Optimal Group Formation for Thinking Tasks

The environment for group work should involve a vertical and erasable surface such as a whiteboard, window, file cabinet side, or blackboard. The optimal way to form groups for thinking tasks is through random selection that is visibly random, frequent, and not teacher-constructed. Grouping strategies like elementary school-style or self-selection were found to be ineffective for promoting thinking. Additionally, the task assigned to the groups should be a thinking task to optimize the group's performance.