Group Work in Study Hall benefits students

Helpless, sitting in Study Hall unable to figure out a math problem, you try asking your friend for help. You are then reprimanded by a teacher telling you to split up. As you continue to work on the problem for the rest of the period alone, you waste precious time, only to become more frustrated.

At Aurora High School, working in groups is prohibited for underclassman in study hall, something I believe should be changed. Looking into the facts, working as a group is beneficial to students. Group work allows students to, “learn important communication and teamwork skills, teach other students to approach and solve problems in unique ways, and work together to pool expertise and knowledge,”(Grand Canyon University). Overall, if a student is stuck on a certain problem or topic of study, students can work together to help them both get a better grip of the knowledge on the topic, benefiting both learners in the long run.

Teachers at Aurora High School argue that working in groups creates distractions and allows students to use their study hall unproductively. Although at times, groups can become unfocused and off topic, they ultimately are proven to be more efficient than working alone, promoting collaboration and cooperation. One way to minimize distractions is having a group work area in study hall and an individual work section in another area of study hall. This not only minimizes distractions, but splits up the noise between silent individuals and groups working in collaboration.

Students working together during study hall is an essential while learning in school. Group work not only helps students tackle more complex questions than they could on their own, but helps students learn, “important collaborative skills they could use later in life,”(Carnegie Mellon). Students working together to figure out a tough homework problem achieve much higher than they can on their own.

Throughout group work, “A broader range of skills can be applied to practical activities and sharing and discussing ideas can play a pivotal role in deepening students understanding of a particular subject area,”(Carnegie Mellon). Students who are able to work together in groups we will achieve higher as individuals.