Key Resource: Using Group Work in your Classroom

Group work can be a very effective way of motivating pupils to learn by encouraging them to think, communicate, exchange ideas and thoughts, and make decisions. In groups, pupils can both teach others and learn from each other in ways that result in a powerful and active form of learning. Group work can be used at the start of a lesson or topic, to find out what pupils already know; during a lesson, to encourage understanding or to share views and opinions about a topic; at the end of a lesson, to help pupils think about their learning and be clear about what they know and what they still need to understand.