Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom

by Elizabeth G. Cohen

This edition features new material on such topics as skill-building for more advanced students and how to use multiple-ability treatments. The book aims to combine easy-to-follow theory with examples and teaching strategies that are adaptable to any situation.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Elizabeth G. Cohen was a professor of education and sociology at the School of Education, Stanford University.

Reviews

[Jessica Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are strategies to use and some are interesting but there are also some limitations. Too much of teaching has so many what-if scenarios which makes it hard to apply all the great ideas into every situation. It’s not possible, so maybe that’s my own problem but the book overall had good and sound reasoning to their grouping strategies. This book was used for my diversity course but the course was poorly executed in incorporating this book. Maybe my opinion would change had I read this book in a different scenario. Overall, it is a fine book.

[James Millikan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I would have preferred a few more practical resources for classroom use and a bit less time spent on the finer points of adolescent social psychology, Elizabeth Cohen's Designing Groupwork rightly remains a classic in the field of complex instruction. Highlights include the value of groupwork for both high and lower achieving students, positive independence and individual accountability considerations, and sample prompts for students' self-evaluation. A helpful resource for teachers looking to improve collaborative learning in their classrooms.

[Anna Fennell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I use group collaboration in my classroom. I like the research present in this book and the training exercises it recommended to establish groups. If you have never done groups or feel uncomfortable / anxious about how to start them, this book gives is a great starting place.

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desueto e riferito ad uno specifico contesto culturale, ma i principi sono comunque validi e adattabili. Non è immediatamente applicabile, fornisce stimoli che vanno concretizzati con un grande lavoro di progettazione.

Lettura gradevole, agile.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

a bit wordy

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book from the library, but I'm thinking to purchase a copy for future reference. It's a good match of research and instruction. While I do wish there were more practical examples, I also appreciate this book's general applicability. Literally, if you teach anything, this book will have some instructional strategies you will find handy. A lot of the time I was reading, I felt that common missteps with group work (which I hated in middle and high school and in some classes in college) were foreseen--in 1994! Why don't I see these strategies more fully implemented, then? I also appreciate the groupwork training activities in the back of the book. While I'm a little nervous to try out things on my own without having a set curriculum to guide me (I will be teaching 8th grade math this upcoming year), I'm grateful that Cohen has included criteria to guide the creation of activities for groupwork, as well as cited where she's found her methods. I find realistic that this book, rather than treating itself as a cure-all for classroom problems, shows general principles and then cites sources for methods that I might find interesting. I'm actually surprised at how fast I've read through it for the content area! Which means that I find it applicable and eye-opening.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any educator who endeavors to have students work collaboratively has inevitably encountered issues of equity and status. Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom clearly defines the groupwork dilemma and actions educators can take to address it, such as ensuring tasks are groupworthy and proactively disrupting status problems.

The book is a transparent example that, for all of the things that have changed in education since its first publication in 1986, educators still struggle with many of the same issues today. The revised third edition was published in 2014, and it remains a relevant and useful text. I frequently refer to it in my own work, and I would recommend this as a resource to any educator dedicated to pursuing equity in their classroom.

Last finished 5/19/2022. Rating assigned 6/4/2022.

[DWRL Library]

This book might be helpful for new instructors or lecture-centric instructors who need a basic introduction to the how and why of groupwork.

I wouldn't recommend Designing Groupwork for instructors who already incorporate groupwork successfully in their classroom practice. Also, the practical classroom ideas in the appendices are geared toward elementary and secondary school educators.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Densely conceptual yet clearly explained implementation. Simultaneously very few actual practical skills, activities, and tasks. Teachers need clear deliverable tasks because we aren't given enough time to plan. In other words, I understand how to launch these structures, but do not have clear sense of what the lessons and minutes look like.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book often in my research project this past year. Gives practical and effective suggestions in the classroom about why you create groups, how you create groups, and what you do prepare for as a teacher when creating groups.

[Navasota ISD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Available for checkout at NELC.