Hi Rick!
I call that concept "being individually one"! Every member feels like they have contributed yet have been successful as an individual.
Gook job!
Jane Davis
Ed106 Facilitator
Germain,
This sounds like a very good strategy. Group dynamics can be quite complicated and it is unwise to believe that you will get it right each and every time. I have found that if you put the stronger students in one group and the weaker students in another group it can give the weaker students a chance to develop their skill level.
Deborah Balentine
When evaluating individual effort of students working in a group I make sure that each student has a particular task that is interrelated to the objectives of the group but is soley the responsibility of that student to perform.
For example, I had a project where the students were responsible for designing a health care facility from the ground up. The project was divided into four distinct sections; a marketing plan, a financial plan, a human resource plan and a physical plant plan. The students overall grade was an aggregate of all four sections so each student was accountable for the overall grade.
Deborah Balentine
Individual evaluation of a person through a group study/assignment will engage everybody, will involve everybody and will highlight each person responsabilities while supporting the team final result. Proper planning including tasks definition and goals to be reached is essential to the project success. Proper monitoring including frequent check-ins is important for the project progression and follow through. Everybody owns a part of the project but also relies on each other for its full completion.
in one of my classes we separate the class into three groups, however everyone in each group does their own menu's thus allowing the instructor to grade separately on specific compentencies while motivating team play daily
By assigning each group member a task to complete. I find this is very indicative about each members performance within the group.
Group work is such a critical component of a well developed business (my discipline) student that I endeavor to foster group projects with my students. A component of the group project work is a report (or evaluation) of how each group member believes the other members contributed to the over all project as a whole. I pair this with my own evaluation of the project division of duties among the students. I find that once student's get over that initial "fear of honestly grading another student's work", they are pretty much "right on" when it comes to evaluating the contributions of all of the members.
I also make certain that the members know at the beginning of the project that they will be grading the other members of the group at the projects end. In that way, I find there is a stronger commitment to more equitable division of duties as the project progresses.
Considering the nature of my teaching environment (Chef Instructor), I find it necessary to use groups regularly. Often times I have students concerned that the weaker links in the group will bring down their grades. I assure them that I assess their individual involvement in said groups, and they should embrace the opportunity to help a classmate that may not be as strong or advanced as they might be.
How do you deal with the "Lone Wolf" who seems outside of the group even when in one? Always distant and independent, sometimes to their detriment.
Its all about participation. Every member has to be accountable for a specific task. That creates accountability and responsibility.
I use a chart that rotates all the duties for the day so tat everybody gets a chance to do a specific duty. My situation may be different than yours. I teach cooking and the different duties can be rotated each day when you know who has to do what. The chart that I use has duties listed down the left side and Monday through Friday listed across the top. Students names are moved down a block each day and the bottom student is moved to the top. This prevents students from hiding from specific duties that they may not want to do or do not feel comfortable doing.
I let them assign their tasks but after that first initial meeting, I have them hand in who is doing what. And I make sure I take a few minutes every few classes and ask them how things are going. Then, at the end, I have them do peer evalauations. I am upfront about the peer evauations, too. They tend to be consistent through the group.
some times hard to do with many students
Do you find you have to back down the stronger students some of the time? I find some of the students will take a back seat to the stronger students. I see two different groups doing this: the shy or lacks self esteem student, or the student who is tired of competing with the strong students. How do you handle this type of situation?
The first time the students are placed in groups I ask them to pick a specific task as part of the group. As the group progresses I am able to individually see their strengths and weaknesses. We move groups and tasks around helping the student to work on their skills and adjust to different people at the same time. My main evaluation with a student is to help the student to recognise his or her own strengths within a group and use those skills to help the complete group be successful.
They can work within the group while completing the task at hand. Within every team, each member has a part to do in the research and putting together of the information/work. I just require that each member turns in the part they have done to me, so I can evaluate their part in the team project. Once all the research, etc. is complete, the team puts all of the information together to complete the project. Because of this review, it is easier for me to see each team members participation when the completed project is turned in/presented.
By assigning individual task that the group or I have assigned them. Watching individual progress with in the group on work assignements.
Can they complete the task at hand and work with in the group. how do they work as a team player.
When working in groups, I have the students fill out surveys without putting their names on them and it gives them a chance to tell who is doing well and who isn't in their groups. Generally, if I watch the groups I can see who is involved and who isn't by they way they talk about the topics.
When I assign students to a group, I make sure that the group consists of members with certain strengths that coincide with tasks to be completed in the group. I then have each member turn in their part of the project separately to be graded before it is combined with the "team" project to make sure that each member is giving the project their best effort. Then I give the overall project grade based on the effort of each member.
Absolutely. I also think that it helps teach responsibility & maturity to have to evaluate others.
