group work

When I was a student I did not like group work.  I preferred to take responsibility for my own efforts rather than rely upon others, even if they might have offered me resources I did not have myself.  Even if they might have....but of course I rather assumed that they would not and that the bother of negotiating the group dynamics would still have out weighted whatever paltry benefits might have come from that unlikely contribution.

Cyprian of Carthage

(In fairness I must mention one graduate school project for which my partner was far more prepared than I.  The topic was a Latin speaking North African theologian.  I was able to look up citations in the indexes and run to the stacks to retrieve the publications.  Beyond that, much of the work was Jane's.)

Now, as an instructor, I find myself using class time for small group discussion and assigning group written work.  Why?  Because experts in student learning have convinced me that we (we are all students) learn more in the midst of those social interactions.  The necessity of articulating our ideas and communicating with each other increases our understanding and our retention of both information and wisdom.  The interaction generates new insights and ideas.

And . . . .. (drum-roll) I'm relatively sure that the often frustrating and sometimes exhilarating practice of  working with one's peers is an important exercise in democracy.