to offer to the group? Does everyone know more than I do? Does anyone know anything, or will I have to do most of the work myself?

Characteristics of a Group that is Performing Effectively

• All members have a chance to express themselves and to influence the group's decisions. All contributions are listened to carefully, and strong points acknowledged. Everyone realizes that the job could not be done without the cooperation and contribution of everyone else.
• Differences are dealt with directly with the person or people involved. The group identifies all disagreements, hears everyone's views and tries to come to an agreement that makes sense to everyone. Even when a group decision is not liked by someone, that person will follow through on it with the group.
• The group encourages everyone to take responsibility, and hard work is recognized. When things are not going well, everyone makes an effort to help each other. There is a shared sense of pride and accomplishment.

Focusing on a Direction

After a large number of ideas have been generated and listed (e.g. on the board), the group can categorize and examine them. Then the group should agree on a process for choosing from among the ideas. Advantages and disadvantages of different plans can be listed and then voted on. Some possibilities can be eliminated through a straw vote (each group member could have 2 or 3 votes). Or all group members could vote for their first, second, and third choices. Alternatively, criteria for a successful plan can be listed, and different alternatives can be voted on based on the criteria, one by one.

Categorizing and evaluating ideas

• We have about 20 ideas here. Can we sort them into a few general categories?
• When we evaluate each others' ideas, can we mention some positive aspects before expressing concerns?
• Could you give us an example of what you mean?
• Who has dealt with this kind of problem before?
• What are the pluses of that approach? The minuses?
• We have two basic choices. Let's brainstorm. First let's look at the advantages of the first choice, then the disadvantages.
• Let's try ranking these ideas in priority order. The group should try to come to an agreement that makes sense to everyone.

Making a decision

After everyone's views are heard and all points of agreement and disagreement are identified, the group should try to arrive at an agreement that makes sense to everyone.

• There seems to be some agreement here. Is there anyone who couldn't live with solution #2?
• Are there any objections to going that way?
• You still seem to have worries about this solution. Is there anything that could be added or taken away to make it more acceptable? We're doing fine. We've agreed on a great deal. Let's stay with this and see if we can work this last issue through.
• It looks as if there are still some major points of disagreement. Can we go back and define what those issues are and work on them rather than forcing a decision now.

How People Function in Groups

If a group is functioning well, work is getting done and constructive group processes are creating a positive atmosphere. In good groups the individuals may contribute differently at different times. They cooperate and human relationships are respected. This may happen automatically or individuals, at different times, can make it their job to maintain the atmospbere and human aspects of the group.

Roles That Contribute to the Work

Initiating —taking the initiative, at any time; for example, convening the group, suggesting procedures, changing direction, providing new energy and ideas. (How about if we.... What would happen if... ?)

Seeking information or opinions —requesting facts, preferences, suggestions and ideas. (Could you say a little more about... Would you say this is a more workable idea than that?)

Giving information or opinions —providing facts, data, information from research or experience. (ln my experience I have seen... May I tell you what I found out about...? )

Questioning —stepping back from what is happening and challenging the group or asking other specific questions about the task. (Are we assuming that... ? Would the consequence of this be... ?)

Clarifying —interpreting ideas or suggestions, clearing up confusions, defining terms or asking others to clarify. This role can relate different contributions from different people, and link up ideas that seem unconnected. (lt seems that you are saying... Doesn't this relate to what [name] was saying earlier?)

Summarizing —putting contributions into a pattern, while adding no new information. This role is important if a group gets stuck. Some groups officially appoint a summarizer for this potentially powerful and influential role. (If we take all these pieces and put them together... Here's what I think we have agreed upon so far... Here are our areas of disagreement...)

Roles That Contribute to the Atmosphere

Supporting —remembering others' remarks, being encouraging and responsive to others. Creating a warm, encouraging atmosphere, and making people feel they belong helps the group handle stresses and strains. People can gesture, smile, and make eye-contact without saying a word. Some silence can be supportive for people who are not native speakers of English by allowing them a chance to get into discussion. (I understand what you are getting at...As [name] was just saying...)

Observing —noticing the dynamics of the group and commenting. Asking if others agree or if they see things differently can be an effective way to identify problems as they arise. (We seem to be stuck... Maybe we are done for now, we are all worn out... As I see it, what happened just a minute ago.. Do you agree?)

Mediating —recognizing disagreements and figuring out what is behind the differences. When people focus on real differences, that may lead to striking a balance or devising ways to accommodate different values, views, and approaches. (I think the two of you are coming at this from completely different points of view... Wait a minute. This is how [name/ sees the problem. Can you see why she may see it differently?)

Reconciling —reconciling disagreements. Emphasizing shared views among members can reduce tension. (The goal of these two strategies is the same, only the means are different… Is there anything that these positions have in common?)

Compromising —yielding a position or modifying opinions. This can help move the group forward. (Everyone else seems to agree on this, so I'll go along with... I think if I give in on this, we could reach a decision.)

Making a personal comment —occasional personal comments, especially as they relate to the work. Statements about one's life are often discouraged in professional settings; this may be a mistake since personal comments can strengthen a group by making people feel human with a lot in common.

Humor —funny remarks or good-natured comments. Humor, if it is genuinely good-natured and not cutting, can be very effective in relieving tension or dealing with participants who dominate or put down others. Humor can be used constructively to make the work more acceptable by providing a welcome break from concentration. It may also bring people closer together, and make the work more fun.

All the positive roles turn the group into an energetic, productive enterprise. People who have not reflected on these roles may misunderstand the motives and actions of people working in a group. If someone other than the leader initiates ideas, some may view it as an attempt to take power from the leader. Asking questions may similarly be seen as defying authority or slowing down the work of the group. Personal anecdotes may be thought of as trivializing the discussion. Leaders who understand the importance of these many roles can allow and encourage them as positive contributions to group dynamics. Roles that contribute to the work give the group a sense of direction and achievement. Roles contributing to the human atmosphere give the group a sense of cooperation and goodwill.

Some Common Problems (and Some Solutions)

Floundering —While people are still figuring out the work and their role in the group, the group may experience false starts and circular discussions, and decisions may be postponed.

• Here's my understanding of what we are trying to accomplish... Do we all agree?
• What would help us move forward: data? resources?
• Let's take a few minutes to hear everyone's suggestions about how this process might work better and what we should do next.

Dominating or reluctant participants —Some people might take more than their share of the discussion by talking too often, asserting superiority, telling lengthy stories, or not letting others finish. Sometimes humor can be used to discourage people from dominating. Others may rarely speak because they have difficulty getting in the conversation. Sometimes looking at people who don't speak can be a non-verbal way to include them. Asking quiet participants for their thoughts outside the group may lead to their participation within the group.

• How would we state the general problem? Could we leave out the details for a moment? Could we structure this part of the discussion by taking turns and hearing what everyone has to say?
• Let's check in with each other about how the process is working: Is everyone contributing to discussions? Can discussions be managed differently so we can all participate? Are we all listening to each other?

Digressions and tangents —Too many interesting side stories can be obstacles to group progress. It may be time to take another look at the agenda and assign time estimates to items. Try to summarize where the discussion was before the digression. Or, consider whether there is something making the topic easy to avoid.

• Can we go back to where we were a few minutes ago and see what we were trying to do ?
• Is there something about the topic itself that makes it difficult to stick to?

Getting Stuck —Too little progress can get a group down. It may be time for a short break or a change in focus. However, occasionally when a group feels that it is not making progress, a solution emerges if people simply stay with the issue.

• What are the things that are helping us solve this problem? What's preventing us from solving this problem?
• I understand that some of you doubt whether anything new will happen if we work on this problem. Are we willing to give it a try for the next fifteen minutes?

Rush to work —Usually one person in the group is less patient and more action-oriented than the others. This person may reach a decision more quickly than the others and then pressure the group to move on before others are ready.

• Are we all ready-to make a decision on this?
• What needs to be done before we can move ahead?
• Let's go around and see where everyone stands on this.

Feuds —Occasionally a conflict (having nothing to do with the subject of the group) carries over into the group and impedes its work. It may be that feuding parties will not be able to focus until the viewpoint of each is heard. Then they must be encouraged to lay the issue aside.

• So, what you are saying is... And what you are saying is... How is that related to the work here?
• If we continue too long on this, we won't be able to get our work done. Can we agree on a time limit and then go on?

For more information...

James Lang, " Why Students Hate Group Projects (and How to Change That) ," The Chronicle of Higher Education (17 June 2022).

Hodges, Linda C. " Contemporary Issues in Group Learning in Undergraduate Science Classrooms: A Perspective from Student Engagement ,"  CBE—Life Sciences Education  17.2 (2018): es3.

• Designing Your Course
• A Teaching Timeline: From Pre-Term Planning to the Final Exam
• The First Day of Class
• Group Agreements
• Classroom Debate
• Flipped Classrooms
• Leading Discussions
• Polling & Clickers
• Problem Solving in STEM
• Teaching with Cases
• Engaged Scholarship
• Devices in the Classroom
• Beyond the Classroom
• On Professionalism
• Getting Feedback
• Equitable & Inclusive Teaching
• Advising and Mentoring
• Teaching and Your Career
• Teaching Remotely
• Tools and Platforms
• The Science of Learning
• Bok Publications
• Other Resources Around Campus

How Do I Facilitate Effective Group Work?

Successful group work is characterized by trust, psychological safety, clarity of expectations, and good communication; being in the same location while working is not essential to group effectiveness (Duhigg, 2016; Kelly, 2008; Salmons, 2019). Below we offer strategies and examples that work for short-term collaborative group work (e.g., discussions in an online, hybrid/flexible, or in-person class) and long-term collaborative assignments (e.g., group projects), ending with additional considerations for long-term collaborative work.

STRATEGIES & EXAMPLES

Provide opportunities to develop connection and trust.

Engage students with community building activities.  Groups work best when students feel connected and trust each other. Brief  icebreaker activities  are fun and allow students to get to know each other before delving into group work. If using a video conferencing platform such as Zoom or Echo360, ask students to type a word or emoji about how they are doing into the chat, or during in-person classes students can share this orally or via an audience response system. Let students practice group work in  Moodle  or  Blackboard  with some low-stakes group assignments.

Create group norms.  In the first few weeks of class, create participation norms that all students agree upon as a class or within their small groups. Discuss with students how certain social identities (e.g., women in STEM, transgender students) can be unintentionally marginalized during group work as a justification for creating norms around respectful and inclusive communication (Oakley, Felder, Brent, & Elhajj, 2004). Vary the groupings of students so that students can meet other students and hear different perspectives, particularly in the first weeks of class. Refer back to the agreed-upon norms when conflict arises.

Proactively check in with groups.  It’s important to pay attention to both process and the accomplished task. As you drop into groups during class time or consult with groups in office hours, note who does and does not speak; consider asking questions about process such as who is generating ideas and how they know everyone is on board with these ideas. Check in individually with quieter students. Remember, how you address group functioning models how they should interact with each other (Kelly, 2008).

(Over)communicate and Reinforce Expectations

Communicate the purpose.  Communicate in writing and orally the skills students will develop by the end of their group work experience and why this is a valuable task or project to do in groups (as opposed to individually). You might ask students to connect skills they will learn to their personal goals and describe how they will know if they’ve developed these skills apart from your feedback.

Describe the tasks.  In writing, describe the tasks in detail, including steps in the process with due dates/deadlines, resources needed, technology for communication, and expectations for group work. This means giving students clear topics, questions, deliverables, or goals for group work. Consider assigning rotating task roles such as discussion director, connector, summarizer, recorder, and reporter (Kennedy & Nilson, 2008). Create a space online for students to submit questions which are publicly answered for all to see; this can become an  FAQ forum . At the end of group work, have groups submit something that demonstrates their engagement with the task for a small amount of points, such as group decisions, remaining questions, or discussion notes.

Clarify the criteria.  Communicate specific details about how student work generated in groups will be assessed (i.e., rubrics, exemplars, grading scheme). Use positive, “do this” language rather than negative, “don’t do this” language when possible. Show examples that typify important or challenging aspects of the work with narrations (i.e., on video or in a commented document) of what makes the work exemplar.

Additional Tips for Long-term Collaborative Projects

Be sure students have a communication plan.  This can be specified as part of their group norms and processes at the beginning of the project. In addition, be clear how and when groups should communicate with you, where and in what format they should submit materials, and what to do if they encounter a problem.

Break apart the project into phases or milestones with clear deliverables at each stage.  Clearly specify how and where students should turn in work (i.e., online or in person), and use this format consistently for all deliverables.

Have students periodically check in about their group process and report back on their process.  At the beginning of the project, ask students to identify how they want to work together, what their expectations are for each other, and what collaborative tools the group wants to use. Have them post their group norms in an online forum. Include a requirement for a  "team effectiveness discussion"  or evaluation (self or peer) after students have some time to work together (e.g., 2nd milestone; See  Oakley et al. 2004  for a “Crisis Clinic” guide). Allow them to adjust norms and set goals for the next phase of group work.

Clearly connect homework, lectures, or other learning activities to the group project.  For example, after learning new concepts, students might be asked to turn in a brief “Application memo” which connects course content to their group project. An online session might end with an “Integrate it” discussion among group members to integrate new learning into their project. Homework might be called “Project Prep.” Name activities by their purpose so that students see the relevance and utility of each activity more easily.

Foster cross-group peer review.  Students will appreciate hearing what other groups are doing and can get ideas for their own projects. For example, have students share their milestones or group work with another group and have them record questions and feedback in a collaborative document. Review that document to provide feedback to the entire class, saving you from giving feedback to each group. Peer review can also be done as a workshop or group assignment activity in the LMS. 

Please contact the CTL with any questions or for more details about the examples shared at  [email protected] . For support with collaborative technology, email  [email protected] .

For questions on your LMS, Google, and other educational technology contact IDEAS at [email protected]

Duhigg, C. (2016, February 25).  What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team . The New York Times.

Kelly, R. (2008, August 11).  Creating trust in online education ,  Faculty Focus.

Kennedy, F. A., and Nilson, L. B. (2008).  Successful strategies for teams. Team Member Handbook .  Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, Clemson University.

Oakley, B., Felder, R. M., Brent, R., & Elhajj, I. (2004).  Turning student groups into effective teams .  Journal of Student Centered Learning, 2 (1), pp. 9-34.

Salmons, J. (2019).  Learning to collaborate, collaborating to learn: Engaging students in the classroom and online . Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Image by Armin Rimoldi for Pexels.

RELATED TOPICS

How Do I Increase Student Engagement with Participation Agreements?

Students engage and participate when there is a class climate in which they feel safe, supported, and encouraged to express their thoughts, values, experiences, and perspectives.

How Do I Use Note Catchers to Support Group Work and Collaborative Note Taking?

Note catchers, shared collaborative documents accessed in real time, keep students focused and help you monitor online or in-person group work.

How Do I Navigate Hot Moments in the Classroom?

Strategies for navigating and managing yourself during hot moments during class discussions, and helping students process conflict.

How Do I Support Students with Compassion and Empathy?

Faculty can support student learning by designing courses to include compassion, communicating often, and connecting students to wellbeing resources on campus.

• Consultations
• MAP Program
• Departmental Administration of Forward FOCUS
• Forward FOCUS Frequently Asked Questions
• Implementing and Modifying Forward FOCUS
• Identifying and Responding to Pinch Points
• Using Forward FOCUS to Design Forward
• Alternative Grading
• Listen to Learn
• ChatGPT and Generative AI Discussion Group: Navigating the Future of Teaching and Learning
• Lilly Fellows Stories
• Lilly Fellowship Current Fellows
• Lilly Fellowship Past Fellows
• TIDE Ambassadors Fellowship Cohorts
• Contemplative Pedagogy Past Programming
• Contemplative Pedagogy Resources
• UMass Courses Taught with Contemplative Pedagogy
• SoTL Professional Development Award
• SoTL Working Group
• SoTL Conference Calendar
• SoTL Sprint
• How Do I...?
• Inclusive Syllabus Design
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Faculty Successes
• Building Belonging
• Talk Teaching
• Equity Action Plan Instructional Resources
• Teach Week 2024
• Gather to Grade
• Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning
• 2021-2022 Highlights
• 2022-2023 Highlights
• Periodic Multi-Year Review (PMYR) Grant
• Previous DTA Winners
• DTA Frequently Asked Questions
• Tips for Writing a Teaching Statement
• Previous COTA Winners
• Step-by-Step Guide on How to Submit Materials for the Manning Prize 2023
• Collaborative Grants
• CTLs in Context

Library Connect

Tips for an effective start to group assignments

• by The Library
• posted November 26, 2020

In the excitement of starting a group assignment, it can be easy to overlook how you’re going to work together as a team.

