Rachael Le Mee Post #3: Videos

The first video I watched was the "Student Group Contracts" one. (Sidenote: This teacher was mentioned in the Setting the Standard text so it was cool to see her actual room and how she uses PBL!)

1. What are some of the problems students might encounter when working in groups on extended, complex projects? There's always the chance that groups won't end up enjoying working together or that they will be frustrated when someone isn't being accountable or doing their share of the work. No one likes to have to coerce someone else, especially in middle school or high school where the threat of "telling the teacher" doesn't hold as much weight and there is social pressure to be cool. I mean, what if the "cool kid" was the one not carrying the load?!!? (I had a student this past year where I could have seen this happening.)
2. How can contracts be designed to mitigate these problems? I think the most important thing in designing the contract would be to provide plenty of support and scaffolding opportunities for students to help ensure their contracts don't end up with lots of loopholes. I think the contract has to be able to be modified or adjusted as problems arise as well to reflect what the students find to be important. It would seem to me that the threat of being fired and having to complete the project on your own would be pretty darn motivating for students.
3. What checks and balances need to be in place for contracts to be effective?  I think it's super important that each student has a say and that everyone's voice deserves equal weight as they are designing the contract, and that if someone violates the contract, everyone gets a say in what the consequence is. I think if someone is having a hard time keeping to the contract, the students may need additional teacher support in looking at the design of the contract and whether or not it is actually effective.

The second video I watched was the "Structured Groups" one.

1. What is the value of assessing how students perform their group roles? It is VITAL for students to learn the "soft skill" of doing their part to contribute during collaborative work. If they are just arbitrarily assigned roles to try, and they never reflect or spend time tuning in to whether or not they did their job, enjoyed their job, or were good at the job, they have completely missed an invaluable growth opportunity. They need to be able to see how they contributed to the overall success or failure of the group, and take accountability for that.
2. How does the teacher, Mr. Jupp give feedback and guidance specific to each group? Mr. Jupp is spending time circulating through the room and meeting each group "where they are." His feedback and guidance are targeted based on the needs or questions of each group, and as a result, the feedback helps push students to higher or deeper levels of thinking and reflection as they work through the process of PBL.
3. How does peer assessment give ownership of the learning to students? After plenty of practice and explicit instruction in peer assessment (because this isn't just something we are born knowing how to do!), students can use it to learn how to say hard things in an effort to help classmates improve their products and processes. Most adolescents are far more concerned with their peers' opinions than an adult's, so that also adds another layer of ownership.

All of this ties in with the Profile of a South Carolina Graduate, because our goal is to create citizens that are good at problem-solving, collaborating, and thinking both critically and creatively to solve real-world problems. By teaching students these "soft skills" alongside our content, we are empowering them to go off to college or into the career world and make a significant impact.