To organize students in groups is a difficult task. At most instances it is a disadvantage to allow students to pick their own groups, but if the instructor picks the groups, it allows more even distribution of talents and skills.
Hi Rebecca!
Great strategy! As I think about this approach, it could present a challenge as well. Perhaps students chose different groups because they didn't like someone in the that group. So I think that we have to be careful that we have read the students very well.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 facilitator
Hi Chris!
Good idea! But I have used that strategy and it has backfired! Do you have any suggestions?
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 facilitator
I agree that this is a good technique, but do you have any advice about how to determine who's strong and who's not at the beginning of a course when the teacher does not know any of the students?
I'd be interested to see several examples of effective pre-test questions. Thanks.
In my experience, students almost always give one another perfect scores. In fact, several times I have had students give a perfect score to one member of the group, and afterwards, ask to talk to me privately. That's when they tell me that they are "unhappy" because so-and-so didn't do any work, or even that the REST of the group didn't do much. Once when I asked a student why she gave out perfect scores, the student said, "Well, I didn't want to do anything to hurt their grade because I know how important that is." Another time a student wrote me a letter about her peer's failings, but again, had given that student a perfect score.
Question: One of the module's "Thinking Breaks" emphasized that diversity should be a large part of how students are selected and formed into groups(factors such as experience, leadership, and background). However, just prior to that, it was pointed out that the most common method of assigning groups was at random. That seems like a conflict to me; how can random selection ensure diversity? Would you comment on this issue? Thanks.
I have often used this method. In fact, I was surprised to hear (in the module) that 6-8 students per group worked well. I learned in graduate school that, according to the experts, 4 was the optimal number for any group--that larger groups enabled some students to get by doing less work and/or larger groups made it difficult for all of the students to have time to contribute equally.
by placing strong with the not so strong will help give balance to the group.
I like to choose students to be in a group who would normally choose not be with that particular group. I think this is a ice breaker as well as a time for me to observe the students communications skills.
I like to make diverse combinations in ethnicity, age, and experience when I organize my student groups. In the classes I have been teaching lately, there have been very few men so I don't really take the gender facet of diversity into consideration. (Current class has only 2 men.)
I always put two students only in a group for my class.....any more will cause someone to be sitting around with nothing to do. I also use individual labs to make sure all students are on schedule and should be able pass end of course labs.
Hi Louis!
I sort of like this approach! If I have one concern is that one student in the group is evaluating all the others. I can see where that might cause some problems.
Is there anyone else in this forum with different ideas or opinions?
Thanks Louise and keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
Ed106 Facilitator
I provide students with projects that get them into a group. For instance, the group has to cater a medieval banquet using only recipes from the medieval period. The students are placed in a group as each person in the group has a main task they need to do. I select a team leader to stay on point and make sure everyone is doing what they need to do.
Group activity is great as it builds on 'team' and the students who do not participate as much are not graded the same as everyone else. At the end of the project, I hand out an evaluation to the team leader and he/she lets me know who did not do a great job and who did a great job.
~Louis
Assigning groups by counting off the roll sheet, one through three or four. Then we assign responsibilities to each member to guarantee participation, IE; Safety, Foreman, Logistics and so forth. This helps primarily in the lab environment.
I have 3 ways, depending on the exercise I will form groups in 1 of 3 ways. First one, I allow students to form in their own group. Most of them already have made friends and feel more comfortable with people they have worked with in the past. My second way is forcing them to work with people they haven't already by assigning them a number. Then, all the same number students gather. My last one is by skill level, I try to form a diverse group base on their knowledge of the class.
It is always good to mix students that are to new to the program with those who are soon to graduate. I like to mix the 20 yr olds with the, let's just say the more mature student. Their tolerance of each other grows and they have a better understanding of one another and a new way of looking at the problem presented to them.
Depending on level of the class I am instucting I will either assign the groups myself or allow them to pick their own groups. I have found that the more advanced students are more serious when picking their groups and align themselves with students of similiar work ethics. The less advanced students tend to migrate to their freinds and do not work as hard and this has negative impact on their grades.
Hi James!
Great comments!
I think it depends on what leadership style a person has as to how groups are formed.
I am very much a person who wants people to feel empowered so me letting them pick there group members is a way of doing that. However, I have had that to backfire on me. I really heve to pay close attention to group dynamics.
Thanks for your observation and keep up the good work.
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
I think as an instructor we shoud used groups because for one thing it help the students become leaders and it will also help them learn what it takes to communicate clearly to make their points.
I don't beleave they should pick their own groups but learn how to work with what they are given. Students are here to learn and how become leaders so they must learn adversity.
