303groupselection

A cooperative group can consist of 2 to 5 students depending on many factors. The larger the group, the more time needed to work collaboratively. Thus, if the time allocation for a certain assignment is small, one may choose to have students work in groups of 2 or 3. On the other hand, if a class is working on a large assignment, for example a unit project where time is not an issue, than groups of 4 or 5 may be more useful. Additionally, if students in a class tend to avoid involvement and discussion, then a group of 2 or 3 will be more productive. On the other hand, if the task includes a need to brainstorm a variety of ideas, a larger group may be more productive.

The strongest cooperative groups contain heterogeneous students of different abilities, skills, personalities, and so on (Coxford 1998). Heterogeneous students bring forth different ideas, experiences, and points of view (Coxford 1998). These aspects strengthen the groups (Coxford 1998). Students of higher ability learn more by explaining themselves in great depth and detail. They improve both their understanding of mathematical concepts as well as their communication skills. Heterogeneous groups are also advantageous for lower ability students. These students are able to receive more one-on-one help from other students in their group. They are able to hear various explanations from a student's perspective. Diverse students also bring different points of view and ideas that encourage discourse among students.

The method of selection for groups will depend on a couple of main factors. First, the class composition will often determine the method. There are three main ways to select groups: teacher selection, random selection, and student selection. We recommend to mainly use teacher selection in order to encourage some of the aspects of cooperative learning that are extremely important. This method will be used most with a class that tends to get "off-task" or "chatty." However, it is also important to include students into the selection process. Thus, if a class is serious and can choose groups that adhere to the policies of productive collaboration, then students should be able to choose their own groups. Second, since different tasks will require different group sizes, it is important to have a method established to either increase or decrease group size. One way to accomplish this is to have a couple of groups of different sizes pre-arranged (Cummings 2000). For example, color groups are groups of 2, letter groups contain three people, and number groups have four people in them (Cummings 2000). Another way to accomplish this is by allowing students to choose a partner and then the teacher selecting two pairs of students to work together to make a group of four. This method allows student input as well as teacher selection to promote heterogeneity.

Another concept of group selection is the duration of time spent in a certain group. In order to promote collaboration and realistic cooperative learning settings, it is important to have students work with many different combinations of classmates during the school year (Coxford 1998). One way to deal with this is by using the method that includes a variety of different groups of varying sizes. This accomodates different tasks as well as allowing students to work with different classmates on different activities. Another way to accomplish this goal is to change groups after a nine-week grading period in order to get a new, fresh start with a different group.