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Webb found that there is no ideal solution to grouping. When homogeneous groups are used, high-ability
students and low-ability students give few explanations. When heterogeneous groups are used, there is a
high rate of explanations overall, but if the group includes high-, medium-, and low-ability students, the
medium-ability students tend to get left out.
Webb (1984) also found gender effects among seventh and eighth graders studying math. Girls
achieved less than boys both in majority-girl and majority-boy groups. Other research on gender effects has
been mixed, and much of the research is old (O'Donnell, 2006). An older body of research, well over a
decade old, also provides evidence that white students participate more than minority students in mixed-
ethnicity groups (Cohen, 1994b; O'Donnell, 2006). Other studies revealed that Group Investigation has
been a successful strategy for increasing the relative participation of minority students (Shachar & Sharan,
1994), and complex instruction has produced benefits as strong for girls as for boys (Cohen et al., 1997).
When I talk with teachers, they often suggest that groups of four or larger should be set up so that
there are mixed abilities and equal numbers of boys and girls, and so that groups are ethnically diverse.
However, there is a potential problem with this approach. When groups are consistently set up with an
equal number of girls and boys and clearly defined ethnic distributions, then gender and race may become
very salient to students (Cohen, 1994b). In a class with 25 percent African American students, it would
certainly be obvious to them that each is always assigned to a separate group based on race. An alternative
is to have flexible groups with students joining different groups depending on the day. On one day, students
interested in a particular topic could form a group. On another day, a teacher might form groups by
grouping students who need to work on a particular strategy together. On yet another day, groups might be
assigned randomly.
SUMMARYIntroduction. Well-designed collaborative learning promotes greater student achievement than
students learning alone. Students have more opportunities to engage actively in articulating ideas when
working in small groups than in whole-class discussions. In well designed groups, they will be motivated to
listen to and learn from their group mates.
Goals of collaborative learning. Collaborative learning can be effective at promoting student
learning of content and cognitive strategies, social skills, positive attitudes toward diverse classmates,
prosocial behavior, and reduction in social stratification in the classroom.
Obstacles to effective groups. There are, however, a number of obstacles to effective group work,
including off-task behavior, social loafing, unbalanced interactions, negative interactions, the absence of
interactions, low-quality interactions, and the exacerbation of status differences.
These obstacles can be avoided by employing groups with six processes of effective groups:
engagement, positive interdependence, mutual respect, equal participation, high-quality strategy use, and
uptake of peers’ ideas. High quality strategy use includes the use of both effective social and cognitive
strategies. Useful cognitive strategies include all those you learned about in Chapter 7 (Self-Regulated
Learning), with the addition of providing alternative perspectives.
Instructional methods. Effective instructional methods can support processes of effective groups,
while avoiding the obstacles. Group rewards for individual learning are one method that can be used to
promote positive interdependence. Although there is debate about the extent to which collaborative methods
should be based on rewards, research has shown that with methods such as STAD, group rewards for
individual learning can promote learning in collaborative groups.
Guided cooperation methods script students’ cooperation. Usually working in pairs, students are
explicitly directed to use productive cognitive strategies. Guided cooperation methods include scripted
cooperation, peer-assisted learning strategies, and guided peer questioning. They promote high-quality
strategy use by directly cuing strategy use.