Should Students Have To Work In Groups?

As a teacher, I defaulted to “group work” far too often. “It’s good for them,” I’d tell myself.

But, once, during a group work time, a student approached and quietly asked:

Do I have to work in a group?

Of course, I thought I was doing my students a favor by giving them time to work together on an assignment. Interaction, collaboration, and a chance to discuss – all positives for students, right? Yet, here was a student who wanted to work alone.

She wasn’t anti-social. She wasn’t unpopular. She wasn’t lonely.

She just wanted to work by herself.

You know what? I want to work by myself too! I do my best work when I can work alone. Coordinating with other people is a huge drain on my energy. And the work is always a compromise. That’s why Byrdseed is a one-person endeavor.

Now, when I have worked in a group, I’ve always picked my own group. When I co-wrote a book, I wasn’t assigned a co-author! We chose to work with each other.

Groups Have Major Downsides

• Working in groups doesn’t “teach cooperation” any more than being alone on that island taught the kids in Lord of the Flies to be cooperative.
• If you want to teach cooperation, you have to, you know, teach cooperation! You have to prepare and deliver lessons. Do you have time to do that well?
• Your top students will always work below their ability in groups. I want to see my students’ best work, not their compromised work.
• You cannot accurately assess who did what, so your grading will be unfair.

Just ask your former students! I’m sure you’ll get an earful about group projects.