Below are 3 tips that might help smooth the path to a successful group assignment.  At your first group meeting, all group members should:

• Swap contact details and times each person is available, then set realistic goals together
• Decide group roles and assignment writing roles based on the skills of your team members
• Decide what the process is if someone is not performing as agreed

For more help on getting started with group assignments, check out the  Group Projects  and  Assignment Preparation  pages on the  Library website .

Meeting on campus? The Library has  bookable spaces  that your group can use. Alternatively, you can meet online in Microsoft Teams—if you need help with Teams, more information and support is available here.

Subscribe to Library Connect via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address

Show posts about:

Or search via keyword:.

Privacy plan Copyright matters CRICOS  Provider - 00233E TEQSA – PRV12076

Gold Coast Logan Brisbane – Australia

First Peoples of Australia

Center for Teaching

Group work: using cooperative learning groups effectively.

Many instructors from disciplines across the university use group work to enhance their students’ learning. Whether the goal is to increase student understanding of content, to build particular transferable skills, or some combination of the two, instructors often turn to small group work to capitalize on the benefits of peer-to-peer instruction. This type of group work is formally termed cooperative learning, and is defined as the instructional use of small groups to promote students working together to maximize their own and each other’s learning (Johnson, et al., 2008).

Cooperative learning is characterized by positive interdependence, where students perceive that better performance by individuals produces better performance by the entire group (Johnson, et al., 2014). It can be formal or informal, but often involves specific instructor intervention to maximize student interaction and learning. It is infinitely adaptable, working in small and large classes and across disciplines, and can be one of the most effective teaching approaches available to college instructors.

What can it look like?

What’s the theoretical underpinning, is there evidence that it works.

• What are approaches that can help make it effective?

Informal cooperative learning groups In informal cooperative learning, small, temporary, ad-hoc groups of two to four students work together for brief periods in a class, typically up to one class period, to answer questions or respond to prompts posed by the instructor.

Additional examples of ways to structure informal group work

Think-pair-share

The instructor asks a discussion question. Students are instructed to think or write about an answer to the question before turning to a peer to discuss their responses. Groups then share their responses with the class.

Peer Instruction

This modification of the think-pair-share involves personal responses devices (e.g. clickers). The question posted is typically a conceptually based multiple-choice question. Students think about their answer and vote on a response before turning to a neighbor to discuss. Students can change their answers after discussion, and “sharing” is accomplished by the instructor revealing the graph of student response and using this as a stimulus for large class discussion. This approach is particularly well-adapted for large classes.

In this approach, groups of students work in a team of four to become experts on one segment of new material, while other “expert teams” in the class work on other segments of new material. The class then rearranges, forming new groups that have one member from each expert team. The members of the new team then take turns teaching each other the material on which they are experts.

Formal cooperative learning groups

In formal cooperative learning students work together for one or more class periods to complete a joint task or assignment (Johnson et al., 2014). There are several features that can help these groups work well:

• The instructor defines the learning objectives for the activity and assigns students to groups.
• The groups are typically heterogeneous, with particular attention to the skills that are needed for success in the task.
• Within the groups, students may be assigned specific roles, with the instructor communicating the criteria for success and the types of social skills that will be needed.
• Importantly, the instructor continues to play an active role during the groups’ work, monitoring the work and evaluating group and individual performance.
• Instructors also encourage groups to reflect on their interactions to identify potential improvements for future group work.

This video shows an example of formal cooperative learning groups in David Matthes’ class at the University of Minnesota:

There are many more specific types of group work that fall under the general descriptions given here, including team-based learning , problem-based learning , and process-oriented guided inquiry learning .

The use of cooperative learning groups in instruction is based on the principle of constructivism, with particular attention to the contribution that social interaction can make. In essence, constructivism rests on the idea that individuals learn through building their own knowledge, connecting new ideas and experiences to existing knowledge and experiences to form new or enhanced understanding (Bransford, et al., 1999). The consideration of the role that groups can play in this process is based in social interdependence theory, which grew out of Kurt Koffka’s and Kurt Lewin’s identification of groups as dynamic entities that could exhibit varied interdependence among members, with group members motivated to achieve common goals. Morton Deutsch conceptualized varied types of interdependence, with positive correlation among group members’ goal achievements promoting cooperation.

Lev Vygotsky extended this work by examining the relationship between cognitive processes and social activities, developing the sociocultural theory of development. The sociocultural theory of development suggests that learning takes place when students solve problems beyond their current developmental level with the support of their instructor or their peers. Thus both the idea of a zone of proximal development, supported by positive group interdependence, is the basis of cooperative learning (Davidson and Major, 2014; Johnson, et al., 2014).

Cooperative learning follows this idea as groups work together to learn or solve a problem, with each individual responsible for understanding all aspects. The small groups are essential to this process because students are able to both be heard and to hear their peers, while in a traditional classroom setting students may spend more time listening to what the instructor says.

Cooperative learning uses both goal interdependence and resource interdependence to ensure interaction and communication among group members. Changing the role of the instructor from lecturing to facilitating the groups helps foster this social environment for students to learn through interaction.

David Johnson, Roger Johnson, and Karl Smith performed a meta-analysis of 168 studies comparing cooperative learning to competitive learning and individualistic learning in college students (Johnson et al., 2006). They found that cooperative learning produced greater academic achievement than both competitive learning and individualistic learning across the studies, exhibiting a mean weighted effect size of 0.54 when comparing cooperation and competition and 0.51 when comparing cooperation and individualistic learning. In essence, these results indicate that cooperative learning increases student academic performance by approximately one-half of a standard deviation when compared to non-cooperative learning models, an effect that is considered moderate. Importantly, the academic achievement measures were defined in each study, and ranged from lower-level cognitive tasks (e.g., knowledge acquisition and retention) to higher level cognitive activity (e.g., creative problem solving), and from verbal tasks to mathematical tasks to procedural tasks. The meta-analysis also showed substantial effects on other metrics, including self-esteem and positive attitudes about learning. George Kuh and colleagues also conclude that cooperative group learning promotes student engagement and academic performance (Kuh et al., 2007).

Springer, Stanne, and Donovan (1999) confirmed these results in their meta-analysis of 39 studies in university STEM classrooms. They found that students who participated in various types of small-group learning, ranging from extended formal interactions to brief informal interactions, had greater academic achievement, exhibited more favorable attitudes towards learning, and had increased persistence through STEM courses than students who did not participate in STEM small-group learning.

The box below summarizes three individual studies examining the effects of cooperative learning groups.

What are approaches that can help make group work effective?

Preparation

Articulate your goals for the group work, including both the academic objectives you want the students to achieve and the social skills you want them to develop.

Determine the group conformation that will help meet your goals.

• In informal group learning, groups often form ad hoc from near neighbors in a class.
• In formal group learning, it is helpful for the instructor to form groups that are heterogeneous with regard to particular skills or abilities relevant to group tasks. For example, groups may be heterogeneous with regard to academic skill in the discipline or with regard to other skills related to the group task (e.g., design capabilities, programming skills, writing skills, organizational skills) (Johnson et al, 2006).
• Groups from 2-6 are generally recommended, with groups that consist of three members exhibiting the best performance in some problem-solving tasks (Johnson et al., 2006; Heller and Hollabaugh, 1992).
• To avoid common problems in group work, such as dominance by a single student or conflict avoidance, it can be useful to assign roles to group members (e.g., manager, skeptic, educator, conciliator) and to rotate them on a regular basis (Heller and Hollabaugh, 1992). Assigning these roles is not necessary in well-functioning groups, but can be useful for students who are unfamiliar with or unskilled at group work.

Choose an assessment method that will promote positive group interdependence as well as individual accountability.

• In team-based learning, two approaches promote positive interdependence and individual accountability. First, students take an individual readiness assessment test, and then immediately take the same test again as a group. Their grade is a composite of the two scores. Second, students complete a group project together, and receive a group score on the project. They also, however, distribute points among their group partners, allowing student assessment of members’ contributions to contribute to the final score.
• Heller and Hollabaugh (1992) describe an approach in which they incorporated group problem-solving into a class. Students regularly solved problems in small groups, turning in a single solution. In addition, tests were structured such that 25% of the points derived from a group problem, where only those individuals who attended the group problem-solving sessions could participate in the group test problem.  This approach can help prevent the “free rider” problem that can plague group work.
• The University of New South Wales describes a variety of ways to assess group work , ranging from shared group grades, to grades that are averages of individual grades, to strictly individual grades, to a combination of these. They also suggest ways to assess not only the product of the group work but also the process.  Again, having a portion of a grade that derives from individual contribution helps combat the free rider problem.

Helping groups get started

Explain the group’s task, including your goals for their academic achievement and social interaction.

Explain how the task involves both positive interdependence and individual accountability, and how you will be assessing each.

Assign group roles or give groups prompts to help them articulate effective ways for interaction. The University of New South Wales provides a valuable set of tools to help groups establish good practices when first meeting. The site also provides some exercises for building group dynamics; these may be particularly valuable for groups that will be working on larger projects.

Monitoring group work

Regularly observe group interactions and progress , either by circulating during group work, collecting in-process documents, or both. When you observe problems, intervene to help students move forward on the task and work together effectively. The University of New South Wales provides handouts that instructors can use to promote effective group interactions, such as a handout to help students listen reflectively or give constructive feedback , or to help groups identify particular problems that they may be encountering.

Assessing and reflecting

In addition to providing feedback on group and individual performance (link to preparation section above), it is also useful to provide a structure for groups to reflect on what worked well in their group and what could be improved. Graham Gibbs (1994) suggests using the checklists shown below.

The University of New South Wales provides other reflective activities that may help students identify effective group practices and avoid ineffective practices in future cooperative learning experiences.

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., and Cocking, R.R. (Eds.) (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school . Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Bruffee, K. A. (1993). Collaborative learning: Higher education, interdependence, and the authority of knowledge. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Cabrera, A. F., Crissman, J. L., Bernal, E. M., Nora, A., Terenzini, P. T., & Pascarella, E. T. (2002). Collaborative learning: Its impact on college students’ development and diversity. Journal of College Student Development, 43 (1), 20-34.

Davidson, N., & Major, C. H. (2014). Boundary crossing: Cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and problem-based learning. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25 (3&4), 7-55.

Dees, R. L. (1991). The role of cooperative leaning in increasing problem-solving ability in a college remedial course. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 22 (5), 409-21.

Gokhale, A. A. (1995). Collaborative Learning enhances critical thinking. Journal of Technology Education, 7 (1).

Heller, P., and Hollabaugh, M. (1992) Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 2: Designing problems and structuring groups. American Journal of Physics 60, 637-644.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Smith, K.A. (2006). Active learning: Cooperation in the university classroom (3 rd edition). Edina, MN: Interaction.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Holubec, E.J. (2008). Cooperation in the classroom (8 th edition). Edina, MN: Interaction.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Smith, K.A. (2014). Cooperative learning: Improving university instruction by basing practice on validated theory. Journl on Excellence in College Teaching 25, 85-118.

Jones, D. J., & Brickner, D. (1996). Implementation of cooperative learning in a large-enrollment basic mechanics course. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference Proceedings.

Kuh, G.D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J., Bridges, B., and Hayek, J.C. (2007). Piecing together the student success puzzle: Research, propositions, and recommendations (ASHE Higher Education Report, No. 32). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Love, A. G., Dietrich, A., Fitzgerald, J., & Gordon, D. (2014). Integrating collaborative learning inside and outside the classroom. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25 (3&4), 177-196.

Smith, M. E., Hinckley, C. C., & Volk, G. L. (1991). Cooperative learning in the undergraduate laboratory. Journal of Chemical Education 68 (5), 413-415.

Springer, L., Stanne, M. E., & Donovan, S. S. (1999). Effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 96 (1), 21-51.

Uribe, D., Klein, J. D., & Sullivan, H. (2003). The effect of computer-mediated collaborative learning on solving ill-defined problems. Educational Technology Research and Development, 51 (1), 5-19.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Teaching Guides

• Online Course Development Resources
• Principles & Frameworks
• Pedagogies & Strategies
• Reflecting & Assessing
• Challenges & Opportunities
• Populations & Contexts

Quick Links

• Services for Departments and Schools
• Examples of Online Instructional Modules

University of Bridgeport News

7 Strategies for Taking Group Projects by Storm

It’s day one of the new semester, and you see it…staring ominously from the syllabus, it lurks in eager waiting…haunting unlit corners of your lecture hall, the beast inches closer every class until one day, it strikes — sinking its teeth in. No silver tokens or wooden stakes will save you now. It’s time for mandatory group projects.

For even the most scholarly students, the mere suggestion of a group project can send shivers down the spine. These projects plague the mind with many questions. What if I get stuck with someone who does nothing? Will communication break down into a chaotic mess of emojis? And, sometimes, above all else, why do I have to do this?

So, fellow Purple Knights, let’s turn that stress into success — equip yourself with these 7 strategies to help you make the most of group assignments.

1. Acknowledge your anxiety and self-assess

Let’s take a moment to commemorate the ghosts of group projects past. Remember that paper from history class? The one on the American Revolution? Your whole team was supposed to write it, yet your group dedicated more time to scrolling through TikTok than typing. Oh, and how about that PowerPoint presentation for your accounting class? You know, the one nobody pulled their weight on, shaving a few precious points off your final grade?

Although you should never begin a group project with the attitude that failure is inevitable, being honest with yourself about any anxiety you feel helps repurpose the stress of past projects into lessons with future applicability.

So, when you see a group assignment on your syllabus, don’t panic. Instead, ask yourself a few questions, such as:

• What were some issues I encountered during previous group projects?
• How could these issues have been avoided or addressed?
• Did I give the project my all and contribute to the best of my ability?
• What did I learn about the subject I was studying?
• What did I learn about working with a group?
• More specifically, what did I learn about how I work with others?

If this self-assessment only serves to raise more questions, consider talking to your instructor or visiting the Academic Success Center . Expressing your concern about group work, and consulting with supportive and experienced professionals, can help you kickstart your collaboration with confidence.

2. Assemble your A-Team

Now that your head is in the game, it’s time to assemble the A-Team! Whether your group is self-selected or pre-assigned, first things first — for a cohesive collaboration, every teammate must cooperate.

Think of it like building a boat. Each crewmate takes on a different, albeit pivotal, role to ensure the ship will stay afloat. While some people lay floor plans and foundations, others gather materials, create sails, or complete safety assessments. Although every team member has their own purview, everyone must cooperate to achieve a common goal. If one person drops the ball, the vessel might not be seaworthy. The same goes for your group project — without joint effort, your crew may flounder in the face of challenges.

To take the helm, create team roles with the project’s guidelines in mind. Weigh the academic expectations with the skills and strengths of your teammates. Does one partner have a head for facts and figures? Group Researcher , reporting for duty! How about the group member with an eye for design? PowerPoint Coordinator may be the perfect fit!

Scenario snapshot

You and your best friend want to be in the same group for an English presentation. They’re a stand-up pal and astute problem-solver, but they often slack off on assignments. Let’s turn procrastination into collaboration. How can you help establish a healthy group dynamic without boxing out your bestie? 

3. Planning is power

Collaborating on an assignment isn’t as simple as casting roles for each group member. You will also need a plan of attack outlining what must be done (and when).

During your initial group meeting, roll up your sleeves to brainstorm ideas and generate timelines for the different components of your project. To keep all the most vital information in an accessible location, utilize project management tools like Google Docs or Trello — providing a clear, shared resource teammates can refer to when working independently.

What would you do?

It’s been two weeks, and one of your group mates still hasn’t opened the shared document outlining their role and the project schedule. They were attentive when your team first met to discuss the presentation, but you’re concerned the assignment has fallen from their radar. How can you address your concerns?

At University of Bridgeport, your personal and professional success is our priority. Learn more about our comprehensive support services today!  

4. keep up communication.

Determining guidelines for group check-ins is essential to success. Whether you’re meeting in person or virtually, it’s critical to establish when, where, and how your team will update one another.

