Are you and your students
tired of lectures? Do you wish your students participated more in discussion
section? Engaging students and increasing classroom participation are
common concerns of GSIs. Discussion sections are a great opportunity to
use active learning strategies to make your classroom a more interactive
environment.
Group work is one pedagogical
strategy that promotes participation and interaction. It also fosters
a deeper and more active learning process. In addition to exposing students
to different approaches and ways of thinking, working with other students
in groups can promote a sense of belonging to combat anonymity, isolation
or even shyness that often accompany a student's experience at a large
campus. Working together in groups also gives students the opportunity
to learn from and teach each other. Classroom research has shown that
students often learn better form each other than they do from a teacher.
It is not difficult or time-consuming
to incorporate group work activities into your lesson plans, but there
are some general rules-of-thumb about structuring group work well. Here
are some basic guidelines to consider:
There are many learning
goals that can be achieved by having students collaborate either in
pairs or in small groups. In groups, students can summarize main points;
review problems such as for exams, compare and contrast knowledge, ideas,
or theories; solve problems; or generate comments for you on class progress
or on their levels of skill and understanding. Think about what your goals
for the activity are: what do you want your students to get out of this
activity?
Small groups or learning teams
can be formed in three ways: randomly (counting off or by seat proximity),
teacher-selected, or student-selected. Random group assignments avoid
cliques and ensure that students interact with different students throughout
the semester. Once you know your students fairly well, teacher-selected
groups can be useful for pairing weak and strong students, students with
common interests or shared learning styles, etc.
Group size can vary as can
the length of time that students work together. Pairing is great for 30-second
or one-minute problem solving. Groups that work together for 10 to 45
minutes might be 4 to 6 people. Groups can be formal or informal. Informal
groups may be "ad hoc dyads" (where students turn to a neighbor)
or "10 minute buzz groups" (3-4 students discuss reaction to
a reading assignment). Formal group assignments can serve semester-long
group projects. Whether formal or informal, it is useful to assign roles
within the group (examples: recorder, reporter to the class, timekeeper,
monitor, or facilitator). If students are not used to working in groups,
establishing some ground rules with the class about respectful interaction
before the first activity can foster positive and constructive communication.
Successful group work activities
require a highly structured task. Make this task clear to students by
writing specific instructions on the board or on a worksheet. Include
in your instructions:
The specific task: "Decide,"
"List," "Prioritize," "Solve," "Choose"
("Discuss" is too ambiguous). Structure the task to promote
interdependence for creating a group product. Create an activity for
which it is truly advantageous for students to work together.
The expected product, for
example: reporting back to the class; handing in a sheet of paper; a
list of questions to distribute to the class.
The time allotment. Set
a time limit. Err on the side of too little rather than too much. You
can always give more time.
The method of "reporting
out," i.e., of sharing group results with the class.
Closure is critical to the
learning process. Students need to feel that the group work activity
added to their knowledge, skills, abilities, etc. "Reporting out"
is useful for accomplishing closure. A mini-lecture from you that weaves
in the comments, products and ideas of the students in their small groups
is also an effective way to close a group work activity.
Tips for formulating assignments:
Ask questions that have
more than one answer.
Make the material to be
analyzed by the group in class short (via handout, overhead, written
on chalkboard, etc.)…may be a paragraph or few sentences.
Vary the format of the tasks.
For example, on one day students might generate the questions they want
to analyze; on another students may give arguments or provide evidence
for or against a position or theory, etc.
.Try
some of these group work learning techniques:
Think-pair-share: Instructor
poses a question. Students are given time (30 seconds or one minute) to
think of a response. Each student then pairs with another and both discuss
their responses to the question. Instructor invites pairs to share their
responses to the class as a whole.
Structured controversy:
Divide class into groups of four. The instructor identifies a controversial
topic in the field covered in the course and gathers material that gives
information and background to support different view of the controversy.
Students work with one partner forming two pairs within the group of four.
Each pair takes a different side of the issue. Pairs work outside of class
or in class to prepare to advocate and defend their position. The groups
of four meet, and each pair takes a turn stating and arguing its position
while the other pair listens and takes notes without interrupting. Each
pair must have a chance both to listen and take notes and to argue their
position. Then all four talk together as a group to learn all sides of
the issue. Next, each pair must reverse its position and argue the opposite
position than the one it argued before. Lastly the group of four as a
whole discusses and synthesizes all the positions to come up with a group
report. There may be a class presentation where each group presents its
findings.
Paired annotations: Teacher
or students identify a number of significant articles on a topic. Each
student individually outside of class writes a reflective commentary on
one article. In class, students are randomly paired with another student
who has written a commentary on the same article. The two partners read
each other's commentaries, comparing key points to their own commentary.
Then the two students team-write a commentary based on a synthesis of
both their papers.
At the GSI Teaching and Resource
Center we have other material to help you plan and design group work activities.
Come and visit us, or send an email with your comments or questions to
gsi@berkeley.edu.
References
Cross, K. Patricia. Collaborative
Learning 101. The Cross Papers 4. League for Innovation in the Community
College, 2000.
Johnson, D., R. Johnson, and
K. Smith. Cooperative Learning: Increasing College Faculty Instructional
Productivity. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 4, 1991.
Meyers C. & T. Jones. Promoting
Active Learning: Strategies for the College Classroom. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 1993.
Millis, B. and P. Cottell.
Cooperative Learning for Higher Education Faculty. Oryx Press,
1998.
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