THE BENEFITS OF GROUP WORK IN THE ADOLESCENT CLASSROOM 1

THE BENEFITS OF GROUP WORK IN THE ADOLESCENT CLASSROOM

Opinion Paper #1

Lindsay Masin

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The Benefits of Group Work in the Adolescent Classroom

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Collaborative learning, as defined by Anuradha A. Gokhale (1995), in her article,

“Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking”, refers to “an instruction method in which

students at various performance levels work together in small groups toward a common goal” (p.

23). Pairing students in groups is a technique often used by educators to establish relationships

between students, encourage development of classroom community, and to provide structure to

more difficult or daunting tasks. Developmentally, most adolescents are social beings who thrive

on interactions with their peers. By requiring that certain assignments and class work be

completed in groups, teachers are allowing for better comprehension of new ideas, fostering

social skills and guiding students as they begin to develop the skills necessary for successful

collaborations in the future.

The idea of group work and collaborative learning can be linked back to Vygotsky’s

ideas surrounding adolescent cognitive development and the concept of the Zone of Proximal

Development. In his article, “Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development as a theoretical

foundation for cooperative learning”, Peter E. Doolittle (1997) describes Vygotsky’s findings,

“through social interactions with more knowledgeable others, such as more advanced peers and

adults, children eventually develop higher mental functions such as language, logic, [etc]” (p.

84). When students are grouped with peers who have different strengths than their own, there is a

higher learning curve and students are able to develop much more quickly than if they were to

complete the task on their own. Through working with more knowledgeable others in the group

setting, adolescents will begin to establish some autonomy, and as Doolittle (1997) quotes

Vygotsky, “what lies in the zone of proximal development at one stage is realized and moves to

the level of actual development at a second…What the child is able to do in collaboration today

[he or she] will be able to do independently tomorrow” (p. 85). Initially learning a skill or a task

as a group can provide opportunities for peers and more knowledgeable others to act as mentors,
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guiding adolescents toward mastery of that skill in a safe and supportive environment. Group

work provides a space for students to try new skills without the fear of having to be an expert

right away.

Working in a group is an inherently social activity. It involves communicating,

interacting and understanding the people that comprise the group. Adolescents are social beings

that thrive on interactions and conversations with their peers. Providing the opportunity for

students to balance that desire to be social, with the need to complete the task at hand, makes for

a much more socially conducive classroom environment. In their article, “A review of the

evidence on the effects of community-based programs on young people/s social and emotional

skills development”, Margaret M. Barry, Aleisha M. Clarke, Silvia E. Morreale, and Catherine

Anne Field (2018) define social and emotional skills as “an integrated set of affective, cognitive

and behavioral competencies including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness,

relationship skills, and responsible decision making” (p. 13). When students are assigned a task

to complete in a group setting, all of the above skills are being put into action, sometimes

without the student even being aware that is what is happening. If educators only allow students

to complete tasks alone, there are very few opportunities to develop the important social skills

necessary to function in society.

In their study, “Use of peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and collaborative learning:

Implications for reducing anti-social behavior of schooling adolescents”, Eskay M., Onu V.C.,

Obiyo N., and Obidoa M. (2018), found that students who are partnered or grouped with a peer,

“are less likely to engage in behaviors that are disruptive or problematic. It provides students

valuable opportunities to practice their social skills in a structured environment” (p. 933). The

classroom is one of the best places for students to develop and hone social skills because there

are support systems in place to ensure best social practices are being followed, and as Vygotsky
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suggests in Doolittle’s article (1997), “social skills [are] a necessary, although not entirely

sufficient, criterion for human development and growth” (p. 91). Requiring group work ensures

that all students are provided the opportunity to stretch and grow through their zone of proximal

development and gain necessary social experiences.

Cooperative learning supports Vygotsky’s model of cognitive development and provides

an opportunity for students to embrace their naturally social desires, but group work also equips

students with the skills required for future collaborations outside of the classroom. Gokhale

(1995) states cooperative learning “gives students an opportunity to engage in discussion, take

responsibility for their own learning, and thus become critical thinkers” (p. 22). As each member

of the group finds a role to play, collaboration and learning take place in order to make sure that

the task is complete. Along with the roles each student learns through this collaborative process,

Gokhale’s (1995) study revealed the valuable skills students were learning when making

decisions as a group: “group decision-making can be easily dominated by the loudest voice or by

the student who talks the longest…every group member must be given an opportunity to

contribute his or her ideas” (p. 25). Teaching students how to effectively collaborate using

cooperative learning will help them better negotiate “group work” situations outside of the

classroom at work, at home, and in personal relationships.

Requiring adolescents to participate in group work in the classroom has many positive

implications for the classroom environment, student achievement, and the world outside of the

classroom. When students work together, they are acquiring new skills from more

knowledgeable peers, exercising their desire to be social, and partaking in important practice for

future collaborations outside of the classroom. Cooperative learning should be an integral part of

the adolescent classroom and a tool utilized by educators to encourage the development of a

socially supportive classroom environment.

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References

Barry, Margaret M., Clarke, Aleisha M., Morreale, Silvia E., Field, Catherine Anne. (2018). A

review of the evidence on the effects of community-based programs on young people’s

social and emotional development. Adolescent Research Review. Vol. 3 (1). 13-27.

Dolittle, Peter E. (1997). Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development as a theoretical foundation

for cooperative learning. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Vol. 8 (1). 83-103.

Gokhale, Anuradha A. (1995). Collaborative learning enhances critical thinking. Journal of

Technology Education. Vol. 7 (1). 23-43.

M., Eskay, V.C., Onu, N., Obiyo, M., Obidoa. (2012). Use of peer tutoring, cooperative learning,

and collaborative learning: Implications for reducing anti-social behavior of schooling

adolescents. US-China Education Review. Vol. A, (11). 932-945.