You may even consider setting parameters for your group pow-wows. How long should each check-in last? Should one teammate have the floor during each meeting, or will everyone provide updates? Agreeing on these expectations can facilitate smooth sailing ahead.

Your four-person biology group includes a pair of close friends. Each time your team meets to discuss the project, the duo brings little to the table, filling most of the hour with fits of giggly gossip.

The last group check-in was the biggest bust yet — extending an hour longer than the agreed-upon time due to constant distractions and derailments. The following afternoon, your third partner privately messaged you, expressing the same frustrations you’re feeling. How can you and your partner constructively address this issue with your other teammates?

5. Be fair and flexible…

When collaborating with classmates, it’s crucial to remember that   is difficult. With academic, personal, and professional demands competing for space, everybody has more than one ball in the air. If someone on your team needs an extension for their part of an assignment, show grace and understanding — most people are doing their best to meet all the expectations tossed their way, and a little leniency can go a long way.

6. …but remember to set boundaries

Flexibility may be paramount, but have you ever flexed too far? If you’re always happy to go with the flow, your willingness to bend could cause your group to break. If you and your teammates are always cleaning up after one partner, burnout will ensue — potentially leading to an underwhelming final project.

If you have a teammate who isn’t pulling their weight, it’s time to set boundaries and reiterate your group’s agreed-upon expectations. If you’re uncomfortable breaching the topic, consult with your professor. Even if they expect you to start the conversation on your own, they can offer support and strategies for addressing conflicts in your group. Moreover, communicating these concerns keeps your instructor in the loop about your team’s progress.

Last month, you were randomly assigned to group for your nursing project. You were pleasantly surprised by how well it was going — at least, at first. Over the past few weeks, one of your partners has missed every meeting due to a personal problem. While they didn’t disclose the specifics, they’ve missed three deadlines and have been completely incommunicado.

With the deadline quickly approaching, you and your other teammates are starting to sweat. What could you do to help your team overcome this challenge?

7. Celebrate success

Group projects are full of peaks and valleys alike. When you hit “submit” and the game is over, take some time to acknowledge your dedicated team. Collaborative assignments can present an invaluable opportunity to connect with classmates, learn from each other, and create something truly impressive.

While the anxiety of an impending group project can be overwhelming, don’t let it overshadow the fact that these ventures can be rewarding and, dare we say, enjoyable experiences. Furthermore, in our increasingly interconnected world, nurturing your collaborative aptitude provides you with a career-ready skill — sought after by employers across all industries.

At University of Bridgeport, #UBelong. Begin your UB journey today — learn more about becoming a Purple Knight !

• Assignments , Group Work

Strategies for Designing More Effective Group Work Assignments

• By Ike Shibley, PhD
• January 2, 2018

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

• Tags: group work , group work strategies

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Related Articles

2718 Dryden Drive Madison, WI 53704 1-800-433-0499

Magna Publications © 2024 All rights reserved

Are you signed up for free weekly Teaching Professor updates?

You'll get notified of the newest articles..

June 7-9, 2024 • New Orleans

Connect with fellow educators at the teaching professor conference.

• Basics for GSIs
• Advancing Your Skills

Group Work: Design Guidelines

by Shannon McCurdy, PhD, Physics

See also Group Work: Techniques

Learning Objectives How to Form Groups Group Size and Duration The Structure of Group Work Fostering Group Interaction Tips for Formulating Productive Group-Work Assignments

Learning Objectives

There are many learning objectives that can be achieved by having students collaborate either in pairs or in small groups. ( Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful resource for formulating your learning objectives.) In groups, students can

• summarize main points
• review problems for exams
• compare and contrast knowledge, ideas, or theories
• solve problems
• evaluate class progress or levels of skill and understanding

Think about your goals for the activity: what do you want your students to get out of their participation?

How to Form Groups

Small groups or learning teams can be formed in four ways: randomly, teacher-selected, by seat proximity, or student-selected. Random and teacher-selected group assignments avoid cliques and ensure that students interact with different classmates throughout the semester.

Once you know your students fairly well, teacher selection can be useful for grouping students. Consider selecting groups or pairs with varying strengths and skill levels, since research has shown that groups of problem solvers with diverse skills consistently out-perform groups of problem solvers who are highly skilled in the same way (Page, 2007, cited in Davis, 2009, 194).

You may also want to consider using your students’ attitudes toward group work as a mechanism to help you create groups. Take a one-question survey, or add this question to the initial survey you use at the beginning of the semester:

Which of the following best describes your experience of group work?

• I like group work because my group helps me learn.
• I question the value of group work because in the past I’ve ended up doing all the work.
• I have little or no experience working in groups.
• I have different experience of group work than the choices above. (Please explain.)

Those who check “B” can be put into a group of their own. They might find this to be the first time they are really challenged and satisfied by group work (adapted from Byrnes and Byrnes, 2009).

Group Size and Duration

Group size can vary, as can the length of time that students work together. Pairing is great for thirty-second or one-minute problem solving. Groups that work together for ten to 45 minutes might include four or five people. (If there are more than four or five, some members will stop participating). Groups can be formal or informal. Informal groups may be ad-hoc dyads (where each student turns to a neighbor) or ten-minute “buzz groups” (in which three to four students discuss their reactions to a reading assignment). Formal group assignments can serve semester-long group projects.

In large groups it is useful to assign roles within each group (examples: recorder, reporter to the class, timekeeper, monitor, or facilitator). If students are not used to working in groups, establishing some community agreements  with the class about respectful interaction before the first activity can foster positive and constructive communication.

It is useful to arrange the students in groups before giving them instructions for the group activity, since the physical movement in group formation tends to be distracting.

The Structure of Group Work

Successful group work activities require a highly structured task. Structure the task to promote interdependence for creating a group product. Create an activity for which it is truly advantageous for students to work together. Make this task clear to students by writing specific instructions on the board or on a worksheet. Include in your instructions:

• The learning objective: Why are the students doing this? What will they gain from it? How does it tie into the rest of the course?
• The specific task: “Decide,” “List,” “Prioritize,” “Solve,” “Choose.” (“Discuss” is too vague.)
• The expected product: For example, reporting back to the class; handing in a sheet of paper; distributing a list of questions to the class.
• The time allotment: Set a time limit. Err on the side of too little rather than too much. You can decide to give more time if necessary.
• The method of reporting out; that is, of sharing group results with the class. Reporting out is useful for accomplishing closure. Closure is critical to the learning process. Students need to feel that the group-work activity added to their knowledge, skills, abilities, etc. Summary remarks from you can help to weave together the comments, products, and ideas generated by the small groups. However, group-work activity can also be concluded effectively by inviting individual students to synthesize the class’s overarching findings in the activity.

If your group work consists of a set of short problems for students to work through, as often happens in science and mathematics courses, there are many ways to structure the activity. Here are a few ideas, with some advantages and disadvantages.

You can give the whole class a single problem . Break into groups to solve it, then come back as a class and discuss the problem — either by having groups report out or by leading the discussion yourself. Then repeat.

• Advantages: You know everyone is exposed to the correct way of thinking about things, so there is good closure for each problem.
• Disadvantages: Potentially too much idle time for faster groups. This method can be very slow, so less material can be covered.

You can give each group a different problem  and have the groups report solutions back to the class.

• Advantages : Students get some practice teaching as well as good exposure to problems and solutions.
• Disadvantages : Students don’t get to practice as much problem solving.

You can give each group a different problem , have them solve it, and then have these groups split up and re-form in such a way that each new group has someone experienced with each of the problems. Then they can explain the solutions to each other.

• Advantages : Students get a lot of practice explaining, as well as good exposure to problems.
• Disadvantages : Students don’t get to practice many different problems.

You can give the whole class a set of problems  and discuss the set of problems with each group.

• Advantages : Students work through more problems without significant idle time. You can address difficulties specific to each group.
• Disadvantages : You may end up repeating yourself a lot. You also may be spread too thin, especially if several groups are stuck at the same time. If this happens, call the class back together when you find that all the groups are having difficulties at the same place.

Fostering Group Interaction

During group work, as tempting as it may be, do not disengage from your class and sit at the front of the room! Circulate and listen to your students. Are they on task, or are they talking about their weekend plans? Are students understanding the concepts and the assignment, or are they all stuck and confused? Do they have questions for you? Pull up a chair and join each group for a while.

On implementing group work for the first time in their section, some GSIs find that the students fall awkwardly silent when the GSI walks by or listens to their discussion. This is only temporary, and it should stop once your students are familiar with you and the group-work format. Because unfamiliarity drives this reaction, it is good to implement group work very early in the semester and to use it often in your section.

When a student in a group asks you a question, the natural reflex is to answer it. That’s your job, isn’t it? Well, not exactly — it’s lower on the list than empowering students to find answers to the questions they ask. Frequently a student asking a question hasn’t discussed it with the group yet and is not aware that members of the group either know the answer or have enough information to figure it out together. So especially early on, when your class is forming group-work habits, it is important not to answer questions — at least not at first. Instead, ask the other group members how they would approach the question. If no one in the group has an idea, you can either give the group a start on how to answer it, consult with a different group on the question, or answer the question yourself. (The latter is best considered a last resort.) Following this pattern will foster group interactions, and soon students will only ask you questions after they have discussed them with their group.

Tips for Formulating Productive Group-Work Assignments

• Make sure you have specific and descriptive assignments. For example, instead of “Discuss projectile motion,” try “Solve for the final velocity of the projectile.” Instead of “Discuss the use of clickers in the classroom,” say “Analyze two cases and list criteria to evaluate the use of clickers in each one.” Giving specific group work helps students engage more deeply with content and helps them stay on task.
• Ask questions that have more than one answer. (This may not work for all disciplines.) Students can then generate a variety of possible answers, explore what is involved with each, and evaluate them in comparison with the other answers.
• Make the material that groups will analyze short — maybe just a short paragraph or a few sentences. Present it via handout, document camera, chalkboard, or another medium that all can easily see. Frequently, if groups have longer passages to analyze, their work goes well beyond the time-frame the GSI intends.
• If the material is longer, provide concrete lines of questioning that are displayed prominently or handed out. This helps keep group work within the scale and time frame the GSI anticipates and reduces frustration.
• Vary the format of the tasks. For example, on one day students might generate the questions they want to analyze; on another students may give arguments or provide evidence for or against a position or theory.

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

• Annotated Bibliography
• Analyzing a Scholarly Journal Article
• Group Presentations
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• Types of Structured Group Activities
• Group Project Survival Skills
• Leading a Class Discussion
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Works
• Writing a Case Analysis Paper
• Writing a Case Study
• About Informed Consent
• Writing Field Notes
• Writing a Policy Memo
• Writing a Reflective Paper
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Generative AI and Writing
• Acknowledgments

A group project is a cooperative learning assignment that requires students to work with peer group members to plan, discuss, and complete a specific project, often over the course of an entire semester. The project can be a research paper, an in-class oral presentation, an out-of-class study project, or research contributed as part of a larger class project involving multiple student groups . The purpose is to prepare students to work collaboratively in order to develop the intellectual and social skills needed to examine research problems from a variety of perspectives, to communicate effectively with their peers, and to evaluate and resolve issues on their own with support from other group members.

Burke, Alison. “Group Work: How to Use Groups Effectively.” The Journal of Effective Teaching 11 (2011): 87-95; Colbeck, Carol L., Susan E. Campbell, and Stefani A. Bjorklund. “Grouping in the Dark: What College Students Learn from Group Projects.” The Journal of Higher Education 71 (January - February, 2000): 60-83; Using Group Projects Effectively. Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University; Williams, Katherine. Group Work Benefits and Examples. Study.com.

Benefits of Group Work

As stressful as it can be, group work can actually be beneficial in the long run because it closely parallels the dynamics of serving on a committee, participating in a task force, or working on a collaborative project found in most professional workplace settings. Whatever form the group assignment takes in your course, the opportunity to work with others, rather than on your own, can provide distinct benefits. These include:

• Increased productivity and performance -- groups that work well together can achieve much more than individuals working on their own. A broader range of skills can be applied to practical activities and the process of sharing and discussing ideas can play a pivotal role in deepening your understanding of the research problem. This process also enhances opportunities for applying strategies of critical inquiry and creative or radical problem-solving to an issue.
• Skills development -- being part of a team will help you develop your interpersonal skills. This can include expressing your ideas clearly, listening carefully to others, participating effectively in group deliberations, and clearly articulating to group members t he results of your research . Group work can also help develop collaborative skills, such as, team-based leadership and effectively motivating others. These skills will be useful throughout your academic career and all are highly sought after by employers.
• Knowing more about yourself -- working with others will help identify your own strengths and weaknesses in a collaborative context. For example, you may be a better leader than listener, or, you might be good at coming up with the 'big idea' but not so good at developing a specific plan of action. Enhanced self-awareness about the challenges you may have in working with others will enhance overall learning experiences. Here again, this sense about yourself will be invaluable when you enter the workforce.

Colbeck, Carol L., Susan E. Campbell, and Stefani A. Bjorklund. “Grouping in the Dark: What College Students Learn from Group Projects.” The Journal of Higher Education 71 (January - February, 2000): 60-83; Collaborative Learning/Learning with Peers. Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College; Golde, Chris M. Tips for Successful Writing Groups. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Presented November, 1994; Updated November, 1996 at Association for the Study of Higher Education; Howard, Rebecca Moore. "Collaborative Pedagogy." In Composition Pedagogies: A Bibliographic Guide . Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper, and Kurt Schick, eds. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 54-71; Thom, Michael. "Are Group Assignments Effective Pedagogy or a Waste of Time? A Review of the Literature and Implications for Practice." Teaching Public Administration 38 (2020): 257-269;

Stages of Group Work

I.  Getting Started

To ensure that your group gets off to a good start, it may be beneficial to:

• Take time for all members to introduce themselves, including name, background, and stating specific strengths in contributing to the overall goals of the assignment.
• Nominate or vote to have someone act as the group leader or facilitator or scheduler. If the burden might be too great, consider deciding to rotate this responsibility among all group members.
• Exchange current contact information, such as, email addresses, social media information, and cell phone numbers.
• Consider creating an online workspace account to facilitate discussions, editing documents, sharing files, exchanging ideas, and to manage a group calendar. There are many free online platforms available for this type of work such as Google docs.

II.  Discussing Goals and Tasks

After you and the other members of the group agree about how to approach the assignment, take time to make sure everyone understands what it is they will need to achieve. Consider the following:

• What are the goals of the assignment? Develop a shared understanding of the assignment's expected learning outcomes to ensure that everyone knows what their role is supposed to be within the group.
• Note when the assignment is due [or when each part is due] so that everyone is on the same schedule and any potential conflicts with assignment due dates in other classes can be addressed ahead of time by each members of the group.
• Discuss how you are going to specifically meet the requirements of the assignment. For example, if the assignment is to write a sample research grant, what topic are you going to research and what organizations would you solicit funding from?
• If your professor allows considerable flexibility in pursuing the goals of the assignment, it often helps to brainstorm a number of ideas and then assess the merits of each one separately. As a group, reflect upon the following questions: How much do you know about this topic already? Is the topic interesting to everyone? If it is not interesting to some, they may not be motivated to work as hard as they might on a topic they found interesting. Can you do a good job on this topic in the available time? With the available people? With the available resources? How easy or hard would it be to obtain good information on the topic? [ NOTE:   Consult with a librarian before assuming that information may be too difficult to find!].

III.  Planning and Preparation

This is the stage when your group should plan exactly what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and determine who should do what. Pay attention to the following:

• Work together to break the project up into separate tasks and decide on the tasks or sub-tasks each member is responsible for. Make sure that work is equally distributed among each member of the group.
• Agree on the due-dates for completing each task, keeping in mind that members will need time to review any draft documents and the group must have time at the end to pull everything together.
• Develop mechanisms for keeping in touch, meeting periodically, and the preferred methods for sharing information. Discuss and identify any potential stumbling blocks that may arise that could hinder your work [e.g., mid-terms].

NOTE:   Try to achieve steps 1, 2, and 3 in a group meeting that is scheduled as soon as possible after you have received the assignment and your group has been formed. The sooner these preliminary tasks are agreed upon, the sooner each group member can focus on their particular responsibilities.

