HOW TO FORM GROUPS AND ROLE ASSIGNMENTS IN COLLABORATION

SKILLS
Collaborative learning gives the responsibility of the learning to the
students by using groups and pairs of students to fulfill a task Or
assignment
Assigning roles to group members can be a good way to improve group
work and team effectiveness.

How to form groupt

The elements that you should consider to form group are
1. Size
You can form:
Smallest group with 2 students or
Largest recommended group is 6.
Smaller groups will require fewer social skills and will work more quickly.
Larger groups generally generate more ideas, deal better with complex
ideas and create fewer group reports for the teacher to process.
2. Formation
Heterogeneous grouping with regards to academic achievement, task
orientation, ability and learning style can be used depending on the
subject matter
Some options for forming student groups are
Proximity-based. This is the most common way to form groups: get into a
group with one or two students sitting near and discuss the problem It is
the least time-consuming method, because requires little movement
around the classroom, and allows students to ) get right down to bussines
student-selected groups this method gives students freedom to take
ownership over the activity and work with people that they feel
comfortable with
Student-selected with limitations. To limit the problems associated with
student-formed groups, you may consider placing certain requirements on
who students work with in group activities. For example, ask students to
find a person they have not worked with yet during the semeste
Randomly assigned. There are many ways you can do this,
from entering names into a random number generator,
drawing names out of a hat, or having students line up in
order of their birthday or the first letter of their last name.
Assigned groups. Sometimes the best way to generate
groups is when the teacher assigned the students because
is the way to balance student by personalities, abilities, or
the sociodemographic characteristics of the group,
Duration
Groups created for longer projects should be structured carefully. Groups
that stay together for long periods (4-6 weeks) are more likely to form
stronger bonds, develop more complex collaborative skills .

Diferents roles
When students are in group it is important to have each student identify a
role that they will play to support the group.
Appropriate roles will depend on group size and the nature of the
collaborative learning task.
WHEN TO USE ROLES

TEAM DISCUSSIONS: Without roles, team discussions consist of one or two

students talking most or all of the time, so it’s important assignment a rol
to each student.
Facilitator/Encourager.
Timekeeper.
Summarizer.
Reflector.
Elaborator

TEAM PROJECT: Without roles, given an interesting or challenging task, it

is probable that the highest achieving students will “take over” and do the
task the team.
Leader/Editor.
Recorder/Secretary.
Checker.
Spokesperson/Press Secretary/Webmaster.

The most common roles in a groups are

Role name Function

Facilitator:  Keeps group on task and verifies that all contribute.

 Takes notes on important thoughts expressed in the

Recorder/writer group.
 Writes final summary.
 Shares summary of group with large group. Speaks for
Speaker/Reporter:
the group, not just personal view.
Materials  Picks up, distributes, collects, turns in, or puts away
Manager: materials.
 Keeps track of time and reminds group how much time
Time Keeper:
is left.
 Checks for accuracy and clarity of thinking during
Checker: discussions.
 Checks written work and tracks poin