pair thinking
I pair students while in the lab so that they are able to achieve some tasked that might be a little chalenging for one student to complete on time and it allows them to help each other.
Of course you want things to run smoothly in the classroom too. (I'm haven't used this technique myself.) I know it wouldn't work in every situation!
Tanya, I agree with this to a point. There needs to be a level of progression and a clear understanding of the ground rules. If done correctly, I totally agree this can be a very effective technique.
James Jackson
I have heard of teachers purposefully putting people together that don't get along. I like the reasoning behind it-you don't have to be friends but you do have to learn to work together. In the workforce you seldom get to pick your partners for projects. "Your lives will both be easier right now if you make the conscious decision to get along."
I have times in my classes where I do team projects, the students are graded on the final project by me, but participation, discussing ideas and information, and overall attitude, I have the students grade each other, this usually consitutes for 60% of the students' overall grade. I try to team students up the other students they normally do not interact act with on a daily basis. By doing this, I have seen students learn so much about each other.... it opens their eyes and pushes their own "personal bubbles".
Thanks for your comments Jose. Can you share some of your experiences with respect to a time when you had to move student pairings around a bit to get a best fit of personalities? Describe the situation and provide some details on the results of your actions.
Regards,
James Jackson
