ROBIN,
I personally like to use a combination grade with part being for the whole group & part being for individual work.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I've found that getting all members of the group to participate is the biggest challenge, even for groups of 2. Although I prefer to grade each student separately I've found that issuing a group grade for all members has persuaded the reluctant student to contribute more.
For me the challenge of groups is making sure everyone does work. When there is a group assignment some people take complete control and keep others out in an effort to make sure their grade is the best. This defeats the purpose of working together because one rides off the coat-tails of others.
Juvenal,
this really is a key aspect, that they have well thought out work for them to do & they are ready to get to work.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
It is true, in groups, one or two students relax and let the rest do the work, but if the group-work is well developed, organized, and assigned then all students have no choice but to participate.
Keeping the students focused on the requirements for the project. By having a student leader or monitor, the students will be able to keep on task, and minimize socializing
Kristina,
I like the idea of the random groups as this is a little more reflective of what they might experience in the work environment as they will not generally be selecting their work teams.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
When doing group work we would allow the students to split themselves up, but this led to what you were describing. There would be a couple lazy students and then the other students that would carry the group. What we began doing was having them draw names out of a hat so that the groups were random and grading the individual as opposed to the group. I would start having them present the information and I would ask a few questions of each participant to make sure they read the material and understood the group outcome. It's a little more work on my end, but I feel that it shows the lazy students that they need to step up their game and the other students that they are being recognized for their hard work.
Joe,
this is very true & with some guided questions & carefully crafted projects, the learning groups can be very beneficial.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Student groups can work well when everyone participates. If everyone is able to come up with some good input then the group can learn from one another. Like is always said the teacher is the one who learns the most.
Mike,
this is a good concern & awareness to have. I would add that you may evaluate your course & realize that groups are not a good use for your material or in a very limited way. Some subjects are definitely more conducive to group work than others.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I primarily teach math classes. Math is one of those subjects that students either enjoy or dislike. I also find that students who don't like math are intimidated to aske questions when they don't understand a formula or concept. I am concerned that a student like this may feel uncomfortable in even a small group setting to let the group members know that he/she is not getting the assignment and get lost or furhter frustrated by the assignment.
Michael,
This is a great way to evenly distribute the work & hold them accountable.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I really like this idea! Clear expectations and students taking on a defined and self-proclaimed role looks like it will be a very effective tool in dealing with group challenges. I will definitely try this!
The biggest challenges is workload allocation. Students often take on too much or do nnothing. I assign everone a specific part of a group asignment and they are graded accordingly, individually. Ones lack of work or over acheiving haow no effect on anyone elses grade.
Raymond,
this is very true. One thing I like to do is provide specific tasks & time frames for completion to help keep them focused.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I always find the most significant challange to student groups is is keeping them on track and on task. Most groups tend to digress and go off on distracted tangents if not closely monitored
Alison,
it is definitely a challenge, yet many work places utilize work groups & project teams for much of the work so we do need to prepare our students to work in these groups in a mature way.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The challenge of using student groups is getting all the group members to share the work load evenly.
There are always students who will carry the load of the group and others who will take the easy way out.
The other issue is having a "strong' group of motivated students and then a "weak" group who barely completes the task. Because of this I rarely let students chose their own groups,
I use randomizer.or/lists and let them computer do it for me. That way no one is to blame.
One of the biggest challenges is to engage all the students. I ask all to contribute and call on students randomly to get feedback from all.