IV.  Implementation

While each member carries out their individual tasks, it is important to preserve your group's focus and sense of purpose. Effective communication is vital, particularly when your group activity extends over an extended period of time. Here are some tips to promote good communication:

• Keep in touch with each other frequently, reporting progress regularly. When the group meets for the first time, think about about setting up a regular day and time for people to report on their progress [either in-person or online].
• If someone is having trouble completing his or her area of responsibility, work with that person to figure out how to solve the problem. Be supportive and helpful, but don't offer to do other people's work.
• At the same time, make it clear that the group is depending on everyone to do their part; all group members should agree that it is detrimental to everyone in the group for one person to show up at the last minute without his or her work done.

V.  Finishing Up

Be sure to leave enough time to put all the pieces together before the group project is due and to make sure nothing has been forgotten [e.g., someone forgot to correct a chart or a page is missing]. Synthesizing each group member's work usually requires some negotiation and, collectively, overcoming any existing obstacles towards completion. Technically, this can be done online, but it is better to meet in person to ensure that everyone is actively involved in the process.

If your group has to give a presentation about the results of their research, go through the same process--decide who is going to do what and give everyone enough time to prepare and practice ahead of time [preferably together]. At this point before the assignment is due, it is vital to ensure that you pay particular attention to detail, tie up any loose ends, and review the research project together as a team rather than just looking over individual contributions.

VI.  Writing Up Your Project

Writing the group report can be challenging; it is critical that you leave enough time for this final stage. If your group decided to divide responsibility for drafting sections, you will need to nominate a member of the group [if not done so already] to bring everything together so that the narrative flows well and isn't disjointed. Make it their assignment rather than assigning that person to also write a section of the report. It is best to choose whomever in your group is the best writer because careful copy editing at this stage is essential to ensure that the final document is well organized and logically structured.

Focus on the following:

• Have all the writers in your group use the same writing style [e.g., verb tense, diction or word choice, tone, voice, etc.]?
• Are there smooth transitions between individual sections?
• Are the citations to sources, abbreviations, and non-textual elements [charts, graphs, tables, etc.] consistent?

Barkley, Elizabeth F., Claire Howell Major, and K. Patricia Cross. Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty . 2nd edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2014; Boud, David, Ruth Cohen, and Jane Sampson, editors. Peer Learning in Higher Education: Learning from and with Each Other . Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2001; Collaborative Learning/Learning with Peers. Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College; Espey, Molly. "Enhancing Critical Thinking using Team-Based Learning." Higher Education Research and Development 37 (2018): 15-29; Howard, Rebecca Moore. "Collaborative Pedagogy." In Composition Pedagogies: A Bibliographic Guide . Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper, and Kurt Schick, eds. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000). 54-71; INDOT Group Work and Report Planning Handout. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Working in Groups. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra; Working in Groups. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Group Writing. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Golde, Chris M. Tips for Successful Writing Groups. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Presented November, 1994; Updated November, 1996 at Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Meeting Places

Where Your Group Meets Matters!

Choosing where to you meet can have as much of an impact on your group's overall success as how well you communicate and work together. When your group is first formed, be sure to set aside some time to discuss and come to an agreement about where to meet in the future. Obviously, convenience has a lot to do with your possible choices. However, discussions of where to meet should also focus on identifying a space that's comfortable, easily accessible to everyone, and does not have any distractions, such as, the smell of food from nearby, heavy foot traffic, or constant noise,

Places that meet all of these conditions are the collaborative workrooms in the East Asian Library of Doheny or the group study spaces in the Lower Computer Commons of Leavey Library or on the second floor of Leavey Library. These rooms can seat anywhere from 4 to 10 people and all have dry erase boards and power and network connectivity. Most rooms also have large monitors with laptop connections that your group can use to display a presentation, document, spreadsheet, or other information that is the focus of your collaborative work. Note that these rooms are very popular, especially towards the end of the semester, so schedule early and be courteous in promptly cancelling your reservation so others may use the room. Finally, if everyone agrees that meeting in person is not crucial, a meeting to discuss the group's activities can be conducted over Zoom or other video conferencing platform.

Bilandzic, Mark and Marcus Foth. "Libraries as Coworking Spaces: Understanding User Motivations and Perceived Barriers to Social Learning," Library Hi Tech 31 (2013): 254-273.

• << Previous: Grading Someone Else's Paper
• Next: Types of Structured Group Activities >>
• Last Updated: Mar 6, 2024 1:00 PM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/assignments

• Our Mission

5 Tips for Making Group Work Manageable

Encourage small-group effectiveness by clarifying the task, focusing on production, modeling successful behavior, monitoring progress, time, and noise, and building community.

When teachers ask students to work on a task in groups, they issue an invitation for engagement and, potentially, for chaos! Here are five tips that can help encourage productivity and keep mayhem at bay.

1. Be clear and specific about the task.

There’s nothing more frustrating than launching group work and seeing ten hands in the air or (worse) hearing students complain to one another, "What are we supposed to do?" If possible, limit initial verbal explanations to a general overview of the task and process. Then, provide crystal clear, detailed electronic or paper-based directions to each student in the group. Anticipate potential questions and areas of confusion by using a checklist format, providing visuals, or recording instructions for groups to listen to on iPads (this is particularly helpful if you have English learners in your class). Consider instituting a "1-2-3, Then Me" format in which students get one minute to read the directions silently, two minutes to discuss the directions with one another or with other groups, and three minutes to plan their approach to the task before they can ask you for assistance.

2. Make production the outcome.

Putting students in groups to simply "discuss" is a recipe for disaster. If students have to work toward producing something to turn in, present, or share with another group, they are less likely to linger in off-task conversations. Products should require all group members' participation or contributions. This might involve a graffiti-like poster in the middle of the table on which everyone records ideas, or a graphic organizer that every student completes. If each student is doing his or her own version of the task, announce that you'll be collecting one paper per group, to be revealed at the end of the activity. When time is up, use random criteria, such as "person in the group with the shortest hair" or "person with the birthday closest to the teacher's" to determine whose paper it will be.

3. Model successful transitions and interactions.

Show (don't just tell ) students the basic mechanics that are critical to success in your classroom. Maybe it's how to move between stations, the process for using a discussion strategy, or how to talk during a "think-pair-share." Devote the first few weeks of class to conducting dry runs (i.e., students moving from place to place, students retrieving and returning materials, students using technology appropriately, etc.). Use volunteers to act out example and non-example conversations with "elbow partners." Post or provide sentence frames as scaffolds for group dialogue. This kind of up-front investment will pay off when students are able to move, transition, and converse efficiently.

4. Monitor progress, time, and noise.

Make students partners, if not primary agents, in keeping tabs on their progress, the time, and the noise level. If groups are producing something tangible, they (and you) can see what they have left to do. Use a decibel reader app (e.g., Decibel 10th , a free app by SkyPaw Co. Ltd), or launch a site like Bouncy Balls (from Google Chrome) for visually appealing ways to gauge the volume of the room. Track time with an online digital stopwatch or another easy-to-see timer. (Try this fun five-minute countdown timer from YouTube.) Make sure to give students less time than you think they need in order to build a sense of urgency. Check in when time is running low to see if groups require more. ("Fist to five -- how many more minutes do you need?") If some groups finish before others, have a next-step question or task ready for students to tackle.

5. Incorporate community builders.

Sometimes group work falters simply because students don't know, like, or respect one another -- yet. Full-class community-building activities are critical; but smaller, deliberately planted, group-level bonding moments also reap rich rewards in helping groups gel, release tension, and exercise courtesy. This might involve using an opening prompt like, "Before you start, share your favorite ice cream flavors," or asking students to fist bump each other as they complete each step of the task. Consider displaying fun anchor questions for students to discuss once they are finished. Anchor questions keep students from drifting into uncharted work or conversations, while providing a structure that lets students stretch beyond the content to discover connections with one another. They can be related to the content or task (e.g., "Where have you seen this topic portrayed in real life or in the media?") or appeal to general interests (e.g., "If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?").

Teachers are more likely to design and implement meaningful group activities when they have the management strategies to do so. Taking the proactive steps like those we've described can enhance engagement while curbing the chaos.

Group Writing

What this handout is about.

Whether in the academic world or the business world, all of us are likely to participate in some form of group writing—an undergraduate group project for a class, a collaborative research paper or grant proposal, or a report produced by a business team. Writing in a group can have many benefits: multiple brains are better than one, both for generating ideas and for getting a job done. However, working in a group can sometimes be stressful because there are various opinions and writing styles to incorporate into one final product that pleases everyone. This handout will offer an overview of the collaborative process, strategies for writing successfully together, and tips for avoiding common pitfalls. It will also include links to some other handouts that may be especially helpful as your group moves through the writing process.

Disclaimer and disclosure

As this is a group writing handout, several Writing Center coaches worked together to create it. No coaches were harmed in this process; however, we did experience both the pros and the cons of the collaborative process. We have personally tested the various methods for sharing files and scheduling meetings that are described here. However, these are only our suggestions; we do not advocate any particular service or site.

The spectrum of collaboration in group writing

All writing can be considered collaborative in a sense, though we often don’t think of it that way. It would be truly surprising to find an author whose writing, even if it was completed independently, had not been influenced at some point by discussions with friends or colleagues. The range of possible collaboration varies from a group of co-authors who go through each portion of the writing process together, writing as a group with one voice, to a group with a primary author who does the majority of the work and then receives comments or edits from the co-authors.

Group projects for classes should usually fall towards the middle to left side of this diagram, with group members contributing roughly equally. However, in collaborations on research projects, the level of involvement of the various group members may vary widely. The key to success in either case is to be clear about group member responsibilities and expectations and to give credit (authorship) to members who contribute an appropriate amount. It may be useful to credit each group member for their various contributions.

Overview of steps of the collaborative process

Here we outline the steps of the collaborative process. You can use these questions to focus your thinking at each stage.

• Share ideas and brainstorm together.
• Formulate a draft thesis or argument .
• Think about your assignment and the final product. What should it look like? What is its purpose? Who is the intended audience ?
• Decide together who will write which parts of the paper/project.
• What will the final product look like?
• Arrange meetings: How often will the group or subsets of the group meet? When and where will the group meet? If the group doesn’t meet in person, how will information be shared?
• Scheduling: What is the deadline for the final product? What are the deadlines for drafts?
• How will the group find appropriate sources (books, journal articles, newspaper articles, visual media, trustworthy websites, interviews)? If the group will be creating data by conducting research, how will that process work?
• Who will read and process the information found? This task again may be done by all members or divided up amongst members so that each person becomes the expert in one area and then teaches the rest of the group.
• Think critically about the sources and their contributions to your topic. Which evidence should you include or exclude? Do you need more sources?
• Analyze the data. How will you interpret your findings? What is the best way to present any relevant information to your readers-should you include pictures, graphs, tables, and charts, or just written text?
• Note that brainstorming the main points of your paper as a group is helpful, even if separate parts of the writing are assigned to individuals. You’ll want to be sure that everyone agrees on the central ideas.
• Where does your individual writing fit into the whole document?
• Writing together may not be feasible for longer assignments or papers with coauthors at different universities, and it can be time-consuming. However, writing together does ensure that the finished document has one cohesive voice.
• Talk about how the writing session should go BEFORE you get started. What goals do you have? How will you approach the writing task at hand?
• Many people find it helpful to get all of the ideas down on paper in a rough form before discussing exact phrasing.
• Remember that everyone has a different writing style! The most important thing is that your sentences be clear to readers.
• If your group has drafted parts of the document separately, merge your ideas together into a single document first, then focus on meshing the styles. The first concern is to create a coherent product with a logical flow of ideas. Then the stylistic differences of the individual portions must be smoothed over.
• Revise the ideas and structure of the paper before worrying about smaller, sentence-level errors (like problems with punctuation, grammar, or word choice). Is the argument clear? Is the evidence presented in a logical order? Do the transitions connect the ideas effectively?
• Proofreading: Check for typos, spelling errors, punctuation problems, formatting issues, and grammatical mistakes. Reading the paper aloud is a very helpful strategy at this point.

Helpful collaborative writing strategies

Attitude counts for a lot.

Group work can be challenging at times, but a little enthusiasm can go a long way to helping the momentum of the group. Keep in mind that working in a group provides a unique opportunity to see how other people write; as you learn about their writing processes and strategies, you can reflect on your own. Working in a group inherently involves some level of negotiation, which will also facilitate your ability to skillfully work with others in the future.

Remember that respect goes along way! Group members will bring different skill sets and various amounts and types of background knowledge to the table. Show your fellow writers respect by listening carefully, talking to share your ideas, showing up on time for meetings, sending out drafts on schedule, providing positive feedback, and taking responsibility for an appropriate share of the work.

Start early and allow plenty of time for revising

Getting started early is important in individual projects; however, it is absolutely essential in group work. Because of the multiple people involved in researching and writing the paper, there are aspects of group projects that take additional time, such as deciding and agreeing upon a topic. Group projects should be approached in a structured way because there is simply less scheduling flexibility than when you are working alone. The final product should reflect a unified, cohesive voice and argument, and the only way of accomplishing this is by producing multiple drafts and revising them multiple times.

Plan a strategy for scheduling

One of the difficult aspects of collaborative writing is finding times when everyone can meet. Much of the group’s work may be completed individually, but face-to-face meetings are useful for ensuring that everyone is on the same page. Doodle.com , whenisgood.net , and needtomeet.com are free websites that can make scheduling easier. Using these sites, an organizer suggests multiple dates and times for a meeting, and then each group member can indicate whether they are able to meet at the specified times.

It is very important to set deadlines for drafts; people are busy, and not everyone will have time to read and respond at the last minute. It may help to assign a group facilitator who can send out reminders of the deadlines. If the writing is for a co-authored research paper, the lead author can take responsibility for reminding others that comments on a given draft are due by a specific date.

Submitting drafts at least one day ahead of the meeting allows other authors the opportunity to read over them before the meeting and arrive ready for a productive discussion.

Find a convenient and effective way to share files

There are many different ways to share drafts, research materials, and other files. Here we describe a few of the potential options we have explored and found to be functional. We do not advocate any one option, and we realize there are other equally useful options—this list is just a possible starting point for you:

• Email attachments. People often share files by email; however, especially when there are many group members or there is a flurry of writing activity, this can lead to a deluge of emails in everyone’s inboxes and significant confusion about which file version is current.
• Google documents . Files can be shared between group members and are instantaneously updated, even if two members are working at once. Changes made by one member will automatically appear on the document seen by all members. However, to use this option, every group member must have a Gmail account (which is free), and there are often formatting issues when converting Google documents back to Microsoft Word.
• Dropbox . Dropbox.com is free to join. It allows you to share up to 2GB of files, which can then be synched and accessible from multiple computers. The downside of this approach is that everyone has to join, and someone must install the software on at least one personal computer. Dropbox can then be accessed from any computer online by logging onto the website.
• Common server space. If all group members have access to a shared server space, this is often an ideal solution. Members of a lab group or a lab course with available server space typically have these resources. Just be sure to make a folder for your project and clearly label your files.

Note that even when you are sharing or storing files for group writing projects in a common location, it is still essential to periodically make back-up copies and store them on your own computer! It is never fun to lose your (or your group’s) hard work.

Try separating the tasks of revising and editing/proofreading

It may be helpful to assign giving feedback on specific items to particular group members. First, group members should provide general feedback and comments on content. Only after revising and solidifying the main ideas and structure of the paper should you move on to editing and proofreading. After all, there is no point in spending your time making a certain sentence as beautiful and correct as possible when that sentence may later be cut out. When completing your final revisions, it may be helpful to assign various concerns (for example, grammar, organization, flow, transitions, and format) to individual group members to focus this process. This is an excellent time to let group members play to their strengths; if you know that you are good at transitions, offer to take care of that editing task.

Your group project is an opportunity to become experts on your topic. Go to the library (in actuality or online), collect relevant books, articles, and data sources, and consult a reference librarian if you have any issues. Talk to your professor or TA early in the process to ensure that the group is on the right track. Find experts in the field to interview if it is appropriate. If you have data to analyze, meet with a statistician. If you are having issues with the writing, use the online handouts at the Writing Center or come in for a face-to-face meeting: a coach can meet with you as a group or one-on-one.

Immediately dividing the writing into pieces

While this may initially seem to be the best way to approach a group writing process, it can also generate more work later on, when the parts written separately must be put together into a unified document. The different pieces must first be edited to generate a logical flow of ideas, without repetition. Once the pieces have been stuck together, the entire paper must be edited to eliminate differences in style and any inconsistencies between the individual authors’ various chunks. Thus, while it may take more time up-front to write together, in the end a closer collaboration can save you from the difficulties of combining pieces of writing and may create a stronger, more cohesive document.

