Group work 'raises attainment'

Teachers support groups rather than splitting up groups who argue

Pupils are more focused on their work, make more progress and behave better if they work in groups, research suggests.

A one-year project by the Institute of Education at London University found group work led to improvements in maths, reading and science.

Teachers should become "guides on the side" rather than directly controlling whole classes, even if pupils argue at first, the researchers suggest.

The NASUWT teachers' union said this was "not living in the real world".

The Spring Project (Social Pedagogic Research into Group Work) involved 162 classes and more than 4,250 children aged five to 14.

In infant schools, where the study concentrated on group work in reading and maths, teachers noticed improvements in both, they said.

And in secondary schools, teachers reported improvements in higher level conceptual understanding.

Specifically designed tests measured pupils' attainment against pupils in classes taught using traditional teacher-directed methods.

It's about developing their listening skills, trust, respect and sensitivity Dr Ed Baines, Institute of Education

There was a "significant improvement" in those classes using the group work according to Dr Ed Baines, who led the Key Stage 2 part of the project.

It was equivalent to an average pupil moving into the top third of the class, he said.

And pupils involved in the project were more actively engaged in their learning and able to think through arguments surrounding the topic better than those in other classes who were more passive.

'Positive and supportive'

He said the study was about getting teachers to use group work in a strategic and complementary way.

The classes in the project were first introduced to the concept of group work, and pupils would be asked to think about what working together involved.

Then when they began working in groups, they would use those skills and reflect on how well they did, Dr Baines said.

"It's about developing their listening skills, trust, respect and sensitivity," he said.

"And at a more advanced level about how to take decisions together, reach a compromise and work through difficulties and speak up in a group."

These were some of the skills pupils would need in later life, he added.

"And this is not about leaving pupils to scream and shout.

"Teachers' normal reactions when children squabble is to split up a group, but we got them to help pupils talk through problems in a supportive and positive environment where they learn how to resolve difficulties."

The researchers on the project say the evaluation shows group work deserves a more central role in schools. Until now, they say, its potential has not been realised.

But Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said the ideas sounded "unrealistic".

"They have got to look at the context teachers are working in," she said.

"It is a mistake for people to say 'we have done this piece of research - this worked and it is the way it'll work all the time'."

Parents would be likely to complain if group work descended into arguments, she added.