Supporting physics teaching with research-based resources

Quick tips from the Faculty Teaching Institute about how to structure group work.

Group Structure and Process 

Use groups of 2-4 people. If the group is too small, there won't be enough diversity of student perspectives. If the group is too large, it will take longer to manage diverse tasks and it’s harder for students to participate equally. The ideal will depend on the task at hand; for brief activities, 2-3 is probably good.

Decide whether students should choose their groups. There are pros and cons to each type of group selection, here are some things to consider for each one:

• Student choice. This is easy for instructors and can feel friendly to students. However students may feel left out if they don’t know anyone. Additionally, students often group themselves by race or gender, which you may wish to avoid.
• Random assignment. This can support equity and help students to not get stuck in a group they don’t like. However, it can be socially taxing to meet new people. If you choose random groups, you might randomize at the start of each class, or periodically through the semester. You can use table numbers, playing cards, or other strategies for randomization.
• Modified random assignment. Use a random assignment, but ensure that students in marginalized groups are not alone.

One way is to give students a choice on the first day and then ask them if they want to stay with their current group or meet new people. (Note that both of these choices are positive options.) Those who wish to change are reassigned using a modified random strategy.

Decide whether students should change groups frequently. Consider whether groups should be one-off or long-term; there are pros and cons to both. Long-term groups may be better for students learning to work together well, perhaps changing once or twice during the term.

Decide whether to assign group roles. Again, there are pros and cons to assigning roles and no one clear answer to what to do. Roles can help students know what to do and promote equity. However, they can be difficult to enforce and feel overly managed. Common roles are facilitator, scribe, reporter, data manager, materials manager, time manager, coach, encourager, question monitor, etc. Ensure that students rotate roles if you do use them. One way to approach role assignment is to not assign roles where collaborative work is short; however, in labs, provide descriptions of the types of roles that will be needed and tell them to decide together how these tasks will be accomplished.

Allow sufficient time for group work. You won't be able to cover as much material as you could if you lectured for the whole class period. Cut back on the content you want to present in order to give groups time to work.

Hold both groups and individuals accountable through assessment. Reward both individual and group outcomes. Rewards might include polls or quizzes (where members must respond to a physics question they worked on in a group), shared grades (final individual grades rely on team member scores), certificates of recognition (for teams with average scores on quizzes meet a benchmark), two-stage exams (where students complete the exam individually and then collectively), group assignments (where the group turns in a single assignment for a common grade), and group self-assessments (where members rate their group’s process and outcomes).

Group Tasks

Use group activities for the most challenging student learning outcomes. Group activities take time; use them for the aspects that are most challenging for students.

Design group activities that students can’t do on their own. Make the task stimulating and challenging with ill-structured problems or high-complexity tasks, where students will benefit from collaboration. Tasks that involve recall, definitions, or looking up information shouldn’t be group tasks. Resources on PhysPort at “Where can I find good activities for small group discussions?”

Design tasks for groups to work at different paces. Different groups will go at different paces. Design activities so that in the time you’ve allotted, every group can accomplish the most essential parts, and all groups have enough to keep them productively engaged for the whole time. It is fine if some groups go more slowly and deeply, and others will do much more. Do manage expectations so that the slower groups don’t feel they are behind; e.g., display a desired pacing on the board with minimum time markers, and “strive to complete at least this much by X time.”

Increase the complexity of group activities over the semester (scaffolding). You might give relatively easy tasks early in the term, with a clear structure, to encourage their progress and help them develop good working habits. Then “fade” that structure over the term.

Use multiple forms of collaborative work throughout the term. The Universe of student-centered instructional techniques provides a range of options. A diversity of learning activities maintains student interest and helps students with various skill sets engage and succeed.

Consider scaffolding student work with tables. Tables in a worksheet help focus students without needing many directions or overwhelming students with detail. Plus, it is easy for facilitating instructors or TAs to see student progress at a glance. Use minimal wording and lots of space.

Additional practices:

• Create or secure a physical space that facilitates group work if you can, such as round tables, rather than rows of seats, with a space where all can see and contribute to common writing on a worksheet or whiteboard, while addressing accessibility needs.
• Find other ways for students to participate. Some students may have social anxiety or may be neurodivergent in ways that make group work additionally challenging. You may decide not to require every student to participate in group work, and find ways for students to learn similar content and skills on their own.
• Give students some freedom and choice over how they engage in the work and the outcomes of the group activity. People are more interested in a task when they feel they have some level of control. That control could be related to how students will accomplish something, or which topic they choose to explore. You might choose tasks with multiple pathways to the solution.

For more information on structuring group work, check out the Expert Recommendation "How can I help students work well in small groups, so they are more likely to engage?"

This Expert Recommendation is based in part on Wilson K.J., Brickman P., Brame C.J., Evidence Based Teaching Guide: Group Work, CBE Life Science Education (2017), The Learning and Teaching Unit at UNSW, Guide to Group Work, (UNSW), Centre for Teaching Excellence, Implementing group work in the classroom (University of Waterloo), and L.E. Gin et al., Is active learning accessible? Exploring the process of providing accommodations to students with disabilities, CBE-Life Sciences Education 19(4) (2020).

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants DUE-2141678, 2141745, 2141769, 2141795, and 2142045.  Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.