Is it fair to make students work as a team or with a partner?

[The Sum of Awe]

I know this sounds a bit different, because usually when a teacher tells me to find a partner I always look at my friend... "" and we'd just fool around and care less about the grades (always fun).

Today, though, the teacher told us to work in a team, we got to pick our teams, but this project actually interested me, and I know for sure my friends wouldn't do it the way I'd like it to be done, so I asked the teacher if I could work independently and she denied...

I personally like doing things on my own if I really want to get it done, because when I want something done RIGHT I do it on my own.

Another bad reason to force kids to work in a team is: What about those introverts? My introverted friend that really has more going on in his head than out of his mouth is in this class and I don't think he likes anyone in that class (truly likes, that is).


Is it fair to force students to work in a team?

 

[Deut 13:1]

A better question to this...

In the real world, do you have to work with people you don't like or don't see eye-to-eye on? Yes - I rather teach people this lesson when they are young and foolish then older and in a career.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

A better question to this...

In the real world, do you have to work with people you don't like or don't see eye-to-eye on? Yes - I rather teach people this lesson when they are young and foolish then older and in a career.

That is true for a lot of jobs, but why constantly do it, like every assignment is done with a partner with this class.

 

[Deut 13:1]

I'm not really sure what answer you're looking for...? You asked if it was fair for students to work in a team. The answer is yes. It's more then fair. It's what happens when you leave school.

 

[Reverend Rick]

Is it fair? Perhaps not, but who told you the world was fair?

The real world requires us to work in less than ideal situations.

You must get used to dealing with things outside your comfort zone.

It's just one semester of your life. You can either deal with it or drop the class and try to take the subject later with a different instructor.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I personally like doing things on my own if I really want to get it done, because when I want something done RIGHT I do it on my own.

Another bad reason to force kids to work in a team is: What about those introverts? My introverted friend that really has more going on in his head than out of his mouth is in this class and I don't think he likes anyone in that class (truly likes, that is).


Is it fair to force students to work in a team?

Yes.

- as they pointed out, working with other people is something you're going to need in life. Schooling is about equipping students for the future.

- group work can reduce the workload for the teacher. If your teacher has to grade a quarter of the assignments that she would if she gave an individual assignment, then this frees up her time for other things, like preparing lessons or working with students who need extra help.

 

[Quintessence]

I essentially agree with what has been said already. However, I'd add a caveat with that word "force" because I can imagine situations where it really is inappropriate to have particular students working together. For example, forcing two people to work together who are well-known to be enemies in the silly dramas of high school probably isn't okay unless it is carefully facilitated so the situation doesn't degenerate.

 

[Skwim]

Is it fair to make students work as a team or with a partner?

To rephrase a bit, if I may:

"Is making students work as a team or with a partner fair?"
​

Having read the OP and some of your remarks that followed you appear to imply that your use of "fair" means, "something I like."

So your question, rephrased with your implied meaning, becomes:

"Is making students work as a team or with a partner something I like?"
​

And to recast this into your original form:

"should I like making students work as a team or with a partner?"
​

The answer, of course, is, "Not necessarily." Pandering to the likes and dislikes of individual students is not the responsibility of teachers, nor is it a good practice.

__________________________________________

Of course, if you mean "fair" to denote its more common meaning in this context, "justified," then your question would be:

"Is the teacher justified in making students work as a team or with a partner?"
​

To which you would have to show why (s)he was not so justified. (Teachers do not have to justify their teaching techniques to their students. To others, like the board of education perhaps, but not to their students.)

__________________________________________

But, if by "fair" you mean, giving you the same rights as those given all the other students, then you would have to show why working "as a team or with a partner" violates your rights. Or, in the case of everyone not being able to work with whomever they choose, violates everyones' rights.

 

[Î Î¿Î»Ï Ï€Î­ÏÏ‡Ï‰Î½ Γʹ]

In the workforce, people often divide up large tasks among several members of a group in order to save time. In this respect, it can prepare people for the future.

On the other hand, I never liked working in groups during high school or college, especially in science courses. They were always a great way to get screwed over, especially if your partner was a slacker. In high school there were always groups of four - usually one slacker in a group that everyone else had to do the work for.

