Cooperative Learning and Group Work

When most people in the field of cooperative learning see the term “group work,” we think of groups of students working together to learn. However, in the field of social work, “group work” can have a somewhat different meaning and may refer to groups of people coming together to address a common area of concern, often with a specially trained person leading or facilitating the group. Examples of groups formed and facilitated by social workers would be groups of adult survivors of childhood abuse or people who have had cancer.

These two types of groups, those in education and those in social work, share some common roots in social psychology, such as the work of Kurt Lewin. Furthermore, students participate in both types of groups in and out of school. Indeed, Schools of Education or their equivalents at many universities often have a department, e.g., a Department of Educational Counseling, that prepares people to use social work style group work to help students. Thus, we may be able to learn from our social work colleagues. Indeed, a strong link exists between social work and some of the strands at the 2004 IASCE conference in Singapore this June, such as the strand on Equity Issues.

One way to learn more about this overlap with our social work colleagues is via journals on social work. For instance, the Journal for Specialists in Group Work has a section labeled Practice: Children and Schools. Here is information on one article from a recent issue of the journal.

Akos, P., & Martin, M. (2003). Transition groups for preparing students for middle schools. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 28(2), 139-154.

School counselors can use groups as an effective and efficient means of helping students. Psychoeducational groups provide information and build skills to help prepare students for developmental tasks. As students complete elementary school, these preadolescents face the challenging tasks of moving to middle school and beginning puberty. School counselors can capitalize on peer influence and prepare students for the transition to middle school by using the group format. This article describes a model of a psychoeducational group aimed at preparing fifth graders for the transition to middle school. Implications and results of a pilot group are also presented.