Teenagers generally like working in pairs or groups at school. During adolescence, the importance of social validation and a sense of belonging is different than in infancy. In addition, students are still developing important social skills such as empathy and communication. By working in groups not only do they have the opportunity to get to know different points of view, which helps develop empathy, but also gives them the opportunity to use the target language in a meaningful way, express themselves, and empower them while forming their own identity.
Letting students choose their own pair/group: As said before, students like to work in groups, but given the choice, they would only work with the same group of friends. They do it so because they feel safe and comfortable, and there is no distress such as facing a new social challenge. This can be favorable in certain situations, where familiarity among the members of the group would lead to a better and more consistent result.
Randomly assign pairs/groups: Making random groups is beneficial to the students because they have the opportunity to work with different individuals. This also helps integration, cooperation, empathy, and a sense of belonging. By working with different people outside their immediate circle of friends, students can see the whole class as a unit, and not as a few cliques studying in the same physical space.
Assign groups yourself: This option may arise some controversy, however, it can be quite useful when used for the right purposes. When signing pre-defined groups you will most likely encounter protests from students, because they won’t consider it ‘fair’. However, as long as you have a reason to do so, you can share your reasonings with the students so they can better understand the reason behind it. Even though a nice learning environment is made of compromise and negotiation, students also need to understand that you are in charge of your lesson.
So, there is no ‘best’ or ‘worst’ way to decide how to group students. The important thing is that you don’t stick to only one way, because that would be predictable and eventually, boring. Alternate between randomly arranging and letting them choose their partners.
Whenever possible, use different and creative games and activities to arrange students in pairs and groups. You can have them draw matching cards, write their names on paper slips and draw from a bag, arrange by common interests, use apps, and so on. Try using some of the suggestions in the link below. Remember to take into consideration the number of students, the physical space, and time constraints.
Karen Tiemy Ohara 