Another group work. Yeey. Just like pretty much every lesson today.
As I sat there and thought, not really participating in the discussion, because I just don’t want to speak, a thought came to mind. Or cycled, I don’t know, but it appeared.
Teachers doesn’t need to put a lot of effort in the lesson. All they need to do, is to tell a bit about the topic and then just give students group work, either it’s discussion or find more info about the topic, brainstorm, etc. And that’s it. Teachers can wander around. It feels like teachers doesn’t want any responsibility, they want nothing to do with the lesson more than just find half of the info. And the work for them is done.
See, I have nothing against group works if they are productive, which in my case rarely are. They more feel like, let’s say, time killer. Discussion are usually two-sided, and if one person in the group is introvert, who would rather read a 500 page book during that ‘group work’, then that introvert never gets to say one’s opinion, thoughts. Group work – find more info about this topic – two persons does the work, others just pretend to work (yes, I do that a lot, because I simply can’t concentrate when I have people around). Ohh, not to mention, the silent person rarely gets to tell what they have found, because louder, active speakers has already planned what the group will tell. What made me really frustrated, was a biology lesson where the whole class was divided in groups and had to answer THE SAME QUESTIONS and the answers were in the SAME BOOK. What was the point of the group work? Why couldn’t we just sit alone with the book, find the answer and later see if we all got the same answers?
Sometimes it feels like group work could be used in any situation. Need to find two words, let’s make a group. Need to make grocery list for the weekend? Make it a group work. Need to correct an essay, group work. Need to solve an math exercise? Group work.
Who killed individualism? Modern extrovert society?
Why group works are so praised? Because they teach what? That the loudest speaker is always right and has the best ideas?
Please, stop using group works as time fillers, as a solution for everything. They aren’t botox. But both can do a lot of damage to a person.
Thoughts that keep me up at night. 