SCHOOL PLACEMENT 1
Student: Shaun Horan
Date: 17/11/17
OBSERVATION
On my school placement
group work was promoted by
the class teacher as a way to
improve their overall
learning. The task they were
given was to construct a table
from a specific amount of
newspaper and masking tape.
This table had to be able to
hold a dictionary. The
objective was also to have the
table as high as possible.
Each group consisted of a
mixture of third, fourth, fifth
and sixth class students.
There was a various range of
ages and abilities in each
group.
2016/2017
Class Observed: 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th
Topic: Working in Groups
CRITICAL REFLECTION ON THE OBSERVATION
I felt the teacher was correct in dividing the class into groups
of varying abilities as it made the groups fairer, for example
if the teacher just split the groups by class or ability then
clearly the older students would have an advantage over the
younger ones, as their level of thinking would be at more of
an advanced stage. I feel the only negative of this is that I
thought the younger students in the group were less inclined
to contribute to the task as they were afraid of being wrong
and thus the student with more ability would simply take
over the group. The teacher asked me to walk around the
classroom and discuss their ideas with them individually in
their groups. As I walked around I noticed that some students
tended to be quiet and not much discussion was taking place.
I think this might be in fact due to each student being nervous
but as I spent more time with the students they became more
confident and were willing to discuss their opinions with me.
While in other groups, the9 opposite was evident and
interaction within the groups was very good. I believe an
advantage of group learning is the development of social
skills. Lev Vygotsky, a Soviet psychologist emphasised the
importance of social relationships in a childs learning
processes. (Flood, 2010, pg100) I gave the students advice
to pick a team leader. I felt this would improve the students
leadership skills and listening skills as well as their
communication skills. Each team leader helped to organise
their groups and gave out specific tasks to each student.
Although this was helpful for most groups I observed, for
others it did not work as effectively. I think it was too easy
for some group leaders to dominate the group. I think this
then made some of the shyer group members fail to get
involved. I feel that the students motivation for the task was
boosted when working in groups rather than individually. I
think allowing the children to decide how they were going to
complete the task without adult interference was a good idea.
High Scope practices this in Plan-Do-Review. As I watched
the children complete the task set to them, it was nice to see
the older children helping the younger children in their
SCHOOL PLACEMENT 1 2016/2017

groups. From approximately 10 to 12 years children

become capable of empathising with others. (Flood, 2010,
pg. 137). Group learning also encourages active learning
rather than passive learning by developing collaborative and
co-operative skills and also promotes critical thinking.
On final reflection I ask myself if the assignment was a
success. My answer would have to be yes. The children all
seemed to enjoy the task whether they managed to lift the
dictionary or not. I believe the assignment given to the
children provided an enjoyable and challenging experience
for them.

Bibliography
Flood, E., 2010. Child Development For Students In Ireland. s.l.:Gill and Macmillan.