Humans logo

Teaching Methods and Strategies

An Introduction to Group Work

By John Oliver SmithPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
2
Classrooms can be crazy places sometimes!!

Trevor was a likeable enough fellow. He was of good farm-boy stock and he had average intelligence I suppose. However, he also had several character flaws, one of which was his unrealistically high opinion of the male gender as opposed to the fairer, but not weaker sex. Trevor was enrolled in one of my Grade 10 Science courses way back in one of the early years that I taught High School in a small prairie town.

On one teaching occasion, I decided to allow the students to work in groups of four, to complete a test on Tectonic Plate movement and subduction faults and the like, hoping that the critical mass of four students would increase the chances of someone actually taking the slightest and most remote interest in this mesmerizing topic. Trevor, as my misfortune would have it, found himself in a group with no fewer than three 15-year-old girls as partners. The groups were allowed access to a beautifully colored data booklet neatly assembled by the Provincial Department of Education and containing all the pertinent Science information one little Grade 10 brain could possibly fathom. They were also allowed assistance from each other within their respective groups and that was all. As personal electronic devices did not really exist at that time, it was relatively easy for me to keep track of whether or not rules were being followed.

The test began and I circulated around the classroom as the students discussed possible answers to the various questions. They seemed to be “on-task” and very engaged. I was feeling quite proud of myself for a minute or two and then . . . While standing diagonally across the room from Trevor’s group, I distinctly heard Trevor explain to one of his partner’s that there would be, “no friggin’ way” that he “would write down any answer” that came from Tess Upshall because, as he put it, “What would a girl know about that sort of thing anyway.” Aaagghh!!! I mentally visualized my quickest pathway for intervention in the matter and while I was in the process of moving to a more strategic position, Tess stood up smartly from her chair, reached across and applied a forearm shiver to Trevor’s jaw. The blow was sturdy enough to send Trevor’s glasses into an ellipsoid trajectory aimed in the direction of the solar-system poster that hung on the bulletin board beside my desk. In fact one of the lenses was still rising when it ricocheted from Jupiter’s Big Red Spot. The blow was also stout enough to awaken the possessive and somewhat maternal instincts of April Sarich whose newly-found mission in life was to protect and stand up for boys like Trevor. While moving toward Trevor’s group, I caught a glimpse of April kicking aside her desk like a pile of balsa wood. She fence-vaulted over a second desk, which was, in itself, an amazing feat for a 250-pound Grade 10 girl. The image of that gymnastic maneuver still causes tremors in my neck muscles when brought to mind all these years later. April moved, or should I say, bounded, in true Incredible Hulkian fashion toward Trevor’s assailant and lowered a crushing full body takedown on the poor girl. As the two of them slid across the floor leaving chairs, wastebaskets and book-bags in their wake, Trevor, now clear of his first attacker, stood up and pointed at Tess’s boyfriend and shouted, “Hey man, control your old-lady, will you?” At which point, the boyfriend, Brian Jones, also rose to his feet and made his way with great and determined haste in Trevor’s direction.

I couldn’t imagine that things could get a whole lot worse but then again, I was of limited imagination at that point in my career. Brian Jones happened to be a High-School Provincial Champion steer wrestler. He had never eaten a fruit or a vegetable in his entire 16 years on this planet. His percent body fat was a negative value. He resembled a velociraptor in a scary dinosaur movie as he par-koured his way across the room, neatly avoiding the rubble and everyday clutter of the classroom floor by adhering to the walls and ceiling, window ledges and door jams. He was on Trevor like stink on a roadkill skunk and was about to assimilate his body into nothingness when April’s spidy senses told her that Tess was no longer the problem. She bounced once off an unknown and prone body from Group Three, gained sufficient altitude to go full 'Superman' for what seemed like a minute and caught Brian Jones mid-stride, just as he had somersaulted off one of the light fixtures overhead. It was a mid-air collision and unfortunately prior to the age of I-phones and Tweets and YouTube videos because it was so magnificent and of such dynamic proportions, it would have gone nuclear within minutes of being posted. Brian was engulfed and enfolded ubiquitously by bosoms and thighs and belly folds and buttocks and by big hammy, sweaty hands. Perhaps it was bovine karma for all the little cows he had tossed around for years and years but whatever it was, he was done – done like a two-year old on the potty.

As the body count continued to escalate, the school Principal walked into the room and gazed curiously about the circus midway. His exact words may have been, “just what in the hell is going on in here anyway?” I explained that I had been experimenting with some GROUP WORK activities that I thought might be worthwhile for passing on to other teachers during our next sessions of Professional Development in a few weeks’ time. His look of concern quickly changed to one of pride and ownership. He sounded pleased and remarked that he was happy I was taking an interest in trying out these new teaching methods. Indeed, that was the last time I ever used Group Work in my classroom. Neither was I able to ever regain the pandemonium and excitement generated that day for the topics of fault lines, convergence, divergence and tectonic plate movement.

humor
2

About the Creator

John Oliver Smith

Baby, son, brother, child, student, collector, farmer, photographer, player, uncle, coach, husband, student, writer, teacher, father, science guy, fan, coach, grandfather, comedian, traveler, chef, story-teller, driver, regular guy!!

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.