MegMeg,
I couldn't agree more. You know, the teacher's wouldn't think of throwing a bunch of workbooks at 6th grade students and saying 'Here, Learn some Math!' There is something about interpersonal skills that folks 'just believe' that all kids need is practice and they'll get it. Of course hand in hand with that seems to be a total comfort with what every social behavior arises when young kids are thrown together on a group project.
Just like teachers now expect children to be unable to think abstractly until middle school, but expect every kid in the room to 'know where the line is' and be able to read by the teacher's expression when they have crossed it.
The chapter on group work stood out in my mind so clearly because it was such a rarity for anyone to be thinking about setting up educational experiences that involved group work. I would expect that what works for graduate students to be diffferent from what works for elementary age, but I sure can't refer you to any resources on this area at all!
MegMeg, if you ever find (or create) this information, please share it with us. I have a few ideas of what might work, but no place to try them out!
Ideas:
1) Teach the history of humans working in groups so that the children have several role models of workable arrangements throughout history.
2) Teach how to give specific compliments - "Transforming the Difficult Child" Howard Glasser style.
3) Have the kids do group projects that themselves teach others how to do group projects
4) Explisitly teach go to get 'settled and focused' and have the kids practice that before they start. Slow deep rhythmic breathing might be one technique, posture, singing, streching, praying come to mind.
5) create a mechanism for handling conflict in emotionally safe ways.
6) assign kids to the role of peer coach to help each other think about how to solve the issues that always arise.
Wow - no wonder 6th graders can do this - it's hard!
Love and More Love
Grinity
