Should I set up heterogeneous (varied skills, varied genders, varied backgrounds) or homogeneous (often a group of self-selected friends, people of the same skill level, same gender, etc.) groups?

Karen Chow:  I think in general, I aim for heterogeneity ( e.g. writing skill level, ethnic background, gender, life experiences, etc.) in groups & peer editing & other peer work.

What criteria should I use if I try to set up heterogeneous groups?

How can I model excellent group dynamics so that students will make the very best use of the opportunity for small group interaction and learning?

Karen Chow: One way is to assign each group member a specific task (e.g. discussion facilitator, notetaker, presenter, etc).  But I notice that if the presenter is not the notetaker, s/he is usually not able to present coherently.  I'm not sure what to do about this.  I think different tasks need to be defined and tried out.

What should I do if a group turns into a social group and is having fun but is consistently off-task?

Karen Chow: I walk around and stop and talk to/get into the groups to get groups back on task if needed.  If the group is "dead" ie no  one talking, I also jump in and try to facilitate getting them to start asking some questions or do some part of the task they have to do.  if they haven't done the reading, then they have to read some small section together and figure out something to do with it. 

What should I do if one person who has been assigned to a group simply hates working in groups and ends up either completely slacking or else obstructing the work of the group?

Karen Chow: I try to talk to that student individually (usu. ask them to step outside w/ me to talk one on one) and find out what the problem is.  I say that participation of some sort is mandatory and everyone has something s/he can share/do and we just have to figure out what that is.  Then we work out some way s/he can participate based upon something s/he can do or feels is his/her strength. 

What should I do if some people totally dominate a group?

Karen Chow: Also, the one-on-one talk.  I try to stress how important it is for everyone's learning to have everyone participate in doing the work.  Everyone needs to have a chance to earn his/her participation points and it's not fair for one person to dominate and take that chance away from others.