GROUP WORK AND GIFTED STUDENTS

Not too long ago, I found myself in an adult workgroup, surrounded by people who said, “She’s really good at synthesizing; let’s let her do the work,” and then began to resume their individual conversations.  I immediately experienced a flashback that was so vivid that I felt like I was ten years old again.  In those brief moments, I relived much of my life as the gifted student that assumed/was assigned responsibility for the work of an entire group, and I felt all of my childhood frustration, indignity, and quest for fairness resurface.

Today many gifted students still report that group-work is unfair, unproductive, and unappealing to them, and wish that their teachers understood this.  Keeping this in mind, I propose the following ideas to improve group-work for gifted students.

For teachers:

• Design tasks that ensure that no one in the group knows all of the answers; this will require all students to learn new information and skills, and practice cooperation.
• Do not assume that gifted students can, or should, be solely responsible for the work of a group; after all, a student once reminded me, “we’re just kids”.
• Do provide sufficient group-work training and expectations for all students before moving into groups. 
• Do allow choices; sometimes children choose their workgroups, sometimes the teacher chooses the workgroups.  Gifted students should certainly be afforded chances to work with other gifted students at times; they report that these times are generally extremely fulfilling.
• Do assume that each child in a group will work equally (though perhaps differently), and provide rubrics to assess the work of individuals, and the work of the group as a whole.
• Consider using a leadership rubric for the student who will assume the leadership of the group (the US Naval Academy uses this model), and provide leadership coaching and support for this individual.  The sole role of this individual is to practice and perfect his/her leadership skills. (Gifted students often welcome this role when supported by the adult).
• Consider thinking about groups in a whole new way.  One of my favorite group-creation strategies is to include an analytic thinker (job-analyst, task master and time keeper), a high creative (idea generator and questioner), a project manager (a student with product-development skills, e.g., artist, musician, playwright), and a “feather-smoother” (an expert at interpersonal and intrapersonal skills) in each group.
• Finally, monitor the progress of each group frequently by taking notes and helping groups progress.

Students also suggest some things to consider when working in groups. Some of them include:

• Choose your group wisely when choice is offered.  Group-work should never be confused with choosing friends for a trip to the mall. Consider the task and the team when choosing. 
• Try to find something that each person in your group does well and encourage him/her to do that part of the work.
• Ask for support from the teacher (or the group) when group-work is frustrating, unfair, or unsatisfying.

As I reflect on my frustration in my recent adult group-work, I wish I’d taken my own advice.  But, as Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes once said, “Live and don’t learn.  That’s us.”  ☺

If you are a teacher, here are some additional resources to help you plan for group work in your classroom:

https://www.teachhub.com/classroom-management/2019/09/30-ways-to-arrange-students-for-group-work/

https://www.giftedguru.com/gifted-groups/

https://www.byrdseed.com/guiding-gifted-collaboration/

Jackie Drummer, Past President,
WI Association for Talented and Gifted

(WATG would like to extend a huge thank you to Dr. Martha Aracely-Lopez of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish-speaking families and educators. The translation can also be found in our website blogs.)