Can Group Works Inside the Classroom Decrease Polarization in the Community?
The Community
As a Teach for Nepal fellow, I had to stay in a community for 2 years where the school was located. Community in my placement area was far different from that I had lived in. I always grew up in a diverse community with people from different background, religion and culture. I believe growing in such a diverse culture helped me to be empathetic towards other people. But, now the situation was different. The community in my placement was clearly divided into two groups based on cast, Newars and Tamangs. Anyone could sense the difference as soon as they would set their foot in the community. One group had all the facilities while another group was deprived of it. One group had water supplied to their homes while the other group had to stand in queue for long hours.
One group were clustered around with all the facilities and infrastructure required for a healthy lifestyle. They considered themselves as superior and would not let people from other group settle in the community. The other group was deprived of facilities and had to always struggle even to make their voices heard. However, there was one similarity between the both groups, that was foreign employment. People from both the communities went abroad due to lack of jobs in the region. Despite the similarities, there was kind of bias deep rooted in the mentality of the people of those communities. Claiming themselves as of superior race, they deprived other communities of their basic rights.
The Classroom
Students from both the communities attended our school. For one community the school was near, but for another community the school was little bit far. The number of students from one community was greater than the other. The dropout rate was also higher in the students from the community which had lower number of students. The difference could be clearly seen in the academic as well as non academic achievements of both the communities. The students of one community always excelled in the classroom and intended to lead in all the activities while the students from other community seem demoralized. Some students from another community were good in studies but they never could reach the top.
Mostly the teachers were also from one community. The number of teachers from other community was limited to 2. The biasness from the community had entered the school as well as the classroom. One group of students getting more punishment than the other cannot be ignored. One group of students always getting good grades than the other needs to be dissected. The differentiation could be seen in the students as well. One group of students made friends from their own community only and disowned the other. The students from other group remained with students from their own community. Frequents fights between the two groups of students from different communities used to occur not only in the classroom but outside of the classroom as well.
The Group Works
Group work was part of our daily lesson plan. Our main motive behind group work was to develop communication and team work skills in our students. We had never thought that group works will also help us to decrease polarization in the community. Group works helped students not only to mingle with each other but also gave them some time to have fun and laugh together. In each of our classes, we had a specific time of 15 to 20 minutes for group work in a period of 40 minutes. Generally, in group works we would give students some task related to the topic that was introduced to them that day. It was effective for retention of the course material. Apart from that it helped to build soft skills of students without them being aware of.
Initially, we had difficulty forming diverse groups. We had no idea about the biasness in the community that was affecting our classroom. We let students form their own groups. And we observed that students with same surnames and same gender used to stick together to form groups. It was total opposite of our intention to form groups. Also if we formed group ourselves and assigned them tasks, they would sit idle. Students from different communities would not talk with each other nor cooperate. For us, each student was equal, we wanted each of them to perform well in the classroom. On this mindset, we formed groups for them to work together. After some months, our methods were effective and students began to help each other, despite being from opposite communities.
The Effect
We didn’t get results of the group works quickly. It was a lot of effort not only by the teachers but students as well. They had to break the long held bias in them built over period of time they had spent in their communities. Students began sharing and working together in a group, despite of them coming from different communities. Seeing them laugh together and having fun was more satisfying. We knew that they were not only learning but also having the best time of their life inside the classroom. The collaboration inside the classroom increased and the mindset, “One for All, All for One” was built.
Students from two different communities became close friends with each other even outside of the classroom and school. In the school, they started to hangout together, have lunch together and play together. The fights decreased and school became more welcoming place to be. We could see close friendships being formed between students who were rivals earlier because of being from different communities. They started inviting each other to their homes, birthday parties, marriage ceremonies and other community events. The parents of both the communities welcomed children from other communities and treated them well so that they would forget the past and grow together.
This article is based on fellowship experience of Kumod Kumar Sah, Teach for Nepal, Science Fellow placed in Shree Ma Vi Bijaybasti, Thori-4, Parsa for 2 years from 2018–2020.
