“The teacher is somewhat of a caretaker.” Teachers’ misconceptions of children’s group work in Polish primary schools Cover Image

„Nauczyciel jest takim troszeczkę dozorcą” – koncepcyjne i metodyczne nieporozumienia wokół pracy grupowej w klasie szkolnej
“The teacher is somewhat of a caretaker.” Teachers’ misconceptions of children’s group work in Polish primary schools

Author(s): Małgorzata Pilecka
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Polskie Towarzystwo Pedagogiczne
Keywords: children’s group work; children’s cooperation; teachers’ misconceptions; methods of teaching; primary school

Summary/Abstract: The article concerns a current issue of children’s group work in Polish primary schools. The author collates the original assumptions of this teaching method with its practical use in Polish elementary classes, based on collected data. The qualitative interviews, held from January to May 2013, resulted in getting a worrying overview of the place of group work in Polish schools. Although the interviewed teachers do know a lot about the theory of children’s group work and do rather appreciate the positive effects of this kind of teaching/learning, their statements reveal their fear and distrust of the method. Group work seems to be neglected or just avoided – but even if it occurs, the teachers are not able to ensure favourable work conditions (such as a creative task or a thought-provoking topic).

  • Issue Year: IX/2013
  • Issue No: 3 (22)
  • Page Range: 89-96
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Polish