Procrastination

Although this is solid advice for any project, it is even more essential to start working on group projects in a timely manner. In group writing, there are more people to help with the work-but there are also multiple schedules to juggle and more opinions to seek.

Being a solo group member

Not everyone enjoys working in groups. You may truly desire to go solo on this project, and you may even be capable of doing a great job on your own. However, if this is a group assignment, then the prompt is asking for everyone to participate. If you are feeling the need to take over everything, try discussing expectations with your fellow group members as well as the teaching assistant or professor. However, always address your concerns with group members first. Try to approach the group project as a learning experiment: you are learning not only about the project material but also about how to motivate others and work together.

Waiting for other group members to do all of the work

If this is a project for a class, you are leaving your grade in the control of others. Leaving the work to everyone else is not fair to your group mates. And in the end, if you do not contribute, then you are taking credit for work that you did not do; this is a form of academic dishonesty. To ensure that you can do your share, try to volunteer early for a portion of the work that you are interested in or feel you can manage.

Leaving all the end work to one person

It may be tempting to leave all merging, editing, and/or presentation work to one person. Be careful. There are several reasons why this may be ill-advised. 1) The editor/presenter may not completely understand every idea, sentence, or word that another author wrote, leading to ambiguity or even mistakes in the end paper or presentation. 2) Editing is tough, time-consuming work. The editor often finds himself or herself doing more work than was expected as they try to decipher and merge the original contributions under the time pressure of an approaching deadline. If you decide to follow this path and have one person combine the separate writings of many people, be sure to leave plenty of time for a final review by all of the writers. Ask the editor to send out the final draft of the completed work to each of the authors and let every contributor review and respond to the final product. Ideally, there should also be a test run of any live presentations that the group or a representative may make.

Entirely negative critiques

When giving feedback or commenting on the work of other group members, focusing only on “problems” can be overwhelming and put your colleagues on the defensive. Try to highlight the positive parts of the project in addition to pointing out things that need work. Remember that this is constructive feedback, so don’t forget to add concrete, specific suggestions on how to proceed. It can also be helpful to remind yourself that many of your comments are your own opinions or reactions, not absolute, unquestionable truths, and then phrase what you say accordingly. It is much easier and more helpful to hear “I had trouble understanding this paragraph because I couldn’t see how it tied back to our main argument” than to hear “this paragraph is unclear and irrelevant.”

Writing in a group can be challenging, but it is also a wonderful opportunity to learn about your topic, the writing process, and the best strategies for collaboration. We hope that our tips will help you and your group members have a great experience.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Cross, Geoffrey. 1994. Collaboration and Conflict: A Contextual Exploration of Group Writing and Positive Emphasis . Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Ede, Lisa S., and Andrea Lunsford. 1990. Singular Texts/Plural Authors: Perspectives on Collaborative Writing . Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.

Speck, Bruce W. 2002. Facilitating Students’ Collaborative Writing . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

Group Coaching: 20+ Activities for Successful Group Sessions

As a coach, group coaching allows you to expand your reach and help more people in less time.

For your clients, it provides an opportunity to connect with others pursuing similar goals and learn from the experiences of like-minded people.

So, if you’ve been thinking about making the move to group coaching, why wait?

In this blog post, we’ll explore a range of impactful techniques developed by expert coaches around the world, which you can use to craft insightful and engaging group sessions for your clients today.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

How to coach in groups: 3 tips, top 3 techniques used by group coaches, ideas and topics for your sessions, 10 questions to ask your clients, 2 best group coaching activities and exercises, organizing your session: 2 useful templates, online group coaching: best software & platform, helpful tools from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Whether you’re working with individuals or in groups, some coaching skills will stay the same. For instance, the ability to stay focused on a client’s goals, maintain flexibility, and practice active listening are critical skills that remain central in any coaching context (Britton, 2009).

Nonetheless, group coaching is its own beast, with its own set of critical skills and competencies that a coach must master. Here are three that are arguably among the most important:

• Ensuring confidentiality Communicating expectations about confidentiality, while important in a one-on-one coaching relationship, is especially critical for all group coaching work. In short, group members should be made aware that “What’s said within the group, stays within the group” (Britton, 2009, p. 73).
• Crafting opportunities for collaboration Effective group coaches are skilled at tapping into the group’s wisdom to drive discussion rather than driving the conversation themselves. Therefore, be intentional about structuring group activities to facilitate peer-to-peer interaction, such as by breaking out into small groups of two to five (Britton, 2009).
• Combating groupthink with clever questions Any form of group discussion, particularly in the context of executive and professional coaching , is vulnerable to a phenomenon known as groupthink . Groupthink refers to “the tendency for cohesive groups to become so concerned about group solidarity that they fail to critically and realistically evaluate their decisions and antecedent assumptions” (Park, 1990, p. 229).

For instance, unlike in one-on-one coaching, there is a need to integrate the different perspectives and experiences of group members to make each group member feel listened to and understood.

Here are just three techniques that many group coaches note as being particularly helpful:

• Express sincere belief in those you are coaching

As a group coach, you must check your cynicism and frustration at the door before commencing any group session. Instead, communicate an authentic belief in your group and its capabilities.

For instance, you might express this belief by positioning yourself as an ally in helping the group uncover the knowledge or answers that you know they already possess, rather than as the group’s ‘guide’ (Britton, 2013).

• Brainstorming

The foundational technique of brainstorming has broad applicability in a group coaching context. To brainstorm, simply provide your group members with a question or prompt, invite them to offer responses, and write them down.

Brainstorming, in this context, can be helpful for everything from establishing a coaching focus and anticipating opportunities or challenges to determining a plan of action (Britton, 2013).

• The Delphi technique

Commonly used in professional contexts and as an alternative to brainstorming, the Delphi technique helps groups systematically arrive at a consensus.

In short, the process begins with a facilitator defining a particular problem, and then over the course of multiple rounds, group members provide their views on the issue anonymously. The group then undergoes a process of systematically identifying commonalities across these viewpoints (Hsu & Sandford, 2007).

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF)

Enhance wellbeing with these free, science-based exercises that draw on the latest insights from positive psychology.

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Tools Pack (PDF)

By filling out your name and email address below.

The themes of group coaching can often be similar to those in one-on-one coaching. However, some topics particularly lend themselves to a group context.

For instance, group coaching has been shown to be particularly effective in an organizational context when there are opportunities to involve participants at different levels of the organization. This is because involving a diversity of organizational members generates commitment to decisions, as group members feel they have been involved in arriving at those decisions (Locke & Schweiger, 1979).

In this context, the topics for a participative group coaching session might include an idea-generation session surrounding a new product or service, or a session forming part of an appreciative inquiry approach, centered on making better use of a firm’s existing strengths.

Looking beyond an organizational context, coaches working in broader fields, such as wellness or life coaching , might find the following topics particularly well suited to a group coaching model (adapted from Inspire Shift, n.d.):

• Impactful communication
• Relationship building
• Branding/marketing
• Conversational skills
• Health and lifestyle change
• Mindfulness

You’ll notice that several of these topics center around interpersonal themes or involve the way a person engages with or presents themselves to others. This is because conducting sessions on interpersonal topics in a group enables members to receive feedback about how they are perceived by their fellow group members and apply their learnings in a practical setting.

Here are some examples that can help prompt your group members’ thinking, clarify group members’ objectives, and shed light on aspects of the learning process itself (Britton, 2009):

• What is motivating each of us to be here today?
• Which teaching/learning styles do each of you prefer?
• What aspects of today’s topic have we not spoken about yet (i.e., what might we have failed to consider)?
• What has been a key insight you’ve taken away from today’s session?
• What’s one thing you’ll do differently following this session?

One trick put forward by Jennifer Britton (2013) in her book From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching is to pose questions that intentionally cater to the diverse sensory styles of the group.

The purpose of phrasing your questions in this way is that you can tap into the preferred sensory styles of group members. These styles may be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (Gilakjani, 2012).

While perhaps seeming trivial at face value, the right phrasing may elicit a response from a group member who was previously reserved.

Here are some examples (adapted from Britton, 2013):

• What feeling do you get as you read this passage?
• How do you imagine that situation looking?
• How does that decision sound to you?
• What would an ideal situation look like?
• How do you feel about what [peer] just said?

Exercises and activities are a fundamental component of group coaching and workshops.

They are an opportunity for your clients to deepen their learning, reflect, and help connect theoretical principles to their experience of the real world, making them more memorable (Britton, 2009).

To that end, here are two exercises you can use in your own group coaching sessions, both of which are adapted from tools commonly used in one-on-one coaching.

Before we dive in, note that you can access ready-made digital versions of these tools via the online coaching platform Quenza . If you’re interested, be sure to check it out for yourself by taking advantage of the site’s 30-day trial for just $1 .

The Wheel of Life (Adapted)

The Wheel of Life is a staple in many coaches’ toolkits. This simple tool allows clients to assess their satisfaction with the different domains of their life, including their health, family, and financial situation.

To adapt the Wheel of Life for use in a group setting, try swapping out the labels of each wedge with those that apply to the focus of your group. For instance, if you’re running group coaching sessions with managers, you could replace these labels with different leadership competencies, such as emotional intelligence and strategic planning.

Alternatively, if you are running sessions on the theme of career coaching , you could include competencies related to professional development, such as resume writing and interviewing (Britton, 2009).

Note that in a group setting, it’s typically best to invite clients to complete the wheel as pre-work leading up to the group session. You might then ask everyone to repeat the exercise as the coaching sessions progress, allowing clients to assess their growth and improvement over time.

For a customizable tool for the job, consider adapting the pre-prepared Wheel of Life activity, available via Quenza’s Expansion Library.

Metaphors are powerful tools for clarifying abstract ideas to clients via likeness or analogy. Likewise, they are versatile and can be woven throughout almost all the work you do.

To leverage metaphors, try inviting clients to draw, build, or design a representation of their leadership, wellness, or startup journey (whatever the coaching focus may be). Doing this can be particularly powerful in the context of organizational group coaching, where participants must arrive at a shared mental model, such as a brand image or operational procedures (McCusker, 2020).

Alternatively, you might wish to use metaphors to drive the instructional, lecture-based components of your group coaching sessions. For some inspiration, look at the activities listed under the ‘Metaphor’ tag of Quenza’s Expansion Library. Particularly appropriate for a group coaching context are the Scoreboard Metaphor and the Chessboard Metaphor .

How to lead group coaching sessions – Insight Coaching Community

It is essential to have a concrete plan in advance of your coaching sessions. This is especially true when conducting sessions with groups, as having a plan decreases the risk that your group will stray from its goals or go off on tangents.

Here are two useful session templates you can use across a range of group coaching contexts to help your clients achieve their goals. Both are particularly useful for tapping into the power of metaphor .

A Value Tattoo

The Value Tattoo Activity will give your group members the chance to delve into their values and creatively explore what provides meaning in their lives.

• Session objective To help clients identify their values via the symbol of a tattoo.
• Materials The Value Tattoo Activity on the client’s Quenza account.
• Verbal introduction Introduce the session by defining values as the “principles and fundamental convictions which act as general guides to behavior… the standards by which particular actions are judged to be good or desirable” (Halstead & Taylor, 2000, p. 169). Explain that in this session, you will invite everybody to explore their values by designing a tattoo for themselves.
• Mini-lecture Explore the benefits of living congruently with our values by being intentional about our behaviors and short-/long-term goal setting . Highlight that while acting in congruence with our values may not always be easy or comfortable (e.g., we may risk disappointing others), behaving in ways that are incongruent with our values will often come back to bite us, making us feel uncomfortable in the long term.

Following this explanation, you might present examples of hypothetical scenarios in which a character must choose between acting in ways that are congruent versus incongruent with held values.

• Activity Allow participants 20 minutes to complete the Value Tattoo Activity on their smartphone. Alternatively, you might bring art materials along to your session and invite participants to design their tattoos on paper. Invite group members to share their tattoos and the values they represent with the group.

The Acceptance or Avoidance Route Metaphor

The Acceptance or Avoidance Route Metaphor allows your group clients to explore how fear might be unnecessarily preventing them from living their ideal life.

• Session objective To help clients understand that fear needn’t block goal achievement and that they can choose to take action despite fear.
• Materials The Acceptance or Avoidance Route Metaphor activity on the client’s Quenza account.
• Verbal introduction Introduce the session by presenting participants with an image featuring a route leading to a mountain in the distance. On the path to the mountain is a sign indicating danger and a traveler who has stopped at the sign. Explain that the route leading to the mountain represents a valued direction for the traveler—the life they really want. However, the sign represents the fear of this person, which risks preventing them from continuing in this valued direction.
• Mini-lecture Introduce the idea that fear need not stop us from pursuing our goals. Proceed with a discussion of the Growth Zone and how pursuing healthy challenges despite fear can have many benefits. For instance, we may successfully reach our objective and achieve our goals, strengthening self-efficacy . And even if we fail, it’s a chance to practice bouncing back, strengthening our resilience.
• Activity Allow participants 10 minutes to complete the Acceptance or Avoidance Route activity on their smartphone, considering one ‘route’ that they have previously or are currently afraid to travel. Invite group members to share their reflections about the exercise.

Many coaches running group sessions are getting creative with their session structure and turning to online resources.

Doing so enables us to remain emotionally connected even when physically apart.

Thankfully, there are many useful online platforms to facilitate this kind of group work remotely.

Throughout this post, we’ve looked at several templates available through the platform Quenza , which is gaining increasing popularity among coaches and other helping professionals around the world.

Quenza is a comprehensive platform that allows coaches to customize and design digital psychoeducation activities, reflections, and more.

Coaches using the platform can enjoy the flexibility of creating their own materials from scratch or saving time by selecting from an ever-growing library of pre-made activities that coaches around the world love.

Coaches can then assign these activities to their clients, who complete them using their Apple or Android device.

Quenza’s pre-loaded activities, metaphors, and lessons include a range of illustrative graphics. Coaches looking to run group coaching online can pair the platform with a group video conferencing tool, share their screen, and give lessons with beautiful accompanying visuals. Then, the coach can walk through the exercises with group members together, making for a memorable and engaging session.

No matter your coaching focus, you’re bound to find something useful for your practice within the platform, so be sure to take advantage of the platform’s $1 trial today.

17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners

Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF] , scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

For some more useful tools to boost your group coaching practice, check out these three free worksheets and activities that your group participants can complete in pairs.

• Blindfold Guiding Exercise In this exercise , one person takes the role of ‘walker’ and the other the ‘guide.’ The guide then gently leads the walker around the room using only spoken instructions, helping to build trust while warming up a group’s communication skills.
• Creating a Care Package Worksheet In this exercise , participants take turns to select just 10 items that they would keep if they had to restart their lives. They then systematically explore how their choices may reflect their underlying values.
• 500 Years Ago Worksheet In this exercise , one person attempts to describe a modern-day phenomenon to their partner, who pretends they have no knowledge of the modern world because they are from 500 years in the past. By doing this, participants get a chance to practice their empathic communication and perspective taking by tailoring their language to their listener.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, this signature collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.

For many one-on-one coaches, the move to coaching groups feels like a natural next step.

Indeed, while there are more variables to account for in a group coaching session, such as participants’ unique personalities, goals, and learning styles, the pay-off for both the coach and their clients is almost certainly worth the work.

We hope this post has inspired you with a range of useful questions, techniques, and lesson plans that you can use to craft informative and energizing group sessions. And if you’ve used any of these tips and tricks yourself, be sure to let us know in the comments – we’d love to hear from you.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Britton, J. J. (2009). Effective group coaching: Tried and tested tools and resources for optimum coaching results . John Wiley & Sons.
• Britton, J. J. (2013). From one to many: Best practices for team and group coaching . Jossey-Bass.
• Gilakjani, A. P. (2012). Visual, auditory, kinaesthetic learning styles and their impacts on English language teaching. Journal of Studies in Education , 2 (1), 104–113.
• Halstead, J. M., & Taylor, M. J. (2000). Learning and teaching about values: A review of recent research. Cambridge Journal of Education , 30 (2), 169–202.
• Hsu, C. C., & Sandford, B. A. (2007). The Delphi technique: Making sense of consensus. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation , 12 (1), 1–8.
• Inspire Shift. (n.d.). Group coaching & workshops . Retrieved July 15, 2021, from https://www.inspireshift.com/organizations/group-coaching-workshops/#
• Locke, E. A., & Schweiger, D. M. (1979). Participation in decision-making: One more look. In B. M. Staw (Ed.), Research in organizational behavior (vol.1) (pp. 265–339). JAI Press.
• McCusker, S. (2020). Everybody’s monkey is important: LEGO® Serious Play® as a methodology for enabling equality of voice within diverse groups. International Journal of Research & Method in Education , 43 (2), 146–162.
• Park, W. W. (1990). A review of research on groupthink. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making , 3 (4), 229–245.

