Defining Clear Roles in Group Work

Overview

Developing team roles is a strategy that helps students take individual responsibility for a shared group goal. By designating roles within collaborative groups, the teacher can help ensure all team members take ownership of the group's work. Identifying, explaining, assigning, and executing group roles are an important element of group norms and collaboration at any grade-level.

This resource from BetterLesson provides:

• Implementation steps to bring this strategy to your instruction
• Ways to evaluate student group work
• Roles that can be assigned for distance learning
• Modifications for students who are learning English or for students with special needs

While reviewing this resource, consider the following questions:

• How could group roles help students take individual responsibility for a shared goal?
• How could you ensure group roles are being used effectively?
• How do you identify which student gets which role?
• What could be challenging for students when they have specific roles within a group? How can you support those challenges.