Although it is not always recognized at the beginning, students quickly realize that an overriding issue affecting the success of a group project is the availability of time to work as a group. Depending on where group members live and on other life circumstances, time may not be available for meetings outside of class. Groups can sometimes be formed with these constraints in mind. In general, a significant amount of class time may needed to provide work time for the groups. This time will be most productive if, at the end of each class work session, groups are required to assign and record individual homework tasks to be completed prior to their next meeting.
Group work exposes students intimately to the ideas and approaches of others.
In small group settings, students are more likely to be really listening and less likely to be distracted than during whole group discussions. Quieter students who hesitate to participate in class become more involved and everyone is more willing to experiment, take risks, make mistakes, and analyze their reasoning. There is no one best way to create groups. They can be formed based on which research question each student wants to explore. Avoid attempts at tracking students into groups that are all supposedly of the same or different ability.