Share this article:

Article feedback

Let us know your thoughts cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related articles

Personal Development Goals: Helping Your Clients Succeed

In the realm of personal development, individuals often seek to enhance various aspects of their lives, striving for growth, fulfillment, and self-improvement. As coaches and [...]

How to Perform Somatic Coaching: 9 Best Exercises

Our bodies are truly amazing and hold a wellspring of wisdom which, when tapped into, can provide tremendous benefits. Somatic coaching acknowledges the intricate connection [...]

How to Create a Personal Development Plan: 3 Examples

Personal development involves individual growth and transformation and is often facilitated by a positive relationship with a counselor or coach (Rose, 2018). For successful change, [...]

Read other articles by their category

• Body & Brain (50)
• Coaching & Application (57)
• Compassion (26)
• Counseling (51)
• Emotional Intelligence (24)
• Gratitude (18)
• Grief & Bereavement (21)
• Happiness & SWB (40)
• Meaning & Values (26)
• Meditation (20)
• Mindfulness (45)
• Motivation & Goals (45)
• Optimism & Mindset (34)
• Positive CBT (29)
• Positive Communication (20)
• Positive Education (47)
• Positive Emotions (32)
• Positive Leadership (18)
• Positive Parenting (4)
• Positive Psychology (33)
• Positive Workplace (37)
• Productivity (17)
• Relationships (46)
• Resilience & Coping (37)
• Self Awareness (21)
• Self Esteem (38)
• Strengths & Virtues (32)
• Stress & Burnout Prevention (34)
• Theory & Books (46)
• Therapy Exercises (37)
• Types of Therapy (64)

• (800) 596-0724
• Request Info

Tyler Lunato

Navigating the Journey: 6 Tips to Earn Your MBA While Working Full-Time

Nursing Intensives: Connecting Virtually, Learning Actively

Leading the Way to Better Care: The Impact of Healthcare Administration

Intersectionality in the Classroom: Understanding and Embracing Our Differences

• Scholarships
• Nursing Programs
• Campus Locations

Contact us to request more information

Opt-In to Receive SMS Messages

Get the latest news you need to know, from study hacks to interview tips to career advancement. Have it delivered right to your inbox biweekly.

• Instructors
• Institutions
• Teaching Strategies
• Higher Ed Trends
• Academic Leadership
• Affordability
• Product Updates

Designing Peer and Group Assignments for Online Courses

Audrey Wick is an English professor at Blinn College in central Texas

Writing skills are important for college students at any stage. Whether they are in a writing-intensive course or simply using their skills to navigate a traditional course, strength in written communication will help students be successful, lifelong learners.

For instructors, one step toward that success is designing peer and/or group assignments to help students develop these important skills. But when instructors themselves face uncertainty of student population and modality, how can they effectively plan for these types of assignments?

Redefine What Constitutes “Group” Assignments

In terms of traditional pedagogical thinking, “group” assignments generally mean three or more students working in collaboration toward a singular goal. But collaboration can occur in pairs as well. Often, working with one other individual can still help students practice important skills of planning, drafting and revision. When courses are small or retention becomes an issue, pairing students who are active and engaged in the class can help ensure that no one goes missing-in-action for the duration of an assignment.

Also, by keeping groups small, whether through pairs or not, assignments can often be accomplished in a much shorter amount of time. For instance, in the English environment, peer editing is streamlined through the use of pairing rather than trying to accomplish this in small groups. For those instructors who want more students to contribute to the assignment, pairing can happen more than once.

When peer editing , I frequently pair students—and then pair them again. That way, they get more than one perspective in feedback but are only focused on providing that in one-on-one settings. This keeps the assignment manageable for them to complete as well as for me, as the instructor, to track.

Avoid the Pitfall of Expecting a Face-to-Face Result When Online

When assignments are adapted to the online learning environment , instructors should not try to—necessarily—translate a face-to-face project into a digital application. That’s because organic parts of the process like brainstorming may not work synergistically online.

Nonetheless, if an instructor gives the group a starting point and direct guidance for the end goals (think: due date, submission format, required length, research requirements, etc.), this will take the guesswork out of the initial group work and help the students work more effectively.

Let Existing Technology Be Assistive

There is no need to reinvent writing process stages or try to build digital assignments from the ground up. Instead, tap into existing platforms at your institution or through your textbook publisher in order to create effective group assignments that work.

Many textbooks have digital components, companion websites, assistive project arms and more. For instance, writing instructors have several options for programs students can use for electronic portfolios, document sharing and peer editing. The technology here can connect students in digital pairs and groups, giving them the flexibility of space and time to complete the assignments collaboratively in a fully online environment.

Don’t Overlook Institutional Resources

Does your college have a library, learning lab, tutoring center or campus computer technicians that are student-facing? Likely your institution already has tools that you can use in creating and managing peer and group assignments.

For starters, speak with librarians at your institution, or research existing digital tools available through the library page. Many have how-to videos, style guides, plagiarism tutorials and more. Link these through your digital classroom or import them to your Learning Management System. Viola! Tailored content at their fingertips!

You’re Ready!

Incorporating collaboration opportunities is one way instructors can help students feel more connected in their college classes, no matter what their digital landscape looks like.

Do you assign group work? If so, don’t miss the recording from our Empowered Educator webinar offering expert tips on making it equitable, meaningful and effective.

Related articles.

• Search Search Search …

• Search Search …

How to effectively do a group assignment or project

This is tough.  Usually the people who are really good at math are a little antisocial and adverse to groups or at least, they don’t need to work in a group to get good grades.  This does change the higher up you go in math and the increasing workload and difficulty and complexity of the problems forces you to either work in a group or give up sleep for a term at a time!  In any case, at the more introductory levels of math, high school and first year university level, working in groups can be fun and a great way to develop new friendships, network, develop your communication and teaching skills and just meet new people.  One common way of doing a group assignment or project in math or analytical types of subjects that isn’t very “group oriented”.

Method 1: How not to do a group assignment

There is the risk that in a group, if there is an assignment with a set number of problems, say 10,

• A couple of problems are assigned to each person in the group.
• then each person goes off and solves their assigned problems on their own,
• everyone brings their solved problems together,
• puts everyone’s names on the finished set of solutions and
• TA DA! The group assignment completed yet no “group work” was done.

Advantages of Method 1:

• Less work because you don’t have to do all the questions on the assignment.
• You can work on the problems at your convenience and only need to have a solution prepared for the due date.

Disadvantages of Method 1:

• This is not an effective way to work as a “group”. This may get the assignment completed and save time because you only have to do a fraction of the assignment problems.
• But what ends up happening as well is that you only learn a fraction of the material.
• There is also no guarantee anyone will work together. And there is the possibility that someone doesn’t spend much time on their assigned questions and as a result there is a greater risk of a poor job being done.

A better more “group oriented” way to do a group assignment for math or some analytical subject could be,

Method 2: Better way to do a group assignment

Take the 10 questions and assign each person a couple of questions to

• research and be responsible for. This doesn’t mean complete and solve entirely on their own, but are responsible for understanding, doing some background reading on and bringing to the table for discussion and then writing up the solution for.
• everyone in the group agrees to meet back in say a couple of days. Let’s assume we have a week to complete and hand in this group assignment.
• during those couple of day, each person takes their couple of questions, does some research on the topic pertaining to the questions, background reading, possible ways to attack the problems and some questions related to the questions to bring up for discuss at the meeting.
• During the meeting, each person goes over their assigned questions, what they found out during their research and background reading and their questions for the group.
• The group then discusses these question, everyone offering their two cents worth to solution or possible methods of attack.
• The one responsible for those questions makes notes and if a solution has been established during the discussion, writes up the solution. If a solution has not been established, agrees to go off and work on the problem with the discussed information.
• This process is repeated for everyone in the group.
• After everyone and every problem has been presented and discussed, everyone agrees to one last meeting time at which time finishing touches will be placed on solutions and all the solutions brought together.
• Everyone goes off to work on their assigned problems.
• Between this time and the final meeting time, discussions can still occur amongst any of the group members either in person, email or any other means to help each other out.

In this way described above everyone in the group is acquainted with each problem on the assignment and has a sense of the challenges of each problem. With any group assignment there is just the one copy of the completed assignment. This isn’t great for study purposes. Once the assignment has been marked and handed back, one group member takes responsibility to make copies for everyone. While this way of doing a group assignment doesn’t seem to save time, and probably doesn’t, it uses the time in a different way.

Advantages of Method 2:

• Everyone gets a chance to hear and learn ow another person thinks and goes through the problem solving process.
• Each person has a chance to present their findings, take information from others to help solve a problem and to think together in a group cooperatively on a common problem.
• Each group member is forced to dedicate time to the problems rather than leaving it until the last minute. It forces time management.
• It create accountability to a group which in many cases forces some to make the assignment a priority. This can be good for some!
• It gives you a chance to get to know some of your classmates and this can be invaluable in the future.

Disadvantages of Method 2:

• Probably won’t save you time.
• You will have to make the assignment and your assignment problems a priority and keep on top of it.
• You will need to be able to think on your feet during the group discussion part for the other problems. Perhaps even read through the other problems before the first group followup meeting.

This second method isn’t the only way to do a group assignment but it is a more effective and valuable way than the first. Sadly, too often the first method of doing a group assignment or project is what usually ends up happening. Take advantage of group assignments as a chance to learn in a different way.

Above we looked at doing an assigned group project or assignment. But there are other ways you can work in a group. The most common is outside of classes in informal study groups that just organically form. This is another post and more along the lines of a study group, rather than doing a group assignment or project.

You may also like

I used to like math then in high school I just didn’t get it.

For many people they enjoyed math when they were young. Then they hit a point in high school usually, where it no […]

How to continue learning with others while social distancing

The current practice is social distancing. But what exactly does this mean? Then there is self quarantine and social or self isolation. We try and decipher these terms. Then we try to decipher what online tutoring means. Studying and learning can’t stop and needs to continue. Learning has a minimum social aspect to it which needs to be fulfilled somehow through online means.

To memorize or not to memorize? That is the question.

That’s a hard one. There are many terms in mathematics and you need to know them. They are part of the vocabulary. […]

Learning is a skill too!

Teaching is indeed a skill that not all possess. But learning is a skill too that many don’t possess either nor do many work on developing.

• Marketing Assignment Help
• Law Assignment Help
• Finance Assignment Help
• Assignment Help

Tips for working in a Group Assignment

• September 8, 2020
• Academic Help , Assignment help , Assignment Writing Service , Education , Fun Stuff , general awareness , general knowledge , informative blogs , Some Advice , Tips

Students are often assigned with different types of assignments in their academic career, which also brings us to the aspect of writing group assignments for academics. According to teachers and experts, group assignments are considered to be the most effective means for learning that have been instituted by many educational organizations in the spirit of infusing teamwork among students. Participating in such effective and useful group assignments help students develop a lot of good qualities and skills that might benefit them in their academic as well as professional career. Besides teamwork, students also get the chance to develop their leadership skills that can be very helpful for their professional career.

However, as easy as it might sound right now, preparing group assignments is quite a tough job to perform. If you are also told to prepare effective group assignments for evaluation, then make sure that you think of some of the best ways to make your experience great, making it sound phenomenal to the ears of evaluators. You must prepare yourself well with the obstacles that come in the process of creating group assignments, as they are evaluated with more of a critical perspective than an individual assignment.

Well, you must not worry about your grades now regarding your group assignments for academics because this blog will help you guide with the process by offering some of the best tips acclaimed by highly experienced professionals in the field. Without wasting any of your time, let’s just take a look at this blog further to know more about it-

Exchange all the necessary details

The very first thing that you need to do when you join a group is that you share all the necessary details and information with your teammates. This is something that needs to be done immediately after the project gets assigned to students. Most of you might also think that since it is a group assignment , things would work eventually well with the pace and speed of your work. But in reality, since a lot of people are involved in a single project, the pace at which the individual parts of the assignment would work might vary. Once you have shared all the important details regarding your teammates, you can also create a group on one of the highly used social media platforms for better communication and discussion.

Assign a leader for the group

It is really important for a group to first assign its leader in charge for a better initiation of the assignment. This will also keep things in control and manageable to be performed well, eventually fetching good grades in academics. In most of the cases, students are eager enough to nominate themselves for the role of a leader, but they should always keep this thing in mind that the job of a leader is not an easy one, as it comes with many responsibilities and duties. Well, if you get the chance of becoming a leader of your group, make sure that you ensure connectivity and good communication among your group members and the kind of work they do. The leader should also be able to set a clear goal for the group in terms of the assignment given to them.

Create a timeline of events

While working for any group assignment for academics, it is important that you draw a timeline for it in order to meet the expectations of your work and its progress. This timeline should obviously include all the meeting details and the critical evaluation stage for every progress you make for your assignment . This should also mention all the details regarding your dates and submissions, with specific tasks to be performed accordingly, as mentioned before.

Divide the tasks equally

During your first meeting, you essentially assign the task to every teammate as per his calibre and idea to perform. But you also need to make sure that each of the work gets assigned equally to every teammate, with no reflections of discrimination in the division of work. Divide your work wisely into small categories of tasks, as this will help you manage your assignment effectively. Under this stage, the leader should act responsible and wise towards his duty of assigning the task, where enough time is invested in figuring out the right amount of work for every member of the group.

Therefore, all you need to make sure now is that your group follows these tips effectively for better evaluation of their project. Apart from just the group assignments, if you require any kind of help regarding your individual projects and assignments , feel free to contact our online academic writing services for professional help and guidance.

Sources of knowledge other than books

Gone are the days when books were the only source of knowledge available to students.…

Ten most powerful Economic countries of the world

'Economics is a study of man in the ordinary business of life. It inquires how…

Writing a Position Paper for Academics

Like any other academic task, position paper writing is also relevant to students as it…

• previous post: Writing an Executive Summary for your academics
• next post: Tips for adopting the PEEL Writing Strategy

Tips on how to prevent mosquitos around your home

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Very warm days like Thursday remind us that summer is right around the corner. T

his also means that mosquitos are starting to come out. There are a few ways to help reduce the number of mosquitos in your yard though.

Todd Pelkey, from Mosquito Joe of the Bluegrass, said you can’t fully get rid of mosquitos, but you can reduce the numbers.

“They need water to breathe. So, tipping over our pots, our wheelbarrows, making sure that our pools are functional,” said Pelkey.

While mosquitos thrive in standing water, shade also attracts them.

“Reduce shade. Adult mosquitos need shade during the daytime so proper pruning of your trees to allow sunlight to get inside of them,” said Pelkey.

Pelkey said bug zappers are fine to use along with certain plants that mosquitos don’t like, such as citronella plants. However, you do need to do more than just put them outside.

“Plants, what they don’t tell you is you have to crush it up, and it’s the oil of the plants that repel mosquitos. So, if you want to plant stuff, then plan on crushing it up every night, it will absolutely work. But for most of us, it’s not going to be efficient,” Pelkey said.

There are also certain smells that can attract mosquitos. Some of which will surprise you.

“This time of year, and it’s horrible for me to say, but mosquitos have been found to really be attracted to the smell of beer. If we are drinking beer outside, we are going to attract more mosquitos to us than somebody who is not,” Pelkey said.

Pelkey said mosquitos can also be attracted to certain cologne and even a particular blood type.

Copyright 2024 WKYT. All rights reserved.

Looking for a home in Lexington? Coach Cal’s house is now on the market!

Person hit, killed while walking on interstate in Lexington

Judge bars former Ky. Gov. Matt Bevin from wife’s home

Person robbed in Lexington McDonald’s drive-thru

Lexington firefighter arrested

Latest news.

