This is Jennifer Gonzalez welcoming you to episode 138 of the Cult of Pedagogy podcast.

In this episode, we're going to talk about how you can make cooperative learning work

better in your classroom.

As a middle school English teacher, I incorporated plenty of group work into my instruction.

I did it for a number of reasons.

Sometimes it was because a task seemed like a natural fit for cooperative learning, like

days when I wanted students to brainstorm ideas together.

Other times it was just to mix things up and do something different.

And then there was the fewer grades principal.

If I had 120 students and I gave an assignment to groups of four, that meant I would only

have to grade 30 final products rather than 120.

It didn't always go well though.

Student contributions were uneven.

Some groups were better at staying on task than others.

A lot of time got wasted.

Personality's conflicted.

Absences created logistical headaches.

Not only did I observe these problems as a teacher, I had also experienced them plenty

of times as a participant in group projects.

I was the classic just let me do it all person.

Starting early on in most situations that other group members weren't going to add much

value, I ended up taking on most of the work myself.

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