Am currently reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
Group work came up, for instance. It’s the Cool Thing to do in school these days. School kids do it and so do many college kids. The problem with group work is that study after study has shown that it is not nearly so productive as individual work. Results suffer in group work. As one organizational psychologist put it, in reference to all the research done on the topic, “if you have talented and motivated people, they should be encouraged to work alone when creativity or efficiency is the highest priority.”
My children were born talented and motivated, and I suspect they’re not the only ones. In fact, I just took a break from writing this post to go check on my kiddos. The Striderling was happily building a block tower, which made me cry, because it’s something we’ve been actively working on in occupational therapy. His sister was chewing on a toy and watching him. I think he needed that alone time to play with blocks himself to feel really motivated and curious about how they might work out in a stack.
So if creativity and efficiency are best achieved through private work (please note that in an educational setting, there’s room for direction about said work), why the emphasis on group work? Cain explains it thus:
“… after all these years of evidence that conventional brainstorming groups don’t work, they remain as popular as ever. Participants in brainstorming sessions usually believe that their group performed much better than it actually did, which points to a valuable reason for their continued popularity-group brainstorming makes people feel attached. A worthy goal, so long as we understand that social glue, as opposed to creativity, is the principal benefit.”
Aye, there’s the rub. And my reader’s mind, perhaps hypersensitive to this type of thing, thought instantly of the “socialization” question so frequently lobbed at homeschoolers. While education might be the stated main goal of public schools, so many of their practices make it clear that social cohesion is mostly the name of the game. One fourth grade class room that Cain visited (and I imagine it’s not the only one like this out there) listed among the rules for group projects that a question could only be asked of the teacher if everyone in the group agreed on the question. Fourth grade is an awkward time fraught with peer pressure and I find it a little nauseating (okay, a lot nauseating) to think of the introverts who will never get some of their questions answered because the extroverts in their group out-talk their thoughts and questions. That’s okay… everyone will at least feel attached… ignorance is fine when we’re all connected, right? Who needs to be alone and engaging in creative thought when we can all feel like we all do such a good job together?
(oh, dear. and I didn’t even mean to end up with a Brave New World reference at the end…)
(and, once again, the wonderful illustration is from the ever delightful Grandma’s Graphics)
6 Comments
Great post! I could not have articulated this any better. I am a diehard introvert who has a few other quirks. . . I have not finished this book yet, but I LOVE it for the enriched understanding of myself it is providing. I have a very introverted daughter who has been homeschooled, then enrolled in public school, and will be back at home this year. She hardly ever talks in class. Her teachers LOVE her, but she never speaks. She doesn’t assert herself. Thankfully she’s a natural learner and loves school, but I still wonder what she missed these past few years. You’ve given me some things to chew on with regard to our schooling future. . .
You might, if you enjoy a bit of sci-fi, get a lot of fun out of *Fledgling*, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, about a world driven by academic preferences where group consensus is paramount.
This morning I was watching a group of children collaborate on a fort in the woods, hauling logs, negotiating construction. That is valuable, too, I think, though it is not very like school projects. First of which being that the team, objective, and methods are all self-selected.
Carrots, the HG and I discussed this today, too- that some ‘group projects’ happen outside of school and are very effective, but they tend to be self selected, both the project and the participants.
My about to start tenth grade, public schooled daughter absolutely detests group projects. To her they are merely a means for the students doing poorly in class to get a break and bring their grade up. In nearly all of the group projects she has been forced to partake in she is the one student who does most of the work. She does the research. She designs the project, executes it and typically presents it. Complaining to the teacher about the other group members lack of participation is futile as she is told to, “work it out with your group.” So, my daughter typically sucks it up and does the work herself. Her and I have discussed the best way for her to handle these projects and have both come to the conclusion that she’s better off just assuming she will do the project by herself right from the beginning because at least that way she knows she will get a decent grade. By the way, these slacker kids in her groups, they would be in the same Advanced Placement courses my daughter is in. Sad.
1. Loved that book! It validated so many things I knew about myself, and was one of the turning points for my about-as-extroverted-as-I-am-introverted-husband to accept that there wasn’t something inside me that was broken (which sounds a lot worse than it was — our relationship was always good — he just understands my need for more quiet in our lives, so we’re more balanced now). It was awesome to understand the physiological things, too — like why I yawn so much at parties, and feel exhausted talking to people while standing, and more comfortable sitting for conversation.
B. I have always hated group projects, and resented my grade being dependent upon others.
This is a great post. It describes my family to a tee. I’m glad to find someone to stick up for the introverts!