© Crown copyright 2004
DfES 0433-2004
9 | Key Stage 3 National Strategy|Pedagogy and practice
Unit 10: Group work
Choosing and selecting groups
Choice of groups for group work may be predetermined to a certain extent by any
setting of classes that has already taken place. Your grouping of pupils might be
based on a number of different criteria linked to the outcomes of the activity in
which the groups are engaged. You may consider, at different times, factors such
as ability, communication skills, social mix, behaviour, gender, SEN, disability and
EAL.
Task 9
Classroom assignment: introducing tasks 30 minutes
to groups and allocating roles
Design a group activity to try with a class.
Write down the words you will use to introduce the task. (Some researchers have
suggested it is helpful to use structures such as ‘What I am looking for is ...’ or
‘This is because ...’.)
Decide the roles pupils will play. (You might like to refer to the list in the summary
of researchon page 21.)
Identify the resources you will need.
Reflection
Think about a class where you have used group work. What influenced your
selection of pupils?
Task 8
Introducing group tasks 2 25 minutes
Watch video sequences 10d and 10e, which show two teachers introducing
group work in their classrooms.
How does each teacher share the objectives of the activity with the pupils?
How are the expected outcomes made clear?
Notice how roles are allocated particularly in video sequence 10e.