Lexington couple creating sparkling wine in honor of legendary jockey

Kentucky county clerks share issues with new vehicle registration system

Police issue traffic alert ahead of UK commencement ceremonies

Man accused in Ky. mansion murder found competent to stand trial

Previewing Kentucky’s primary: House District 45

Khoros AI and automation delivers unmatched efficiency for marketing and service excellence. Read more

AI & Automation

AI for every conversation, campaign, and customer

Khoros Communities

Self-service support, education, and collaboration

Khoros Service

Agent efficiency, automation, and operational insights

Khoros Social Media Management

Content management, publishing, and governance

Strategic Services

Our in-house experts in social media and community management for Khoros customers

Professional services

More than onboarding and implementation, this is where our partnership begins

Product coaching

Increase satisfaction and improve product adoption with complimentary training.

Upcoming events

Join us for webinars and in-person events

Insights, tips, news, and more from our team to yours

Customer stories

Case studies with successful customers to see how they did it

Resource Center

Guides, tipsheets, ebooks, on-demand webinars, & more

Integrations

Integrations to connect with your customers, wherever they are

Tech integrations

Developer information

Technical overviews and links to developer documentation

• Join our community

EXPERT INSIGHTS

Apr-19-2024

The 2024 social media demographics guide

Khoros Staff

Editor's Note: This post was originally created in 2018 and has since been updated to reflect the latest data available.

According to Statista , 61.4% of the world’s population — a whopping 4.95 billion people — use social media.

That’s a lot of social media demographic research to sort through when you want to zero in on understanding audience characteristics of specific platforms — and we know the last thing a social media marketer has is time to spare. That’s why we’ve done all the heavy lifting for you.

Our updated 2024 Social Media Demographics Guide surfaces the demographic data you need to inform a smart strategy, like age, gender, and income — plus device usage and site behavior.

View the 2024 Social Media Demographics Guide to discover more about what makes the audiences of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok unique or bookmark it now to reference anytime.

General social media demographics

Before we jump into platform-specific demographics, let’s cover some high-level insights about social media in general.

Social media usage over time

There are currently 4.95 billion social media users and 5.3 billion total internet users, meaning 93.4% of people who use the internet also use social media. What’s more astounding is the rate that social media usage has grown and is expected to continue growing. The number of social media users has grown by 79.1% since 2017 , when there were only 2.73 billion social media users. By the end of 2024, Statista predicts there will be 5.17 billion social media users which would be 5.7% growth compared to 2023. By 2027, the number of social media users is expected to reach 5.85 billion, with an annual growth rate between 3.7-5.7% each year until then.

(Source: Statista )

Social media usage by age

According to new data from eMarketer , most U.S. social media users are between the ages of 27 and 42 and fall under the Millennial generation. With 68.5 million Millennials using social media in the U.S., this group accounts for nearly one-third (30.3%) of all U.S. social media users. The next closest age group by usage is Gen Z (ages 11-26), with 56.4 million social media users, followed by Gen X (ages 43-58), with 51.8 million users. Baby Boomers between the ages of 59 and 77 are the age group with the lowest social media usage, with only 36.9 million users.

(Source: Oberlo )

Although Millennials are the age group that uses social media the most, eMarketer predicts their usage will remain relatively flat through 2027, while the number of Gen Z users is expected to grow significantly. The data also suggests that the number of Gen X and Baby Boomers who use social media will decrease over time.

(Source: eMarketer )

Daily time on social media

On average, people spend 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media each day. Combined, it’s estimated that users will have spent 4 trillion hours on social media in 2023. Not all social media platforms are equally engaging, as Statista found people spent more time on TikTok than anywhere else. On average, social media users in the U.S. spent 53.8 minutes on TikTok, with the next closest being YouTube at 48.7 minutes per day. After that, there was a steep drop off to 34.1 minutes for Twitter/X and other platforms before reaching last place, Reddit at only 24.1 minutes per day.

Despite TikTok having the most time on average per day, DataReportal found that YouTube has the highest average session duration at 7 minutes and 29 seconds. This could be because users are watching longer-form content on YouTube compared to the shorter content that TikTok is known for.

(Source: DataReportal via Exploding Topics )

Facebook demographics

Given that Facebook is the number one platform for adults , understanding its audience is crucial for devising the social media strategy for your business.

2024 Facebook demographics data

Active monthly users

Facebook has 3.03 billion active monthly users

Active daily users

Facebook has 2.085 billion daily active users

4.6% of Facebook’s users are between the ages of 13-17

22.6% of Facebook’s users are between the ages of 18-24

29.4% of Facebook’s users are between the ages of 25-34

19.1% of Facebook’s users are between the ages of 35-44

11.4% of Facebook’s users are between the ages of 45-54

7.2% of Facebook’s users are between the ages of 55-64

5.7% of Facebook’s users are 65+

43.7% of Facebook users are female

56.3% of Facebook users are male

On average, U.S. Facebook users spend 30.9 minutes a day on the platform

98.5% of users access Facebook via mobile devices

81.8% of users access Facebook via mobile devices only

16.7% of users access Facebook via mobile devices and computers

1.5% of users access Facebook via laptop or desktop only

Businesses and shopping

19% of U.S. users search for products on Facebook before shopping

The global advertising audience of Facebook is 2.249 billion

90% of social media marketers use Facebook to promote their business.

Most followed accounts

Cristiano Ronaldo: 163 million followers

Mr. Bean: 136 million followers

Shakira: 122 million followers

Instagram demographics

Instagram is the Meta-owned photo and video sharing app that continues to grow its user base, with 2 billion people using Instagram every month (up from 800 million in 2018).

2024 Instagram demographics data

Instagram has 2 billion monthly active users

Instagram has 500 million daily active users

8% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 13-17

30.8% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 18-24

30.3% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 25-34

15.7% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 35-44

8.4% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 45-54

4.3% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 55-64

2.6% of Instagram’s users are 65+

48.2% of Instagram users are female

51.8% of Instagram users are male

On average, U.S. Instagram users spend 33.1 minutes per day on the platform

90% of Instagram users follow a business

2 out of 3 people say Instagram enables interaction with brands

83% of Instagram users say they discover new products and services on Instagram

Cristiano Ronaldo: 613 million followers

Lionel Messi: 494 million followers

Selena Gomez: 429 million followers

Pinterest demographics

Pinterest is a visual search engine that pioneered online shopping through social media. On Pinterest, people are 90% more likely to say they’re ‘always shopping’ than on other platforms. Additionally, shoppers on Pinterest spend 80% more monthly than on other platforms. Why? Pinterest claims it’s because they take the best of shopping offline and bring it online, with strong visual connections between products and what users can do with those products. There’s a lot marketers can learn from the platform, but it all starts with gaining a better understanding of the audience.

2024 Pinterest demographics data

Pinterest has 465 million monthly active users

27% of Pinterest’s users are between the ages of 18-24

30.9% of Pinterest’s users are between the ages of 25-34

15.8% of Pinterest’s users are between the ages of 35-44

10.4% of Pinterest’s users are between the ages of 45-54

8.7% of Pinterest’s users are between the ages of 55-64

4.3% of Pinterest’s users are 65+

Pinterest is one of the most gendered social media channels, which may inform which brands target this audience and how they do so.

76.2% of Pinterest users are female

17.2% of Pinterest users are male

6.6% of Pinterest users did not specify their gender

On average, U.S. Pinterest users spend 14.2 minutes per day on the platform

85% of users access Pinterest via the mobile app

Business and Shopping

More than 25% of time spent on Pinterest is spent shopping

85% of users have bought something based on pins from brands

X (formerly Twitter) demographics

X (formerly known as Twitter) allows users to reach practically any person or business simply by tagging them in a Tweet. That’s why Twitter is such a popular platform for customer service — allowing users to air complaints in real time and for customer service teams to react quickly.

2024 X demographics data

X has 666 million monthly active users

X has 245 million monetizable daily active users

28.35% of X’s users are between the ages of 18-24

29.63% of X’s users are between the ages of 25-34

17.96% of X’s users are between the ages of 35-44

11.63% of X’s users are between the ages of 45-54

7.61% of X’s users are between the ages of 55-64

4.83% of X’s users are 65+

Like Pinterest, X is highly gendered, although this channel skews the other direction.

23.28% of X users are female

66.72% of X users are male

On average, U.S. X users spend 34.1 minutes per day on the platform

Elon Musk: 156.9 million followers

Barack Obama: 132 million followers

Justin Bieber: 111.7 million followers

Business and shopping

82% of B2B content marketers use X

79% of X users follow brands on the platform

X drives 40% higher ROI than other social media channels

LinkedIn demographics

LinkedIn is a professional networking site and the top social media platform for B2B marketing . As a result of its focus on business, it’s a great way for companies to drive leads, share news, and keep up with others in their industry.

2024 LinkedIn demographics data

LinkedIn has 310 million monthly active users

16.2% of LinkedIn’s users login to the platform daily

21.7% of LinkedIn’s users are between the ages of 18-24

60% of LinkedIn’s users are between the ages of 25-34

15.4% of LinkedIn’s users are between the ages of 35-54

2.9% of LinkedIn’s users are 55+

43.7% of LinkedIn users are female

56.3% of LinkedIn users are male

On average, LinkedIn users spend just over 7 minutes per day on the platform

58.5% of LinkedIn traffic is through desktop devices

41.5% of LinkedIn traffic is through mobile devices

More than 61 million companies are on LinkedIn

96% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for organic social marketing

Marketers see up to 2x higher conversion rates on LinkedIn compared to other social media platforms

Most Followed Accounts

Bill Gates: 34.9 million followers

Richard Branson: 18.7 million followers

Jeff Weiner: 10.4 million followers

YouTube demographics

YouTube is as utilitarian (think “how to change a spare tire”) as it is entertaining (think funny pet videos). With 2.5 billion monthly active users, YouTube offers expansive opportunities for businesses to share and market information.

2024 YouTube demographics data

YouTube has 2.491 billion monthly active users

YouTube has 122 million daily active users

15.5% of YouTube users are between the ages of 18-24

21.3% of YouTube users are between the ages of 25-34

17.5% of YouTube users are between the ages of 35-44

12.5% of YouTube users are between the ages of 45-54

9.2% of YouTube users are between the ages of 55-64

9.2% of YouTube users are between the ages of 65+

45.6% of YouTube users are female

54.4% of YouTube users are male

On average, U.S. YouTube users spend 48.7 minutes per day on the platform

70% of viewers have made a purchase after seeing a brand on YouTube

54% of marketers use YouTube

T-Series: 254 million subscribers

MrBeast: 217 million subscribers

Cocomelon: 168 million subscribers

Snapchat Demographics

Snapchat has become popular among teens and young adults under 35, making it a great platform for marketers to reach Gen Z. Interestingly, Gen Z spends less time looking at content on Snapchat but shows higher advertising recall than other generations. After watching two seconds or less of an advertiser video, 59% of Gen Z was able to recall it. Outside of Gen Z Snapchat statistics, here’s some other information about the platform’s demographics.

2024 Snapchat demographics data

Snapchat has 750 million monthly active users

Snapchat has 406 million daily active users

19.7% of Snapchat users are between the ages of 13-17

38.1% of Snapchat users are between the ages of 18-24

23.4% of Snapchat users are between the ages of 25-34

14% of Snapchat users are between the ages of 35-49

3.8% of Snapchat users are 50+

51% of Snapchat users are female

48.2% of Snapchat users are male

On average, U.S. Snapchat users spend 30 minutes per day on the platform

Snapchat users hold $4.4 trillion in global spending power

Snapchat users are 2x more likely to share their purchases with their network

Kylie Jenner: 37 million followers

Kim Kardashian: 27.2 million followers

Khloe Kardashian: 15 million followers

TikTok demographics

TikTok’s explosive growth in recent years has marked its place as a major player in the social media world (even though it doesn’t call itself a social media platform ). Like Snapchat, younger audiences dominate TikTok’s user base with 37.3% of users being between 18-24. It’s also a great platform for brands, with spending reaching 2.5 billion globally. Here’s some other information about TikTok’s user demographics to bear in mind when creating marketing strategies.

2024 TikTok demographics data

TikTok has 1.218 billion monthly active users

TikTok has 45.1 million daily active users

37.3% of TikTok users are between the ages of 18-24

32.9% of TikTok users are between the ages of 25-34

15.7% of TikTok users are between the ages of 35-44

8.3% of TikTok users are between the ages of 45-54

5.8% of TikTok users are 55+

49.2% of TikTok users are female

50.8% of TikTok users are male

On average, U.S. TikTok users spend 53.8 minutes per day on the platform

Khabane lame: 162 million followers

Charli D’Amelio: 151.6 million followers

Bella Poarch: 93.6 million followers

Consumer spending on TikTok has surpassed $2.5 billion globally

58.2% of TikTok users said they used the platform for shopping inspiration

49% of TikTok users say the platform helped them make purchasing decisions

55% of TikTok users made a purchase after seeing a brand or product on the platform

Which social media networks should your business prioritize?

Of course, knowing who’s using each social media platform is one thing, and engaging those people is a completely different thing. If your business needs help organizing and managing your social media activity, request a demo of our social media management software to see how you can understand your audience and seamlessly manage efforts across social media channels.

RELATED RESOURCES

SOCIAL MEDIA

Building authentic influencer partnerships

Building authentic influencer partnerships can be a powerful tool in a brand’s marketing toolbox. Read our best practices for defining your strategy and executing it.

May-02-2024

Omnichannel Fails Tipsheet

Check out our easy-to-follow tipsheet to overcome omnichannel challenges and set your strategy up for success.

Apr-30-2024

Defining your community structure, look, and feel

Clearly define the structure, identity, and functionality of your community with our checklist.

Apr-29-2024

Social proof drives customer acquisition

Learn how to drive better customer acquisition by empowering existing customers to create social validation.

5 steps to create a unified customer experience strategy

In today's rapidly evolving market, businesses need a unified customer experience strategy to keep both agents and consumers satisfied. Read about 5 steps brands can take toward a unified strategy.

Community works: How Sky revolutionizes the customer journey

Watch this on-demand webinar to hear Nima Lawlor-Baniamer, Senior Product Owner for Community and Social at Sky, the powerhouse UK broadband, TV, and mobile provider, discuss considerations for fully integrating community into your digital ecosystem and serving customers end-to-end.

Apr-23-2024

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

Comparing enterprise community platforms: A deep dive into the top 4 vendors

This blog explores the strengths and weaknesses of the top four community platforms: Khoros, Higher Logic, Salesforce, and Gainsight.

Mastering digital channels: A guide for customer service experts

Discover the audience profiles, benefits, and features of the top digital channels customers use worldwide to engage with their favorite brands.

Apr-22-2024

ONLINE COMMUNITIES

9 Community KPIs your brand should track

Community KPIs are necessary for tracking your online community’s success. Here are the top 9 you should be tracking.

Increasing brand engagement on social media

Get expert tips to increase brand engagement with your audience on social media and check out real-world examples from leading brands.

How to drive conversions, leads, and sales on social media

Maximize the value of your brand's social media presence by learning how to use it to drive conversions, leads, and sales.

Free social media content calendar template for 2024

A social media content calendar is essential for organizing and planning posts in advance, especially in 2024 when you’re likely managing content across several platforms. Our easy-to-use social media content calendar template can help you coordinate content efforts across all of the platforms you’re on.

Sign up for our newsletter

Would you like to learn more about khoros.

Discover the advantages of our solution in action. Request a demo now!

Airbnb adds once-in-a-lifetime stays category and easier group booking tools

Airbnb's latest update is here. It will have guests staying in awe-inspiring Airbnbs and make it easier than ever to plan a trip with friends.

Over the years, Airbnb has been known to create some of the wildest once-in-a-lifetime guest experiences, from spending the night in Barbie's Malibu Dream House to kickin' like Will Smith in the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" mansion.

But those mostly one-off stays were only for a select few lucky people who could book them, leaving the rest of us dreaming about the experience.

Now, with Airbnb's summer 2024 release, a new Airbnb category called "Icons" will introduce more of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences on a more regular basis. This means more people can likely stay at these over-the-top, hyper-themed homes. (Well, they're not all homes.)

Related: How to earn cash back or points when booking Airbnbs, Vrbo rentals, hostels and more

"Icons take you inside worlds that only existed in your imagination—until now," Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO, said. "As life becomes increasingly digital, we're focused on bringing more magic into the real world. With Icons, we've created the most extraordinary experiences on Earth."

