Group Work and Class Discussions

Synonyms

Cooperative groups

Definition

Group work and class discussions are teaching strategies that can be found in a general education classroom. In order for students with ASD to be successful in these two learning environments, some accommodations may be needed. In group work, students are typically assigned a task to be completed by the group. Students may be assigned a specific role (e.g., notetaker) or the group may be directed to have a discussion on a specific topic or problem with the expectation that all students will equally contribute to the discussion. Students with ASD may find group work confusing unless the roles of the group members are clearly defined and written instructions for the task to be accomplished are provided. Often, step-by-step instructions for the task (task analysis) are most helpful to the student with ASD because in addition to identifying specific steps that lead to task completion, the student sees the total process required to complete the task....