Group work has been a part of our education system for a long time.

Group projects, group discussions, in class group assignments, et cetera.

Even in higher education systems, group work is still relied on for a different method of studying and learning.

The question is, is it effective?

In groups we are able to listen to other people’s opinions on the matter, and get an entirely different perspective than what the instructor gives.

Group work is effective in many situations, and students tend to learn better when being taught by their peers.

“It’s good because it facilitates group discussions on whatever they have to do, so then everyone ends up learning better, and then it’s less stressful,” said De Anza student Lakshmi Gunanayagam.

Group work makes it easier to gain the knowledge you don’t get from your instructors’ lectures, allowing people who learn by asking questions to take in the material more effectively.

“I do believe that in certain circumstances and certain environments it is beneficial to work in groups, because its easier for an idea to grow when you can feed off of each others’ ideas” said De Anza student Janessa Villaruel.

Many students think group work is an effective way to branch off from normal class time, and to help each other understand topics and to learn more effectively.

“When there are more people involved it offers different perspectives that you might not have considered,” Villaruel said.

Many students agree that group work can help lighten the burden of hard subjects, by allowing students to learn from their friends and peers.

Not only does it encourage success in school, the experience can also be of use to succeed in life.

“It helps you learn how to work with other people more effectively,” said De Anza student Garindra Prahandono.

De Anza students seem to agree to one thing: group work helps in more ways than one.

It can help give new insights to topics being studied, and it can help prepare students to work with other people in the workforce.

Not everyone is going to like group work, but in the long run it will serve its purpose and help students out the way it is intended.