Teams are such an important concept in the “world of work.†This exercise would instill the team concept, as far as the fast and furious music I think would promote an undue stress level to hurry through the exercise.
they have to work together in one group
Paul,
this is encouraging & perhaps an opportunity for the future to encourage this kind of discussion & group forming.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
In my course, the assignments were all individualized, as were the discussion postings. There were no group projects, I thought there was not enough time to include them.
A learning community occurred on many occasions when students posted responses to their classmates’ answers in a group discussion.
cynthia,
absolutely as I may learn more from the learning of someone else than from the activity itself.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Wesley ,
and by experiencing the diversity in these groups, students can experience the value of appreciating a variety of ideas & opinions.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree, Lynn. The debriefing allows each team member to describe his personal learning experience. This sharing of experiences contributes to an indepth learning experience for all.
Diversity is defintely something that is overlooked while putting a group together of students or even having a discussion. I teach a law and ethics class that brings this topic to life. Students need to realize that diversity can not be oversighted and we will dealt with in everyday life and not only in the classroom
The students are grouping themselves in a team to compelte the task at hand. The instructor helps students be able to complete the exercise by having music playing. The music helps get students motivated to complete the activity. The more involved the instructor and students are the better learning outcomes
Students will react differently if you place them in different situations. Depending on the student, some recognize loud mustic as a stressor, whereas others think of urgency when giving them a task to complete. This was interesting to see the different intelligences working together.
I have used the multiple intelligences inventory worksheets in my classes. This helps to give the student a better understanding of how he/she is processing information.The worksheets are called the "7 ways of knowing" and gives the student a window into their own learning processes. I also helps me to seperate the "cowboys" from the "indians".
Not only do students come from culturally diverse backgrounds, but in my classroom setting, they come from different age groups. The age element brings in another variable that maps Multiples Intelligences.
In an exercise like the one described the students would need to work together, using visual and verbal clues, to think logically. Since it would be a physical activity heightened by the music, emotions would no doubt play a role in learning as well. This module was very enlightening for me especially relative to debriefing. Thanks.
I think that the students would be thinking more relaxed, therefore making more sound decisions. The music sets the ambiance, and gets the students moving while the prize potential is a motivation to keep them going with precision.
Since the students have to work together as a team, all of the multiple intelligences will be used. Students must move around, talk to each other, think about items themselves, listen to each other and decide on a correct order. All students will be actively engaged and learning which is so very important!
I feel that it would reach all of the Multiple Intelligences and incorporate diversity into the exercise also. I am going to try this!
Well, since we are instructed that there are now 10 multiple intelligences [a proposition I am at least slightly skeptical of], part of the issue would be which list items actually apply.
Here is my attempt:
1) The exercise maps to the interpersonal intelligence, since the students have to seek out others and work with them.
2) Logical/mathematical mapping is fulfilled by working on the "right thing for now" which involves selecting from alternatives, and also by arranging themselves in a proper order, which requires deductive comparison between the order they happen to occupy and the order outcome desired.
3) I think the spatial/visual mapping is weak, apart from seeing the other people involved, and whatever vizualization was inherent in thinking of urgency and importance.
4) Since the instructor is playing music in a prominent way, the musical intelligence is mapped.
5) Presumably the students will have to speak to each other in order to find the other people who are needed for a specific component in the required order, which will map to linguistic/verbal intelligence.
6) The exercise maps to intrapersonal intelligence, since the students must recognize stress and take the 10 Deep Breaths themselves.
7) Since the exercise involves bodily kinesthetic operations by its very nature, as well as having all sorts of movement potential as the students find the others to match up in a team, it maps to this aspect of intelligence as well.
The mappings may not all be equally strong, but they all are there.
I absolutely agree, Doug. It's funny though how resistant many students are to group projects. I have a class right now that enjoys group work, but loathes the idea of a graded group project. I got into a conversation with them the other day about why they dislike it so much. Their answers were varied: not enough time to work on the project, students not doing their fair share, accelerated learning doesn't lend itself to group projects, etc. Then I asked them why they think that teachers make them do this kind of work. Their answers were spot on: because the "real world" is full of group work and interaction with people you might not necessarily like. But what I noticed about that response, though accurate, was how dispassionately they said it, as if they were just repeating what previous teachers had told them to justify group projects. I guess what I'm getting at is why don't students see the real applicability of group projects, and how can we get them to value them more?
I agree with many others on the forum. I think group activities are great to exhibit the strengths and weaknesses of the team members. I think a little competition is healthy and can help stimulate a group of students who may be dragging part way through a long class session or semester!
Together all 5 student can build a team and begin to recognize each others strengths and weaknesses. Each person can contribute and develop to the team building exercise.
