The implementation of group work in Hong Kong: A case study

Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 2, Issue 2, Article 5 (Dec., 2001)
Simmi Ho-Yan TAM
The implementation of group work in Hong Kong: A case study

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Practical Experience of Group Work in Hong Kong
I designed 'Infectious Disease' as the group work topic in General Studies for my Primary Five students. The main reason for choosing this as the theme was based on students' previous knowledge in General Studies, and the fact that infectious disease is a common phenomenon in Asia. During the implementation of the group work, I cooperated with the librarian because he could provide professional knowledge in searching related resources for the students. Davis (1999) has stated that allowing students to select their own group members can work well, but this method always runs the risk of further isolating some students or creating cliques within the class as a whole. In spite of this possibility, I gave the students the right to choose their own members freely. Five or six students is an ideal group size in my mind. The larger the groups, the more likely they can handle more complex tasks in which a greater number of ideas might improve the final outcomes.
At the beginning, I provided a series of written questions to guide the group discussion. The groups were asked to make observations, comparisons, contrasts and analysis on the facts of the case. Questions included: 'What kinds of infectious disease have we learned in the General Studies lesson? What do we know about the different kinds of infectious disease? Which kinds of infectious disease are we interested in and would like to chose as our topic?' Based on these questions, the groups decided the topic and focused on the direction of their research. For example, students could focus on the source of a particular infectious disease, the ways of spreading this infectious disease, its syndrome, its damage to health, or suggestions for preventing the infectious disease, etc. Afterwards, groups had to gather information from different sources, such as the library, Internet, through conducting interviews with people, use of other research methods or fieldwork.
I used Jigsaw as the strategy of cooperative learning. Jigsaw is excellent for tasks that have several distinct aspects or components. Each team member takes responsibility for one aspect of the problem in question (Felder, 1994). To prevent conflicts among group members, I spent a few minutes discussing the students' roles, responsibilities and my expectations for the work. I explained to students that each member of the group played a specific role. The roles included leader, encourager, reader and recorder. The leader is responsible for keeping the group on task. The encourager encourages discussion and inclusion of members' opinions, and guides the discussion towards consensus. The recorder should write down the group discussion and conclusion.
Group work does not only build up students' social skills, it is also a way to make a positive difference in learning. The groups work without my interference by adopting the non-traditional roles of witness, resource and consultant, rather than authority figure. Under continuous observation, a high percentage of group members would prefer to sit back and let 'someone else' work on their behalf. This phenomenon, which has come to be known as 'social loafing' (Latane, Williams & Harkins, 1979) can be a serious problem in classrooms and workshops because it heavily constrains the interaction necessary for a productive learning environment. Furthermore, the conditions that produce social loafing can prevent the development of the social fabric that is necessary for effectively functioning learning groups. More assertive members will inevitably 'take charge' and, by doing so, will both reduce the need for additional input and create a sort of a 'caste' system in which quieter members often feel that their ideas might not be welcomed (Michaelsen, Fink & Knight, 1997). Therefore, I encouraged students to express their own opinions in groups freely.
After the group discussion, I discussed with the groups about presenting their ideas to the public. For primary students, it is quite difficult to present their output using slides or transparencies. Finally, some of the groups chose to do a role-play, record a video or tape, make a bookmark or do a PowerPoint presentation.
At the end of the group work activity, I designed a simple evaluation form for the groups. The feedback from the students was positive. They really enjoyed the learning process and they considered to be more confident when expressing themselves in public in the future.