Clearly State Goals and Expectations
Specify the goal of a particular group-work activity; consider using hand-outs which specify focus questions or passages upon which students should concentrate their collective efforts. Provide a lead-in activity (perhaps a ten minute general discussion) that clearly defines the issue(s) on the table. It is helpful to give some visual reinforcement by writing down the issues or questions you want the groups to engage (you can use the chalk/white board or overhead projector for this). Hand-outs are useful for more complex projects. However you decide to introduce the group work for the day, provide clear instructions. Telling students to "Get together and talk about today's reading" will probably not yield very satisfactory results when the class comes back together to share insights. Try to give concrete prompts that focus attention on specific passages, or which ask for answers to particular questions. Give an example of how to begin. Let them know what their final product should be (summary, analysis, etc.).

Class Division and Group Size
Keep groups relatively small (3-4 people) to ensure maximum participation. A pair can be a group too.
Pick the groups yourself-they generally will not form into groups on their own, and if they do, they form as social cliques. An easy system is to have students count off (1, 2, 3, 4/ 1,2,3,4/ around the class), and then have the “ones” go to one place, “twos” to another, etc.

Over the course of the quarter, consider whether you want to ensure that different groups form (to accomplish this you may want to vary your group-selection techniques) or whether some group-work setups work so well that they're worth retaining; this can build a strong sense of community.

Also-and this may seem remarkable-point to places in the room where each group should convene. Students often have an incredibly hard time doing this.

Appoint a Scribe
Groups work most effectively and are taken most seriously by students when they know they have to get together as a whole group and report back. Pick someone--or have the group pick someone--as the spokesperson or note-taker to report back to the class when the group reconvenes. Sometimes it is useful to pick a student who doesn't normally talk in class--sometimes quiet students only need the context, and will often rise to the occasion when they are speaking for their group. This sort of accountability can also test for learning, giving you some sense of how effective your exercise have been in helping students process the material.

Fifty Minutes
Allow enough time for groups to do whatever tasks you have set for them; sections are short and group work takes a while. Give careful thought to how much time will be spent on group work. Plan out ahead how long you will take to explain the group activity, how long they will take in the groups, and how long each group will take to report back. For example, if you take 10 minutes at the beginning of class for general discussion and introduction of the day's group assignment, then allow students another 10-15 minutes to do the assignment, you will have already used 20-25 minutes of your section time (about half).If you divide your class into five groups and allow each group 5 minutes to report back, that's the remaining 25 minutes of class. You may be able to minimize the introductory portion of the class, especially once your students are accustomed to group work. Do factor-in time for shifting desks around-this takes longer than you might think.

Consider telling the groups that they have less time than they really do to encourage them to get down to business. Keep up the pace: let them know when they have 5, 3, 1 minutes left. It may take a while to get them back into the big group-this is often a sign of success.

To Mingle or Not to Mingle?
Choose what sort of presence you want to exert while they are in groups. Sometimes a mingling TA stifles the conversation; sometimes more quiet groups need help getting started. If things are going well and you want to let them be, use this time effectively--take roll, gather your notes for what will happen when they reconvene, use the restroom.

Reconvening
Ask students to either come back as a class by arranging their desks in one large circle, or at least have them cluster as groups around an imagined circle. Returning to a conventional seating arrangement often scatters all the collective energy that was generated in the respective groups. Act as facilitator when they reconvene. For the benefit of the larger class, you might want to restate the project specific to a given group as you invite the members of that group to talk. Encourage other groups to argue against the group presenting. Ask if everyone in the group came to the same conclusions. But also, let them talk. This is their time to share their insights with the rest of the class, not just with you.

Positive Reinforcement
Congratulate them on a job well done if they are deserving. Reinforce how helpful it is for them to share their ideas with each other. A simple concluding statement on the order of “thank you all for your good work today,” or “thanks for sharing your insights” will be appreciated by your students and will likely enhance the quality of the next discussion section.