Promoting Effective Group Work in the Primary Classroom - A handbook for teachers and practitioners

As all effective primary school teachers should be aware working in groups is an essential tenet of successful practice. It fosters learning in a social context and develops children’s emotional competence; it thus has a profound benefit on their academic achievement, embracing life skills valued by employers and society alike. Baines, Blatchford and Kutnick’s handbook provides a refreshing insight into this fundamental, but often overlooked, aspect of practitioner pedagogy at the level of the classroom teacher. It will undoubtedly prove to be an important addition to the bookshelf of any primary school staffroom.

The book is the result of a four year study known as the SPRinG project (Social and Pedagogical Research into Group Work). The research was based on pupils in the 5-14 age range although the handbook only examines the primary school. Indeed, it may be the inclusion of secondary practice in the study which necessitated the seemingly overly prescriptive nature of some of the early chapters on classroom organisation; thus under-valuing the practitioner skills embodied in well trained primary teachers.

The book is divided into two distinct parts. The first section provides background information and ideas as to how group work can be both implemented and used in the primary classroom; whereas the second section provides practical examples for the teacher on how to develop group work with their children. These units of activity are a particular strength of the book and provide a selection of well structured, creative and practicable ideas capable of encouraging effective group work in practice. The units have a built in developmental sequence and can easily be adapted to meet the various needs of the children.

The book is easy to engage with; in A4 format and with short and easily navigable chapters. Each of the chapters contains essential information on key aspects of group work – building into a comprehensive analysis of the entire process involved in the execution of successful classroom learning through the group approach; ranging from classroom organisation through planning, to practice and finally to evaluation. A useful troubleshooting section is also provided to help to resolve common group work problems. Short case-studies are also included within the text and exemplify both good and bad practice, thus allowing time for professional reflection and subsequent enhancement of practice.

For the practitioner the most valuable section of each chapter is the summary ‘Think about...’ subsection where the pedagogic principles outlined in the chapter are synthesized into three or four key questions for the teacher. Professional reflection on these questions and their formalisation into both practice and supportive practice in the classroom would undoubtedly result in a valuable learning experience for the children. In consequence improvements in children’s learning, encompassing their greater understanding of the subject matter, their friends and themselves can, almost, be guaranteed.

Based on research with children and teachers the book is honest and realistic in its approach and expectations. It rightly recognises that working in a group is not easy for some children and that there are some teachers who may find relinquishing power over learning in the classroom a challenge. This, however, is a strength of the book; it values the child as a learner and believes in the child’s capabilities as a social being capable of learning with and from its peers. The fundamental difference between sitting in a group and working as a group is made apparent from the outset and it is this principle which guides the pedagogic examination. The role of the teacher in facilitating this approach is clearly espoused.

Highly valuable information for the practitioner teacher is relayed throughout the book: the value of children ‘feeding off each other’ and challenging each other’s understanding to name but two. Central to this pedagogy is the principle that group work has to be both taught and learnt in order to be truly effective: the children, the classroom, the materials and the teacher, along with the support staff, having to be fully prepared in order for the approach to be successfully implemented. It is noted that the approach has to be tempered due to the age of the children and the nature of the task but the centrality of shared understanding and peer engagement in the learning process is made apparent throughout.

The classroom is the canvas on which teachers perform their art; this book provides the foundations of a tool which will allow them to see the bigger picture. Strongly underpinned by research evidence, easy to engage with and fully relevant to practitioner pedagogy it should prove to be essential reading for future teachers and those interested in the realities of classroom organisation and practice. I recommend it as a key text in primary professional practice and I, for one, am pleased to have it on my bookshelf.