Positive Interdependence in Group Working

While working in groups, students should have a sense of positive interdependence among each other to be acting as one team.

                                     

There are several ways to strengthen positive interdependence, some of them:

-1- Goal: the whole team should have one goal and all should work together to achieve it.
-2- Incentives: this means to motivate students and give them rewards.

-3- Resource: teachers should provide students with materials they may use in their work
-4- Role: students must divide the roles among them so each one should have a specific task, either academic or social role.
-5- Sequence: when the task has steps, students should follow a certain pattern.

-6- Simulation: teachers should put students in a situation similar to real life where they need to work all together.

-7- Outside force: this is related to giving students a challenge, it could be a time challenge or competition with other sections or groups.

-8- Environmental: students should have a specific zone related to them where they feel they are belonging, then it would be known for others it is their own zone in the class.

-9- Identity: each group should have an identity; a name, a logo, that defines who they are. it makes them more involved and belonged to the team.

A teacher can use 3 or 4 types to develop the work depending on the task.