Incorporating group work into remote learning

• Google Docs or Slides: both of these can be easily shared and updated by all group members in real time. If you have G-Suite then you can also use Google Hangouts for group discussion. 
• OneNote: if you are using OneNote, you can set up Class Notebooks that include shared spaces for group work. 
• Prezi: can be shared and worked on by all group members. 
• Padlet: you can set up boards for each group, email them the link and instructions, and monitor it from your end. 
• Microsoft teams: you can set up smaller ’teams’ and create channels for focused discussion. 
• WebEx: allows you to set up groups, create spaces, and monitor their work. 
• Microsoft Office 365: has a range of tools to foster group work (similar to Google slides/ docs). 
• Skype or Zoom for video conferencing. 

• The teacher is the one to allocate the groups and set up the shared spaces 
• Students have been given explicit instructions, and are clear as to what their roles are and the action steps that they need to take within a given timeline. 
• Try to make sure that the task requires them to interact and work together to achieve a final goal. Otherwise students may just complete their individual work and upload it to the group document without really working as a group. It helps if there is a final product that they need to create together or a problem that they need to solve together. 
• The teacher provides support and scaffolding along the way, with a number of ‘check-ins’ to monitor progress. 
• There are set guidelines and expectations in place regarding communication between group members. 

• In groups, students are to design a solution to a future water scarcity crisis. Allocate each student in the group a different country around the world to investigate how their country has attempted to resolve this problem. Analyse the pros and cons, and then come together as a group to discuss each option and decide what would work best in your country. Put together a pitch that will be presented to the 'Minister for Water' using Google Slides. 
• Record a podcast detailing what a day in the life in Ancient Rome was like. Have one student be the interviewer, and then assign roles to the other students (a woman in Ancient Rome, a slave, a politician, etc). They could do this by recording a Skype or Zoom conversation.
• Create a new political party including name, logo, slogan, ideology, policies etc. As a group design a political campaign including a speech, a poster and a TV advertisement. 
• Use a group Padlet board to create a collage depicting the impact of consumerism on people and places around the world (including pictures, videos, web links, documents, etc).