It took time for me to adjust to the noise level in my classroom during group work. Eventually I was able to differentiate between academic and social conversations. I also had to get used to the time it takes for students to move the furniture in the room. However, this time diminishes as students get used to group work. I remember one time when an administrator observed a class of mine. She commented on how quickly my students moved into groups and started their assignment (under 2 minutes). She concluded that they must be working in groups every day since they were so quick and well-trained.