8 Suggestions for Successful Group Activities
1. Write instructions on the board or on a handout. Written instructions will help you avoid answering questions about your instructions ten to fifteen times, and students can refer to the instructions if you are busy with another group.
2. Tell students what they'll be doing, why they are doing it, and how long it should take. Once students start moving, the thundering noise will prevent any additional messages from getting through, so describe the activity from start to finish before you put them into groups.
3. Instruct students to elect a recorder and a spokesperson before they begin the activity.
4. Lie about the time they have for an activity. If you have planned 10 minutes for an activity, tell the students they have 5 minutes. This will elicit groans, whines, and accusing looks, but it will keep them working because they have so little time to do ALL THIS STUFF. Meanwhile, you can stand by with a knowing smile, comforted by the thought that, with luck, you may get done in time.
5. Once the students have divided into groups, gentle but firm reminders like "You all should be reading at this point" will prompt them to stop visiting and to start working. Gentle but firm reminders early on will help you to resist the temptation to scream later. Also, staring at your wristwatch intently and remarking, "Gee, there are only two minutes left," can be helpful. (Of course, if you applied hint #4 above, there will actually be four minutes left.)
6. Have your students write the results of the activity in a journal or on a sheet of paper to hand in. Even though the activity may not be graded, students will often pay more attention to the activity if they know you'll be looking at their work.
7. In addition to the main activity, plan for additional "If you have time" tasks. This will help prevent groups who have finished their work quickly from sitting (and talking) idly by while other groups are still working.
8. If you ask the students to present their group's work to the class, have the class applaud after each presentation. Applause not only helps to ease the discomfort, but it also promotes enthusiasm, and it prevents you from having to give well-meant but lame comments in the awkward silence following a presentation.
(courtesy of Kate Barnes, from the online Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers Instructor's Manual)