Video Choice #1:
1. What are some of the problems students might encounter when working in groups on extended, complex projects?
Creating collaboration groups on extended classroom projects will always be met with some type of resistance or potential problem. The main problem most groups complain about is being partnered with a peer who will not share their part of the work load, meaning someone else has to pick up the slack. This is usually troublesome during grading because no student thinks it's fair for a peer to receive the same grade they did when the course work was not shared evenly.
Another issue that has arisen in my classroom is when a student is absent. Do you punish them because they aren't there to contribute to the team, or do you let the absence slide?
2. How can contracts be designed to mitigate these problems?
Contracts are a great way for the entire class to brainstorm the proper behaviors and expectations of themselves and their peers within the group. Signing a contract also makes the students accountable during the group work, as they know what the consequences will be if they do not honor their commitment.
3. What checks and balances need to be in place for contracts to be effective?
One big thing the students from the video included in their contracts was the notion that the groups must always vote and agree on something before it becomes final in the project. This will keep one or two students from bullying or taking over the decision making process of the group. There also has to be a punishment for the student who simply refuses to abide by the contract. I like that the teacher in the video used almost a "three strikes and you're out" policy. After 3 warnings for not completing your work, the student is fired from the group and must complete the project on their own.
Video Choice #3:
1. What changes do you notice when students are called on using popsicle sticks?
There was an immediate change in the behaviors of the students once she began using the popsicle sticks. Originally, the students were throwing their hands in the air, yelling out, and some students were trying to contribute every answer. After she introduced the popsicle sticks, each student knew that they could potentially answer the question and needed to be prepared if that time comes.
2. What changes do you notice when students work in groups?
The students began to teach each other and take ownership of the learning from their group mates. During the problem, group members were actively engaging in discussion, collaboration, and reflection. If one student didn't understand the steps, another student quickly stepped in to help them find the answer. The students were also more engaged when there was an active problem to solve with their group.
3. What difference do you notice in Mrs. Jackson’s questioning?
Instead of asking very closed questions about the answer to a problem, Mrs. Jackson began asking more open questions that started with how, why, what, where. These types of questions force the students to explain their thinking. In the short time we saw the lesson, it was easy to pick out misconceptions that several students had setting up a multiplication problem. When the students were working on the order of operations problem, all Mrs. Jackson did was question the groups about their findings. It was the explanations from the groups that lead to the lesson taught that day.
EVERYONE:
The two videos I viewed directly relate to the profile of a South Carolina graduate. Students are learning how to coexist within a group where different skills, talents, and opinions will manifest. Each group must take all of these different positions and hone it to create one unique product. Critical thinking also plays a huge role within a group. The active learning that takes place when members can discuss and solve a real-world problem is far greater than a student could accomplish by his or herself.
1. What are some of the problems students might encounter when working in groups on extended, complex projects?
Creating collaboration groups on extended classroom projects will always be met with some type of resistance or potential problem. The main problem most groups complain about is being partnered with a peer who will not share their part of the work load, meaning someone else has to pick up the slack. This is usually troublesome during grading because no student thinks it's fair for a peer to receive the same grade they did when the course work was not shared evenly.
Another issue that has arisen in my classroom is when a student is absent. Do you punish them because they aren't there to contribute to the team, or do you let the absence slide?
2. How can contracts be designed to mitigate these problems?
Contracts are a great way for the entire class to brainstorm the proper behaviors and expectations of themselves and their peers within the group. Signing a contract also makes the students accountable during the group work, as they know what the consequences will be if they do not honor their commitment.
3. What checks and balances need to be in place for contracts to be effective?
One big thing the students from the video included in their contracts was the notion that the groups must always vote and agree on something before it becomes final in the project. This will keep one or two students from bullying or taking over the decision making process of the group. There also has to be a punishment for the student who simply refuses to abide by the contract. I like that the teacher in the video used almost a "three strikes and you're out" policy. After 3 warnings for not completing your work, the student is fired from the group and must complete the project on their own.
Video Choice #3:
1. What changes do you notice when students are called on using popsicle sticks?
There was an immediate change in the behaviors of the students once she began using the popsicle sticks. Originally, the students were throwing their hands in the air, yelling out, and some students were trying to contribute every answer. After she introduced the popsicle sticks, each student knew that they could potentially answer the question and needed to be prepared if that time comes.
2. What changes do you notice when students work in groups?
The students began to teach each other and take ownership of the learning from their group mates. During the problem, group members were actively engaging in discussion, collaboration, and reflection. If one student didn't understand the steps, another student quickly stepped in to help them find the answer. The students were also more engaged when there was an active problem to solve with their group.
3. What difference do you notice in Mrs. Jackson’s questioning?
Instead of asking very closed questions about the answer to a problem, Mrs. Jackson began asking more open questions that started with how, why, what, where. These types of questions force the students to explain their thinking. In the short time we saw the lesson, it was easy to pick out misconceptions that several students had setting up a multiplication problem. When the students were working on the order of operations problem, all Mrs. Jackson did was question the groups about their findings. It was the explanations from the groups that lead to the lesson taught that day.
EVERYONE:
The two videos I viewed directly relate to the profile of a South Carolina graduate. Students are learning how to coexist within a group where different skills, talents, and opinions will manifest. Each group must take all of these different positions and hone it to create one unique product. Critical thinking also plays a huge role within a group. The active learning that takes place when members can discuss and solve a real-world problem is far greater than a student could accomplish by his or herself.
Hi Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you found both videos helpful in providing strategies that can increase the effectiveness of our collaborative group work within our pbls. You bring up great points with the absentee policy and with the accountability and equitable work distribution being common issues. I agree with you that group contracts and effective teacher facilitation of the group work can help. Like you, I really liked how the teacher in the second video utilized higher level questioning to help her students increase their engagement and to go deeper with their thinking about the concepts students were learning about.