What is WITH all these teachers assigning group work? Making a kid's grade dependent on someone else's performance is unconscionable. And the argument that learning to work in groups is an important life skill is completely bogus, unless the teachers are actively teaching group-work skills. Which they are not.
I find this extremely aggravating because I have many colleagues in my department who piously believe that they are better teachers than those of who don't assign group projects. They cite statistics that what employers complain about most is lack of social skills in their employees. Okay, so, let's address that specifically. If it's part of their job at whatever level (university, elementary, whatever) to teach social skills, then they need to DO THAT. Not one of these colleagues actually teaches group work skills. They just assign group work. And then the student's grade in A SCIENCE CLASS is dependent on, not their science knowledge and abilities, not even their own social skills, but their PARTNERS' social skills!!!
Sorry, can you tell I have strong feelings about this?
