Case
Non Group Participation

How do you deal with students who are in a group but chose not to participate with the group ?

Solution #1
Top Solution
I would pull the student to the side and ask why they are not participating. Is it because of who is in their group? It is because of anxiety? Do they prefer to work alone? Do they need a specific job to do in the group? Ask the student, see what the problem is. It may not be because they DON'T want to participate, but because they don't know how.

Before any kind of action is taken this is the first thing that you should do.

I agree with this solution

I agree that this is the first thing you should do. This might allow the student to tell you whats wrong and why they aren't participating.

Solution #2
When students do not contribute to their groups it's important for the teacher to question the student's understanding and clarity of the assignment, and identify the difficulties he/she may be having. There are strategies the teacher can use, for example implementing or changing group roles, and offering positive messages of encouragement and motivation. The teacher can also meet with the group asking them to work it out. If they can't work it out, then the group can dismiss the student who is not contributing, and alternate plans can be made for the student.

I agree with this posting it is very insightful

Solution #3
Some students may not be working in a group because the group did not assign them work, one student decided to do all the work themselves, or this student simply did not want to do anything. In situations like these, I recommend having all your groups fill out a "duty report". This report details who was assigned what role in a group and what they contributed to the group. If you decide to implement a duty report into your grading, this incentivizes all students to actually contribute to the group. Likewise, if you notice one student hogging all the work, the duty report tells you this happened and you can work with that student to figure out what's going on.
Solution #4
I would first talk to the student who isn't participating one on one and ask why this might be. I would make sure that all my students feel comfortable in their learning environment to talk. A lot of times when students aren't participating it's because they're anxious about it or feel judged talking out loud. I would remind them this is a judge free zone were all students are inspired to talk out loud.
Solution #5
If noted within the syllabus, participation can certainly be part of the grade. Reminding the student of this could motivate them to participate. I think a one-on-one conference with the student to ask for their help in motivating the class/group would be beneficial. I would let them know that their contribution is important because we know it will benefit everyone.
Solution #6
I would first have an honest discussion with the student as to why they are refraining from participating. If the student continues to ignore your efforts, I would remove them from the group and have them work individually, but also explain to them that this would lower their overall grade for the group assignment. This might motivate the student to participate more.
Solution #7
Try to create group jobs or roles so each student is required for their individual work while also participating with the whole group.
Solution #8
There are students who simply prefer to work alone and are not very social. In this situation, I would ask the student if they would like to work alone. These type of students typically do not speak to their group mates and act shy. If the student, however, is talking about other things and being a disruption to the group, then it may just mean that the student does not want to work at all and that is an entirely different situation.
Solution #9
When incorporating group work in class I would ensure to assign each group member a designated role. This lets students know they have a responsibility within the group. Each member is responsible for their section/role. It also teaches them accountability because if they do not complete their assigned role/responsibility it will be shown and affect their grade in the group work.
Solution #10
Hi Carla! I would try talking to the student one on one to see if there is a personal issue with group assignments, with other classmates, or maybe they do not feel comfortable with the students they are working with and then go from there.
Solution #11
If it a group project, maybe explain that they will have a chance to rate their group member's contributions and that these ratings will factor into the project grades. Also, explain that if there is not participation, that there is no guarantee the whole group will receive the same grade. If this is happening during classwork, try giving each group member a specific role they need to be responsible for during the group work time.
Solution #12
I think having a class discussion on what a makes a "good teammate or group member" and a "not so great group member" and have students identify what behaviors they believe are expected of them while working in a group could be helpful. Of course you can always supplement the list of desirable behaviors as well, just be sure to discuss why what you are adding is important. Additionally, I would evaluate if the tasks that you are assigning to groups match with not only the abilities of the students but the group sizes, is it a group of four but really the tasks could be easily managed by two people? Finally, I would have students self assess their participation in the group using the criteria for a "good group member" that the class compiled.
Solution #13
Sometimes those students are shy and more introverted so try and make the activity something where everyone has to do specific things
Solution #14
First, talk to the student and see why they are choosing to not participate. If need be, change up the groups. Reexplain the assignment or task to clarify any misunderstandings. Assign each group member a specific role.
Solution #15
I would pull the student to the side and ask the student why they are not participating. It may be because they are shy, do not understand the instructions or may be they are an ESOL student which can make it hard to participate in groups. If the problem continues to happen, I would talk to their parents about their issue and maybe give them a role within the group and give them specific instructions on what to do.
Solution #16
I would sit with the student and have a conversation with them and see if there is something else that is going on with them. Maybe the student is having a problem at home or has a problem with one of the students in the group. If you can not find out that there is a problem with the students I would explain to the whole class how important it is to participate and if they do not participate there will be consequences.
Solution #17
When you say students that is plural for more than one. So, my next question would be why are the students being permitted to be together. If they are not going to participate I would let them know they could loose participation points. I would let them know you are there for them and have their best intrest at heart and let them know you want them to get the most out of the lesson. I would break the class up into groups and keep those students separate from each other. When they do participate I would give them praise.

I would keep the students separate and see if that helps out like this post said but i would not bring in losing participation points because that might discourage the students.

Solution #18
Ask the non-participating student why they choose not to participate, if the excuse is not valid enough, for example, I just don't feel like it, create a discipline chart with warnings that may have a sit out for recess, a call home, no fun Friday, etc.
Solution #19
If the student does not take initiative in participating, I would try assigning them a specific task to complete within their group. Tell the student what you would like them to do. If they still do not do anything, I would ask them to complete their work individually, and remove them from their group.

I dont think that this actually solves the issue. I think it more just disolves the issue at hand.

I wouldn't use this solution

I do not agree with this posting maybe add more reasoning as to why they should do this action.