I teach medical assistants and group work is a norm for us because we have hands on skills to learn and communication barriers to overcome. Because medical assistants are seers and doers, listening to lecture can be hard on them. During lecture I stop and show a skill or equipment and give them the chance to feel it and use it. When they can get their hands on it and do it, they immediately start grasping and putting into practice whatever I just lectured on. Also, they must have the chance to teach others. This is a big deal with healthcare workers. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and makes them see that they are just as important as the material they are presenting. I give them this chance with group work. My groups are no larger than 4 students. I give each group a different skill that they must present and teach the other students.We all end up doing the skill, but by dividing the skills and assigning them to the groups, each student really gets the chance to "shine". I have noticed it improves their ability to learn and retain the information, calms their fears and anxieties about doing it on the job, and they tend to focus more on the material presented from other students. I am frequently amazed at what these students accomplish when given the chance to rely on their past experiences and learning strategies. WIth teaching presentations, the students that impress me the most are the ones who seem to struggle with course content and fail exams. They are usually the ones who are most helpful and most professional when it comes to presenting and teaching material to other students.