For example, the fifth student in a group, the Wild Card, could serve as a lawyer, who acts as the group's skeptic by questioning assumptions and conclusions. In addition to the ongoing responsibilities associated with specified roles, the real work of the teams will be to complete, cooperatively, a variety of assignments and activities designed to help members learn the course content. To identify pairs for the discussion, the instructor might ask the heart to pair with the student holding the diamond and the club to pair with the person holding the spade. For the final portion of this activity, the instructor might call on a volunteer or two to share the paired conclusions with the entire class, or the sharing might be done within the quad. As indicated in chapter 1, these heterogeneous structured-learning teams typically remain in place for at least half a semester.
Most theorists agree that groups undergo various stages of development.
These stages, whatever they are called, require students to work together for an extended period of time. Forming new groups at the midterm point, however, does offer students the opportunity to work with different individuals, a useful skill in the workforce. It can also eliminate the predictability of groups that have fallen into set patterns. Furthermore, it gives teachers an opportunity, after having become better acquainted with students' talents, learning styles, and personalities, to put together more functional groups. If new groups are to be formed, a convenient time is after an hour test or after the midterm, when the achievement levels will be more obvious.