Better groupwork in the primary classroom

Working in groups doesn’t stop some children from slacking off or running a dictatorship, but the principles of enterprise education can be used to encourage genuine teamwork, says Claire Lotriet...

Over the past few years, enterprise education has become central to the way I approach teaching and learning. It comprises soft skills that are essential to living a successful life in the 21st century and I try to embed these throughout the curriculum in my classroom. In short, enterprise education is not just another lesson; it can be woven through as many subjects as possible and changes the way my classroom is run. The skills include risk taking, decision making, teamwork, problem solving, leadership, presenting and financial capability.

Group work in the primary classroom is nothing new, but promoting teamwork is more about getting all members of the group to take part in completing a task or solving a problem – a vital skill in any walk of life. Here are some of the strategies I use to help children pull together as a team, with no one member dominating or taking a back seat.

1. Team names
Whenever children in my class work on a project in groups, I get them to think up a team name. The first time I did this was with a Year 4 class and it wasn’t planned. There were a variety of team names: Team Cheetah, Team Best Stars, Team Lightning Force – it went on. However, the name really isn’t important, it’s the fact children come up with it together that matters. Of course, it’s purely anecdotal, but I really feel this pulls teams together and also creates a sense of healthy competition, with each team wanting to achieve the best possible outcomes. When I’m referring to the groups, I also use the word ‘team’ instead of ‘group’.

2. Action plans
This is a strategy I use when starting group projects that run over a few weeks or the duration of a half term. Before anything else, teams work together on creating an action plan. I generally provide children with a template that has space for a team name, the final outcome (what they will actually produce), required resources (including where these will be sourced), any specific support they will need from me, and an outline of what they will do in each lesson. Recently, in my phase, we have also introduced project logs that teams have to complete at the end of each project session. On these, children have to record the work they have done that day, anything they have found out, and their next steps. This is particularly useful when you have teams working on quite different projects, but want to record new learning and make sure all members of a team are contributing. The action plan also helps teams manage their time more effectively and ensures their projects stay on track.

3. Graffiti recording
This is a strategy for one-off lessons or tasks, rather than projects. I’ve found it works particularly well as a way of recording maths problems. I cover all the table tops with large sheets of paper and stick them down before the lesson. (Taping the paper down stops individuals ‘taking control’ of the paper – it belongs to the team and should feel like part of the table). Children work in pairs or groups and write notes and answers on the paper – it feels a little bit naughty to be writing on the desks, which adds to the appeal. Also, because the work is not recorded in anyone’s book, children who might otherwise be reluctant to show their working and mistakes are less concerned. Some teachers I know have missed out the paper entirely and used dry wipe markers straight onto the tables tops – just check they do rub off easily before going ahead with this!

4. Roles
Assigning different roles to each member of the team is a way of ensuring all members are kept on task. I have found this to be a very successful approach in science investigations and often issue the roles of ‘recorder’, ‘equipment monitor’, ‘observer’, ‘spokesperson’ and ‘team leader’. Letting children wear labels bearing their job titles can also help them get into role.

Promoting successful teamwork is not a precise science, but a combination of the above strategies can have a positive effect on teamwork within your class. Play about with them, make them your own and observe what happens.

Claire is the author of Switched On Computing: take your first easy steps with Microsoft, which can be downloaded for free from switchedoncomputing.co.uk/microsoft

About the author

Claire Lotriet is a class teacher and phase leader at a south London primary school. She blogs regularly about all things education at clairelotriet.com