In college I had a lab partner who was quite often absent, and when he did show up, would walk in only for the last half an hour to hour (labs were 3 hours long) at most. The guy who was instructing the lab - a very politically correct grad student - didn't seem to care, either. The rules for the course were that labs were handed in together with both students' names. I ended up writing everything myself but in the end he got an A and I got a B-, despite supposedly having the same grades on all the assignments.

When I asked why they told me it was because I didn't work well with my partner. Go figure.

 

[Madhuri]

Of course it's fair. School is preparing you for the adult life and working in teams is part of adult life. If it wasn't, they wouldn't make you do it at school.

 

[Kerr]

I know this sounds a bit different, because usually when a teacher tells me to find a partner I always look at my friend... "" and we'd just fool around and care less about the grades (always fun).

Today, though, the teacher told us to work in a team, we got to pick our teams, but this project actually interested me, and I know for sure my friends wouldn't do it the way I'd like it to be done, so I asked the teacher if I could work independently and she denied...

I personally like doing things on my own if I really want to get it done, because when I want something done RIGHT I do it on my own.

Another bad reason to force kids to work in a team is: What about those introverts? My introverted friend that really has more going on in his head than out of his mouth is in this class and I don't think he likes anyone in that class (truly likes, that is).


Is it fair to force students to work in a team?

Its fair. They are all forced to work in a team, after all .

On a more serious note, the school is not just supposed to give you knowledge, its supposed to help you prepare for adult life and forcing students to work in teams is one way to do that.

 

[Kerr]

I essentially agree with what has been said already. However, I'd add a caveat with that word "force" because I can imagine situations where it really is inappropriate to have particular students working together. For example, forcing two people to work together who are well-known to be enemies in the silly dramas of high school probably isn't okay unless it is carefully facilitated so the situation doesn't degenerate.

Good point. While there is nothing wrong with team work in itself, it can be done in a poor manner. Like assigning two people who cannot stand each other to the same team.

 

[HonestJoe]

Is it fair to force students to work in a team?

As fair as it is to force them to work at all.

 

[Falvlun]

For what it's worth, I tended to hate working on group projects too. I tend to prefer working alone as well. I like having my kingdom.

But I can play well with others when necessary-- and it is necessary-- so it's a good skill to learn in the long run.

 

[painted wolf]

I know this sounds a bit different, because usually when a teacher tells me to find a partner I always look at my friend... "" and we'd just fool around and care less about the grades (always fun).

Today, though, the teacher told us to work in a team, we got to pick our teams, but this project actually interested me, and I know for sure my friends wouldn't do it the way I'd like it to be done, so I asked the teacher if I could work independently and she denied...

I personally like doing things on my own if I really want to get it done, because when I want something done RIGHT I do it on my own.

Another bad reason to force kids to work in a team is: What about those introverts? My introverted friend that really has more going on in his head than out of his mouth is in this class and I don't think he likes anyone in that class (truly likes, that is).


Is it fair to force students to work in a team?

Yup... and as much as you hate it (I did to) it's vital that you learn to work with people even if you don't want to.

You don't always get to pick your co-workers in the real world. Knowing how to deal with and be productive with others is a vital life skill.

wa:do

 

[Noaidi]

I often get pupils to work in pairs or in groups, and I try to avoid allowing them to work in 'friendship' groups if possible. By working with others, you learn different ways of moving through a task. That can only be to your benefit (and theirs). Everyone brings something new to the task.

 

[Penumbra]

Most real-world problems are solved by teams, so it makes sense to emulate those conditions in school.

 

[Me Myself]

I remember when I was in high school and had no friends and they made us choose the groups...

Hell must be something akin to that

 

[Penumbra]

I remember when I was in college and had no friends and they made us choose the groups...

That's an opportunity to make friends.

 

[Me Myself]

That's an opportunity to make friends.

That´s where you are said "no, we already have the group" and "do we have to work with HIM?" and a pair of very eloquent personal enemies point fingers and shout out loud while laughing "look at him he doesn´t have any friends"

So good to be out of high school o.o

edit: the message you quoted should have said high school. College has been in general good to me, or at least a lot better than high school. just the spanish word "colegio" always makes me remember "college" instead of "high school" xD, it´s a silly mistake I still make without realising from time to time.