I teach mathematics and the most significant outcome is that the beauty of math is shown when you give each group the same problem. What generally happens is that each group solves the problems in their own way but as we discuss the problems we all have the same answers. To me that shows that there is no right or wrong way to get one particular answer. The challenges of using learning groups is that it can be hard to assess if everyone is learing. Sometimes you can have a smarter student in the group that takes over and the mediocre student will just follow along to get through the session. In my eyes this is the biggest challenge which is to ensure that all students are involved.
Thanks!
Ju'Ton
Tanya,
I find this very interesting and entertaining! I try to do the same within my classes. I found out that students understand the concepts much better when they are trying to explain them to each other.
Great approach to creating study groups!
Tatiana
I teach nutrition to nursing students so we spend most of our group lesson time as pairs of students. One student will be the "nurse" and the other the "patient" and the "nurse" will explain the concept to the "patient". I have had some good outcomes with the students learning more because they know they will have to explain it to someone else.
I try to ensure the learning groups stay on course by moving about the room and checking in with each group.
Hello.
I am using student learning groups in all courses I teach. I found out that participating in those groups help students to comprehend concepts faster. Students bounce ideas about the material and come up with the correct answers for assigned problems. I used to receive tons of emails from individual students before this practice, now they communicate with each other and amount of questions reduced drastically. They learn by explaining concepts to each other!
Tatiana
I agree that teamwork is certainly very essential in business. You make some great points of having the teams to organize roles and certainly be attentive. Excellent point of the clear communication to help diminish the free riders!
I once asked folks in industry what was the #1 problem that they face with students fresh out of college. Their response: "They cannot work together in teams". I think this is becoming even more evident these days with individuals working more online and not within a group of people.
When having teams work together on projects. It is imperative to ensure that they are staying on tasks and that everyone is pulling their weight. Many times one student will either monopolize the group or decide to do all the work themselves. It is important to have discussions within these groups to ensure the importance to each student that they do their part.
As many have indicated, one of the challenges to in-class group work is keeping the students on track and limiting social conversations.
To overcome this challenge, I pay close attention to the discussions going on in the groups. I allow students to banter for just a short time, but if I hear the conversations linger for more than a few minutes, I let the students know that they need to move on and focus on the task. Usually when I let them know that I know they are not focusing, they will get back to work.
What also helps is assigning a time limit for in-class group work. For example, "Your group has 20 minutes to respond to the questions in the case study." This way, students know they have little time for outside conversations.
I think the most significant outcomes is the students meet the course objectives. When we assign small groups, we need to keep a balance of different level of students that they can help each other.
One of the most significant outcomes in using student learning groups is when they have completed the project they have learned how to work as a team instead of as individual. One of my groups did not start out well at all. This was due to the diversity in the group. I was wondering if they would be able to complete the project. However, they began to work as a team and completed the project as friends. I only monitored on the side lines I tried to let them go through the team building process without me. If the issue would not have been resolved I would of used conflict management. The most significant challenge to using student learning groups is not all the members always get along. If the problem becomes too large the instructor is included and has to find a way to resolve the issue. I do not think the solution is taking the individual off the team that is causing the problem. I think one of the best solutions in this matter is to communicate with the members that are having the issues. I am not sure if anyone else has a better solution I am open for other options if you have them.
One way to ensure that the students stay on course is to have a master plan for the groups. This will show the student what needs to be accomplished each time the group meets. I think one method to do this in an online environment is after groups are posted give the students a document that states what they need to accomplish and a time line for each section.
Hi Marisa! Thanks for your comments. I too have found that clear, established expectations, objectives and ground rules really help to facilitate an effective group.
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
The most significant outcomes to using student learning groups in my opinion are:
1. students learning how to work with & rely on others for a grade/project; 2. having students realize that their work ethic matters; and 3. having students realize that they are perfectly capable of taking the initiative for finding out information on their own, rather than solely relying on their instructors to provide them with every piece of knowledge they need to know.
The most significant challenge to using learning groups is how to mediate disagreements/lack of work between group members.
I find that providing clear, precise written instructions to all students is a MUST; a discussion of that material is also important to make sure that everyone understands the instructions correctly and will allow you to answer any questions students may have and clear up any confusion regarding the assignment.
Team work is an essential component to the business realm. Thus, an important component to the classroom in preparing students for real-world application. Group dynamics can vary among teams. Teams should organize roles, discover ways to overcome conflict and resistance, and be attentive to groupthink and hidden agendas. Strive to gain participation from all members. Often times some students participate more than others - clear communication and monitoring can diminish the likeness of free riders or nonparticipating members. When teams work effectively there can be higher performance levels, strong group synergy, increased information and knowledge and diversity of ideas. Monitoring groups can help an instructor recognize emerging problems, minimize learning barriers, and help students to focus on learning outcomes. An outline and continuous monitoring can aid in group productivity.
Hi Marilu! I also use a combination of individual and group grades, it helps to even things out a bit; to your points about group dynamics, I too have found that clear expectations communicated up front, ground rules and identified outcomes really help to facilitate the group dynamics process. I really like your example of giving easier, initial practice assignments to get team members acclimated prior to the major work; icebreakers can also be effective.
Thanks for your input!
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Gil, to your point I too have found that student voice inflection, tone, eye contact, monitoring the conversation, etc. all help instructors keep a pulse on the classroom or lab. Additionallt, I often have students paraphrase lesson content to each other, or engage in "mini" related hands-on activities during the presentation of a new topic or application.
Thanks for your observations!
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
Hello,
When students interact in that learning situation, it's confidence. It's a good start when having beginning students.
Monitoring the conversation and eye contact they're making with each other.
I find that the most significant outcomes derived from student learning groups in the classroom is active participation from group members if the group dynamics works. What I consider the most significant challenge is that not all students share the same work ethic and you can come upon situations where the work is being completed by only part of the group. This is especially true if the groups grade will be given to each member in the group. This is the reason why I favor grading each student individually and combining it with peer assessment.
The teaching method that helps to ensure student learning groups is the creation of the master plans, explaining the rules and responsibilities of individuals, giving examples and easier practice assignments in the beginning to foster understanding. More than anything as the monitor in the classroom the instructor has to gauge contribution, understanding or conflict between group members. Providing corrective action or redirection is necessary.
PLACING STUDENTS IN SMALL GROUPS ALLOWS THEM TO INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER AND HELP THEM TO OPEN UP TO DISCUSSION,
The biggest challenge is to get students to work together compatibly. Most of the time this isn't a problem for me, but when there are disputes, it can be very hard to work out the group dynamic.
To make a learning group successful, I outline exactly what the group has to turn in. I make students write an "assignment agreement" - each person writes down what his or her responsibility is and he or she must sign it. It is turned in with the group work. I also make each student evaluate the others in the group and turn that in confidentially.
The best aspect of using learning groups is that the students are engaged and working on the tasks at hand. This outweighs most other considerations. In a lecture model, students might be on task, but there really is no way to know. The challenges center on balancing off task behaviors with the work produced. One of the best ways to keep students on task is to keep an eye on each group. Walk by each one and ask then where they are and how it is going. For the most part this seems to work just fine.
Hi Jay and all,
One aspect of group work that discourages me at the high school level is absenteeism. In fact your literature here even identifies the potential problem of introducing a new student to a group in the middle of the project. While the problem may be more pronounced at the high school level, I seem to remember a fair number of students absent from my composition courses. How can you adapt to numbers as high as one member per group being absent?
