36
Which Students Join Whom?
A Critical Review of O’Connell’s “Group Forming for ESL/ EFL Students”
Junainah Helmi
Introduction
O’Connell proposes a technique to encourage student activity in particularly
speaking class by utilizing group work. The technique which is supported by the use of
cards consisting of questions and answers should be applied in four stages involving the
preparation, demonstration, activity, and feedback. In the preparation stage, the teacher
distributes the cards to each student so that half of the students get cards consisting of
questions and half get the answers. In the
demonstration stage the teacher draw boxes
on the white(or black)board and the students fill in the boxes with the questions and
answers that they have in the cards. In the
activity stage the teacher distributes another
card to each student. Each student asks other students whether they get the answer to
his/ her question in their cards and those who have answers ask other students whether
they have questions whose answers are in their cards. In the
feedback stage the teacher
collects the cards and reaffirm whether the students get the ‘correct’ match.
The technique that has been applied by O’Connell in his EFL class in Japan has
some strength and weaknesses and arouses some questions concerning the technique of
forming the students into groups, the teacher’s role in the classroom and the
implementation for other language skills. Therefore, this essay tries to answer the
questions concerning the technique.
How to Group the Students?
There are some techniques to form the students into groups. While O’Connell
uses the “whole class” as one large group and then divides them into pairs randomly
using the “matching” technique, Vaughn, Hughes, Moody, and Elbaum (2001) proposes
four kinds of students grouping. They are the
whole class, small group, peer pairing,

or five students. It is the technique of forming the groups which can cause the students
to have an uncomfortable feeling, and this is what teachers must avoid. Sometimes
teacher asks the students to group them selves. This technique can be beneficial since
the students will work with the person they like. On the contrary, it also brings
disadvantages since there are some students who are not very confident and
unfortunately, they cannot get friends quickly. Sometimes, these students form a group
just because they all cannot join the students who they want. We can imagine what
happens to these students: being in a group of students with the same problem of
inferiority and perhaps, of proficiency also.
To avoid such problem, the teacher must help the students find their group so
that there is no “group of inferiority and proficiency” problem. Technically, the teacher
can ask a student who has this problem, “Budi, have you got a group?” If he answers,
“Not yet,” then the teacher should help him, for example by telling another group,
“Meitha, will you let Budi join your group?”
Peer pairing is still another way of grouping students in the classroom.
Traditionally, this type of group work is done by students who sit nearby, but teacher
can try another way of grouping students into pairs, for example by selecting the
students randomly by utilizing cards as what has been told by O’Connell in this article.
One-on-one instruction, which according to Vaughn, Hughes, Moody, and
Elbaum (2001) is one form of students grouping, is mostly effective for remedial
teaching and for students with learning disabilities. This technique requires the teacher
to be involved very much in the students’ activity meaning that it will take much of his/
her time. Therefore, I suggest that this technique is not used in every day activity. Apart
from its effectiveness, however, I don’t quite agree that this type of instruction is one
form of group work. It is, in my opinion, an individual work.
Students may also be grouped based on their ability or performance. Thus, there
will be groups of
smart students, good students, poor proficiency students, and group of
students with learning disabilities
. This technique of grouping, however, is not

Vaughn, Hughes, Moody, and Elbaum (2001) propose an example of
implementing group work in reading classes.
First, students are divided into and are
given texts.
Next, students discuss the text, makes summary, and so on. Then, the
teacher gives the students questions and asks one member of each group to answer the
questions.
Finally, the teacher distributes lesson reminder sheets which all students
should complete.
d. In Writing Class
Yusak, M., Rohani, and Hartono (2005) give example of the use of group work
in writing class.
First, students are divided into groups of three and are given
‘incomplete’ text, pictures, jumbled paragraphs, etc. and they discuss it.
Next, the
teacher asks the students to complete the text, create a text based on the pictures,
rearranging the jumbled paragraphs, etc.
Some Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Work
If the teacher can manage the class activity well, there are some advantages that
both students and the teacher can get from group work.
First, this technique can
encourage student activity in the language classroom (O’Connell, 2006). We can see
that some students (especially those who are ‘shy’) will not have enough self-confident
to raise their hands to express their ideas, thoughts, opinions, and so on, but they will
have this kind of feeling when they work in smaller groups.
Second, it can give students
more opportunities to interact with one another (O’Connell, 2006) which later can give
the students ownership in the classroom (Fischman,
/>.). This is a matter of
socialization. Some students may not need this kind of relationship, but some others will

The Internet TESL
Journal, Vol. VI, No. 10, October 2000.
/>ListeningWarm-up.html.
Leys, Jon M., 1999.
Grouping of Students.
/>O’Connell, 2001. Group Forming Activities for ESL/EFL Students.
TESL Journal, Vol.
XII No. 8 August 2006.
/>Vaughn, S, Hughes, M.T., Moody, S.W., and Elbaum, B., 2001.
/>.
Yusak, M., Rohani, and Hartono, R., 2005.
English Texts in Use: A Coursebook for
SMA/MA Students.
Semarang: Aneka Ilmu.
40
You Are Intellectual? Write!
Muhammad Sukrianto
A. Introduction
The book “Pokoknya Menulis” invites the students as the intellectual
candidates and the intellectuals in general to be able to write. The main thing
stressed by the writers in this book is that every ones may be able to write or can
express their ideas through writing. However, the capability of writing can not be
handily had by every ones, it need practice. Indonesian proverb says: “alah bisa
karena biasa.” It means that writing ability can be developed by accustoming to
expressing the ideas through writing.
This book is interesting since it gives solution for them who want to practice
and have a strong ambition to be a good writer. The valuable of this book is the
writers provide the opportunities to the readers to practice directly with the guidance
given in this book. The writers believe that practice is more important than
discussing theories and process is more valuable than product.

(collaborative writing). Using this technique may help the students to practice