For now, Airbnb shared the first 11 Icons, and noted that new experiences will roll out throughout the year.

The first Icons

Icon experiences, according to a statement by Airbnb, are mostly free or cost less than $100 per guest. Each Icon has a "Request" button where Airbnb members can request to book; more than 4,000 "Golden Tickets" will be given out for people to book Icon stays. Here are the eye-popping options that will be in the first wave of offerings.

Drift off in the Up house

Sleep inside one of Disney and Pixar's most iconic homes — and yes, it floats. You'll explore Carl's world in this detailed re-creation of his home, complete with more than 8,000 balloons; it's in the scenic red rocks of Abiquiu, New Mexico.

Spend the night in the Ferrari Museum

Immerse yourself in the world of racing with a stay at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello , Italy. You'll sleep on a bed crafted from the same leather as a Ferrari's seats, take a lap with Scuderia Ferrari ambassador driver Marc Gene and head to Emilia-Romagna's premier race as a VIP.

Step into X-Men '97

Live like the X-Men as you stay in a re-creation of Marvel Animation's X-Mansion in Westchester, New York. You'll discover your mutant abilities and even train in the Danger Room.

Go VIP with Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart will take you inside his members-only Coramino Live Lounge for an A-list evening. You'll join Kevin and his friends in this secret speak-easy, where you'll be treated to a tequila tasting and live stand-up by the best comedians in the game.

Wake up in the Musee d'Orsay

Stay in the Paris art museum's iconic clock room, which has been transformed into a luxurious bedroom by Mathieu Lehanneur, designer of the Paris 2024 Games torch and cauldron. From the terrace, you'll witness the historic Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games along the River Seine.

Join a living room session with Doja Cat

Fresh off a tour performing on the world's biggest stages, Doja is hosting a much more intimate experience. You'll enjoy an unforgettable living room performance from the Grammy-winning artist, including her favorite songs and tracks from her latest album.

Stay in Prince's Purple Rain house

Prince purchased the Minneapolis home featured in the legendary film Purple Rain, but it's never been available to the public until now . Explore the home and go crazy for rare and special tracks from Prince's world in an exclusive studio session.

Game with Khaby Lame

TikTok sensation Khaby Lame invites you to his hometown of Milan for an epic, overnight gaming experience. You'll stay in a one-of-a-kind gaming loft that Khaby designed himself, where you'll #learnfromkhaby and face off with him in a Fortnite Battle Royale.

Go on tour with Feid

Join reggaeton superstar Feid on his Ferxxocalipsis World Tour for an entire week. You'll join the crew for rehearsals, ride along on the tour bus and get backstage access for every show.

Live like Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor

Janhvi Kapoor will host you in her legendary, never-before-seen Kapoor family home in Chennai, India. From learning her Bollywood beauty secrets to tasting her favorite southern Indian dishes, Kapoor will host you personally on this ultimate overnight stay.

Make core memories with "Inside Out 2"

In anticipation of the June 14 release of Disney and Pixar's new movie "Inside Out 2," you'll have the unique opportunity to stay overnight at Headquarters , the control center of Riley's emotions. Your host, Joy, will welcome you into her vibrant world to witness the emotions in action and help keep things in balance.

New features for planning group trips

Everyone who has ever tried to plan a trip with friends or family knows it can be a hassle, so Airbnb has added a handful of new features to make the process easier for everyone involved. After all, Airbnb says that more than 80% of its users are booking group trips. Here's the latest, as explained by the home-sharing platform:

Related: These are the 10 most-liked Airbnbs on Instagram

Shared wishlists

You can now easily share your wishlists with others on your trip, inviting them to add homes, write notes and vote on listings. When you share listings with others, the app creates a wishlist with these homes.

New Messages tab

A redesigned Messages tab now allows everyone on a trip to message the host in a group thread. The simplified design consolidates all guest, host and customer support messages in one place, making it easy to search across messages. Reactions allow guests and hosts to respond with emojis and AI-suggested quick replies help hosts instantly answer common questions.

Trip invitations

Once you book a trip, you can invite others to join you with digital postcards of your destination illustrated by artists from around the world. Everyone joining the trip will get all reservation details, including the full address, Wi-Fi password and check-in instructions

Bottom line

Love it or hate it, Airbnb knows how to wow, and this latest update is one that offers more once-in-a-lifetime experiences for more than just a few people. These heart-string-pulling experiences are also a great way to draw more people back into the Airbnb ecosphere.

Although the Icon experiences are sweet, having more tools to plan Airbnb stays with friends is a convenience most of us will love more than staying in a "floating" house.

More From Forbes

Milan art tour: top attractions, accommodation and dining tips.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Milan Cathedral, Duomo di Milano, one of the largest churches in the world

While Milan is well known as a global fashion and design hub, it’s also one of the most exciting art cities in the world and art could easily keep any visitor fully occupied for days. Here are some of the best art museums to visit, highlights in each, along with suggestions of where to stay and eat.

Lucio Fontana masterpiece at Gallerie d'Italia Museum in Milan, Italy.

For starters, if you stay at the sumptious Hotel Principe di Savoia , you can enjoy one of the best art tours in the city. Fontana – Slashing Space walking tour has been exclusively created for guests of the hotel, part of the Dorchester Collection which offers special art tours in its other hotels too. At Le Meurice in Paris, guests can choose from art tours on Picasso, Rodin or Monet while 45 Park Lane features British sculptor Barbara Hepworth. The focus of the art tour in Milan is Lucio Fontana, one of Italy’s most revolutionary modern artists, known best for his slashed canvases. Art historian Olimpia Isidori has created a fascinating tour tracing Fontana’s story from his move to Milan as a child from Argentina, his studies at Brera Academy and his ultimate rejection of his prestigious Art Academy education to forge his own path. The tour includes a stop at a cafe frequented by Fontana, the art supply shop where he got his materials and a walk through the Brera Academy, where he studied in the late 1920s under the symbolist sculptor Adolfo Wildt. Fontana was the first known artist to slash his canvases – which he said symbolised an utter rejection of all art theory.

Prada Foundation, Milan

Continuing with modern art, Fondazione Prada is one of the most beautiful museums in Milan (designed by Rem Koolhaus). The current exhibition features Pino Pascali (on until 23 September 2024), an artist who is not so well known outside of Italy. It is a stupendous retrospective by an artist who had a very short career (he died tragically in 1968 in a motorcycle accident at the age of 32). Considered to be part of the Italian Arte Povera (Italian: literally “poor art”) movement that took place between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, Pascali was hugely influential, and this retrospective demonstrates why. Curated by Mark Godfrey, the show includes 49 works drawn from Italian and international museums, and private collections. Taking place over three buildings in the museum, this is a must see.

Nari Ward installation at Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan

Pirelli HangarBicocca , which used to be a Pirelli tire factory, was converted into 10,900 square metres of exhibition galleries in 2012. Currently on show is Nari Ward, the Jamaican born American artist, who has recreated his installation Super Stud which he first made in 1994. Running until 28 July 2024, it is an enormous installation (in an enormous hangar), and features vast, colorful stringed nets suspended overhead, walls of discarded wooden pallets, bits and pieces of buildings, broken pianos, and curtains made of bottles and Budweiser cans. It is a cacophonous work using raw, found and ready-made material, that reminds us of the Arte Povera ideas you can see in Pino Pascali’s work.

'The seven heavenly palaces' by Anselm Kiefer is displayed at the Hangar Bicocca Contemporary Art ... [+] Museum in Milan, Italy.

One of the big draws at HangarBicocca is a permanent installation by the German artist Anselm Kiefer: a gasp out loud kind of work. It was created as a temporary work for the opening of the museum in 2004 but was so beloved by the Milanese that they decided to make it permanent. It consists of seven towers - each weighing 90 tons and rising to heights of between 13 and 19 meters, created from reinforced concrete using shipping containers. The towers symbolise the mystical experience of the ascent through the seven levels of spirituality in the ancient Hebrew Book of Palaces/ Sanctuaries , which dates back to the 4th-5th centuries A.D. Art can sometimes be overwhelming and sometimes, it is supposed to overwhelm. Art can also make one feel small, and again, it is sometimes meant to. Kiefer’s work at HangarBicocca does both those things, with a truly monumental work that is of Biblical proportions.

Your Best Look Yet At The New iPhone 16

Trump media stock djt at risk of a new short selling plunge, ryan garcia what s ostarine and how could a boxer use it to cheat, classical art.

Milan, Pinacoteca Di Brera, The Marriage of the Virgin, 1504, by Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520), oil on ... [+] panel.

The Brera museum is the largest classical art museum in Milan, whose highlights include The Lamentation of Christ (1480) by Andrea Mantegna, with its famously extreme foreshortening, and a sublime Raphael, Marriage of the Virgin (1504), which places the architectural perspective (a new Renaissance trick) to the forefront leaving poor Mary and Joseph as just bit-players. There is also Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus (1605-6), a masterful demonstration of chiaroscuro and flailing hands, a later copy (by Caravaggio) of the one in London’s National Gallery.

Caravaggio 'Basket of Fruit' at Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Milan

And speaking of Caravaggio, the bad boy of the art world can be found in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, a less visited museum than the Brera but with just as many iconic works, we find his Basket of Fruit (1599), considered one of the first examples of still life in European painting. The hyper-realistic basket seems to teeter on the edge of the picture-space, in danger of falling out of the painting and into the viewer's space instead.

The other great masterpiece here is the largest Renaissance cartoon that has survived to this day and was made by Raphael as a preparatory work for his work The School of Athens (1509-11) in the Vatican.

Finally, the Biblioteca Ambrosiana (your ticket gets you into both) houses the most extensive collection of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, the Codex Atlanticus . A rare chance to see his notebooks close-up on display. And don’t miss Leonardo’s rather lovely portrait of a musician (c. 1483–1487) tucked away in the basement!

The Last Supper

'The Last Supper', 1494-1498 at the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

One can’t do an art visit to Milan without seeing one of the most famous paintings in the world, Michelangelo’s masterpiece, The Last Supper, the scene of The Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples . On the wall of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the mural was commissioned as part of a scheme of renovations to the church and its convent buildings by Da Vinci's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. Although you can try to book tickets on the museum’s website, they are sold out months in advance. A better option is to book a tour with one of the numerous guides, thus securing access. A good choice is the tour company, Get Your Guide , who offer a Milan Guided Walking Tour plus Last Supper Visit.

Where to Stay

Hotel Principe di Savoia. Milan. Italy.

The chic five star Principe di Savoia , part of the Dorchester Collection, offers a quiet location near the Porta Nuova district, with a free car service to the historic center and the ultimate luxury stay in Milan. Open since 1927, this is one of Milan’s grand historic hotels. The common areas include attractive Art Deco features that will take you back in time while the guest rooms feature an appealing blend of 19th-century décor with contemporary touches including heavy Italian drapes, lavish wallpaper and beautiful ceramic tiling in bathrooms. The spa on the top floor offers gorgeous views across the city and the lavish breakfast is one of the city’s finest.

For smaller budgets, the four star NH Milano City Life is a large business friendly hotel with spacious, airy rooms, a substantial breakfast buffet and a rooftop pool beside a metro. Or, within easy walking distance of the city center’s main attractions, Sonder Missori is a chic choice, with 40 nicely appointed modern rooms.

Where to Eat and Drink

At Principe Savoia, Acanto Restaurant offers a modern Italian menu in an elegant setting. Delicious handmade pasta dishes and highly creative desserts make for a satisfying dining experience.

If you’re looking for a hip venue for cocktails and tapas , the sprawling Moebius in a former textile workshop near Central station, has an industrial chic vibe. It houses a vinyl store as well as two restaurants Sperimentale and Tapa Bistrot, plus live entertainment.

Since 1911, and still in the same family, Jamaica , a bar and cafe near the Brera Museum, has been a favorite watering hole for creatives over the years, including Lucio Fontana, Ernest Hemingway and Allen Ginsberg.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Preparing for the tidal wave of Canadian tax changes

2024 Canadian ESG Reporting Insights

Findings from the 2024 Global Digital Trust Insights

PwC Canada's Federal budget analysis

Canada’s Draft Sustainability Disclosure Standards

27th Annual Global CEO Survey—Canadian insights

2023 Canadian holiday outlook

Embracing the future of capital markets

Five opportunities facing Canadian government and public-sector organizations

How can Canadian family business founders and owners create the right outcomes

Managed Services

Nicolas Marcoux, CEO of PwC Canada, recognized for his commitment to the advancement of women in business

PwC Canada drives adoption of Generative AI with firmwide implementation of Copilot for Microsoft 365

Our purpose, vision and values

Apply today! Now hiring students and new graduates

We’re empowering women to thrive in tech

Why join our assurance practice?

Loading Results

No Match Found

The Teal Jones Group

Page last updated: May 2, 2024

This page is for information purposes only and you should consult your professional adviser if you have any questions or are uncertain as to your rights or obligations.

Status of File as at May 2, 2024

In preparation of the hearing to take place on May 3, 2024 (the "Comeback Hearing"), the Monitor has posted the applicable motion materials (found under the Motion Materials tab).  

The Company is seeking to have the following approved by the Court at the Comeback Hearing:

• The Restructuring Support Agreement between the Company and the WF Lenders and the Interim Financing Facility; 
• A charge in favor of the Interim Lenders;
• An increase in the Administration Charge;
• The sale of certain non-core assets;
• An increase in the threshold for Court approval of sales of real property; and
• An extension of the stay of proceedings to August 1, 2024.

The Monitor has posted its First Report to the Court (found under the Monitor's Reports tab), which speaks to the approvals the Company is seeking from the Court, alongside providing an update on the Company's activities since the Filing Date.  

In addition, a hearing on the Merits of Recognition, with respect of the application for recognition of the CCAA Proceedings in the United States under Chapter 15, to be heard before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the "U.S. Court") has been set for May 31, 2024.

Status of File as at May 1, 2024

Status of file as at  april 26, 2024.

On April 26, 2024, Teal Jones Holdings Ltd, as representative of the Petitioners, applied for the recognition of the CCAA Proceedings in the United States by filing a petition under Chapter 15 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (the “Chapter 15 Proceedings”) before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the “U.S. Court”) pending a hearing on the merits of recognition. A date for the hearing has not yet been provided by the U.S. Court. We refer you to the filed petitions dated April 26, 2024 for more information.

Status of File as at  April 25, 2024

On April 25, 2024 (the "Filing Date"), Teal Jones Holdings Ltd., Teal Cedar Products Ltd., Columbia River Shake & Shingle, Teal Jones Aviation GP Ltd., Teal-Jones Group, Teal Jones Aviation Limited Partnership, Teal Jones Holdings USA Inc., Teal Jones Lumber Services Inc., Teal Jones Dry Kilns, LLC, Teal Jones Lumber Sales, LLC, Pine Products, LLC, Potomac Supply, LLC, Teal Jones Lumber, LLC, Teal Jones Louisiana Holdings, LLC, GreenTree Lumber Company LLC, (collectively the “Company” or “the Petitioners”) sought and obtained an Initial Order of the Supreme Court of British Columbia (the “Court”) pursuant to the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (the “CCAA”). PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. LIT (“PwC”) was appointed as the Monitor. As a result of the CCAA filing, there is a stay of proceedings in place until May 3, 2024, (the “Initial Stay”), subject to any extensions of the Initial Stay that the Court might grant upon application by the Company.

The next court application will be Friday May 3, 2024 (the “Comeback hearing”).

On April 26, 2024, the Company plans to apply for the recognition of the CCAA Proceedings in the United States by filing a petition under Chapter 15 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (the “Chapter 15 Proceedings”) before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the “U.S. Court”).

Notice of the CCAA and the Monitor’s appointment will be emailed or mailed to all affected creditors shortly and will be posted under the creditor’s communication tab.

The Monitor will post regular status updates to this website and post future Monitor reports and Court materials, as they become available during the CCAA and Chapter 15 proceedings.

Related Content

What is a receivership.

This page is for information purposes only and you should consult your professional adviser.

What is CCAA?

What is bankruptcy, ccaa frequently asked questions.

Monitor's Staff

The Teal Jones Group, PwC Canada

Tel: +1 (604) 495 8950

© 2018 - 2024 PwC. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

• Cookies info
• Terms & Conditions
• Site Provider
• Accessibility