Keeping Student Groups on Course
What strategies help to ensure student groups will stay on course and be productive?
I break group exercises down farther to tasks that are done by group members in pairs and that add together to complete the group project. The smaller pairs and tasks allow students to achieve a learning objective and demonstrates how to complete difficult projects by breaking into smaller tasks.
I also have to make sure I keep them "on topic" because they are very close and start talking about other subject matters. I'm there monitoring so I can bring them back to subject.
This is one of my favorite strategies when I break my students in groups Dr. Meers. I circulate around to the different groups actually sitting in, throwing some ideas or challenges at the group, and then quickly exiting. The trick is not to be distractive but keeping your finger on the pulse.
Frank,
this is very true & I often see them very quickly pull out their phones. I try to give them a lot of directed steps at first so they get used to doing the work & then become more self-directed.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have discovered that more and more students have very short attention spans, and tend to wander off into discussions un associated with the assignment. i try to mix these students into one small group, and them spend some time as one of the group members so as to help guide the group in the direction they need to go. Constant monitoring is required of this group, but as they become aware of your frequent interaction, even the most easily distracted tend to focus long enough to provide input to the assignment.
Unfortunately, in todays classroom electronic distractions creep into almost every learning environment, making moving around the classroom even more important.
I find that walking around and pausing to observe the different groups while they are working helps to keep the group ontrack with the assignment. Too often I find when the students get in a group the topic of discussion quickly steers away from the assigned task. Giving the students an assigned amount of time to complete the assignment along with walking around to observe has helped me in my experience, to keep the group focused and on track.
I control the pace of the groups. I never stay on one topic at a time. I limit the times for each group.
I actively engage them every 10 minutes or so to make sure they are understanding what were going over and see if there stuck at any one part.
Farzana,
this is a great strategy as it promotes the interaction & also helps them reflect on the material.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
easy enough to interject, "ok, everyone, let's make sure we're taking enough time for this, remember you still have 15 min. (or whatever) - make sure to do x,y and z
Every day at the end of lecture I put them in to 2 to 3 groups of 6 people,and assigned them to come up with 4-5 questions within 10 min. Then each group will ask the question.
It help them to understand more about that day's lecture and have fun at the same time.
Chris,
these are great suggestions & show that group projects require a good amount of planning on the part of the instructor.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The course instructor should give examples of what the students need to do in order to succeed in their work groups. Give the group activities that involve decision-making and judgment, these are the most effective. Make sure assignments fit the students' skills and abilities as this will help to stay on course and be productive.
I believe you have to identify a group leader, outline objectives end goals or final results, advise students to be an active group member and do not put all of your eggs in one basket, what I mean by that is take you own notes, keep copies of group work, be accountable!!!
Keeping the pace set for class, especially in a lab setting where some students work faster/slower than others can be a challenge.
One variance I use is that I most often will assign group members, depending on what the learning outcome is for the lesson.
Students sometimes lose focus if they are in a group of people that they are too comfortable with. Strong students tend to choose strong students for their group. When I assign them, they are quite aware that the task on hand requires teamwork and cooperation, and every member of the group has their own individual goal to meet. This way, nobody feels inadequate, and the "do gooder" students have no choice but to take a step back and work as a team.
This seems to help them stay focused more than when they choose their groups.
Yes, you are right. This is particularly so when there is a member of the group who seem to be over-bearing on other members and speed the group through the assignment.
At times, I provide a guide of expected milestone dates to assist the group stay on course and work effectively towards the deadline. I also ask for regular feedback of the group's progress during the quarter.
angelica,
yes, assigning specific tasks can really help the student groups stay on task.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Scott,
this is a good reminder that we as instructors can't "take a break" while groups are working but need to be helping them stay focused & on task.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
