Reading Reflection 4 - Groupwork Ch. 4-5

The section that stood out to me the most was Size of Groups. When I thought of designing groups for mathematics, I thought of 3 – 4 students would be ideal. I never considered five students to be an idyllic group size. This section brought some light as to what to consider in mathematics if I were to assign the students in groups of five. I agree how the author, Cohen, discussed how a group of five students can work well for group discussions and for long term projects but not necessarily for “participation in interaction”. In class, I would have to check on the progress of the students regularly when they are in the groups of five. I am apprehensive of having groups of five because of the fact that a student can be left out, the group can split into two mini groups, or the students will have a hard time to completely develop a consensus on a task. This section also discussed the disadvantages of a group of three students which I did not consider. Just like my concerns in a group of five students, Cohen talks about how in a group of three students one may feel isolated from the other two. I believe group work is important in mathematics but the size of group work is what is important in the execution. This is where the challenge comes to mind, what would the ideal size be for a mathematics class? Before reading this I thought 3- 4 students was a good size but now I am considering either pairs or a group of four students. My challenge will be to find out which size is best without affecting the students in the process.