I teach in four classrooms and have found that the seating arangement plays an important role in the ease of keeping order in the class. One of my classrooms is set up with round tables as an excellerated learning environment . This encourages constant Chatter between student and makes lectures a real challenge.
I too utilze group activities and have also run into the same thing. Students will not want to participate. I explain to them that it is not only important in their learning of the task at hand but also that it is a great way for them to learn how to be a team player, they do end up enjoying the activities and sometimes want to create some class activities of their own.
I have used small group activities. The challenge is the variety of personalities. I've had some arguments break out. I had to exercise the "controller" in me. The great thing though, by the end of the activity, they learned that communication was key for a successful outcome.
Yes, i have utilized group activites. However I always seem to have one or two students who do not want to participate in the activity.. Some of them with a little encouragement will finally start participating but there always seems to be one who is simply not interested in the activity. Do you have any suggestions for dealig with this type of student?
John, great example. By walking around the classroom and working among the students you keep them more engaged versus remaining at a desk or behind a lecture stand.
James Jackson
When I break my class into groups my biggest challenge continues to be engaging everyone in the group to participate. The best practice is to monitor the groups by walking around and listening and personally engaging the quiet team members
Deanna, mixing up the groups is also more like what they will experience in the working environment so you are also giving them life skills.
James Jackson
Daniel, another option for groups is to divide the class into sections of assignments that require different levels of monitoring. One group may be discussing a topic with a group leader you assign while another group is working hand-on where you are monitoring closely.
James Jackson
I use small groups to help teach students keywords in learning how to use online databases more effectively.
It also increases the student interest by having them discover what terms give the most relevant results to search with depending upon the research topic that is assigned. Often the vocabulary that is used in the database is different than the one that the students would often use first, which is one of the reasons, some students get frustrated in using online databases for homework assignments.
Tanya, great technique. I have also used a peer evaluation tool where students rate each other in an anonymous way. If one student is rated poorly by multiple individuals then you have a good understanding of which students are under-performing.
James Jackson
When we have them evaluate eachother it is turned in to me so other students don't see. That point is important-so if someone's not pulling their weight I'm aware and can grade accordingly.
We have a presentation evaluation form for group presentations where you score the other groups and also each person in your own. This helps so one person doesn't do all the work-or if one didn't do any work they don't get the credit either.
I also think it's important to pick their groups because in the workforce they don't get to pick and you can set up a balance.
I agree with your statements.
One of my classes is really small and I'm implimenting more small group work/discussions to get more interaction. They're pretty quiet. I agree with your statement on how it's also good for their social and teamwork skills which prepares them for the workforce which is the ultimate goal.
My entire course revolves around hands on/ group work. I often lead into the activity using a "mini" lecture where I tie in the previous homework assignments, discussions, and activities. The challenge comes in grouping students. I try to group students differently each day, so that they have different partners to learn from. A big challenge I find in my situation is a disparity in IQ and academic ability. Grouping students on similar levels helps to let those who can achieve and work deeper into the topic, however intelecutal ability become apparent when we share our final product. Mixing abilities can be a great situation, however I often see it nosedive. The more capable students end up doing most of the work and have to spend the class redirecting their groups (if possible), and in the end produce a far lower quality of work. I often feel like that unmotivates those who are actually motivated.
I use small groups, but I'm finding that the students always form the same groups if allowed. I have found that mixing them up helps them to see things from different perspectives and works well. It also encourages them to learn to get along with others outside of their groups of friends. I think that not only does it help them to learn the material, but also helps them to work on thier soft skills as well.
As an automotive instructor my classes routinely are divided into small groups for “hands on trainingâ€. It can be challenging to monitor six or seven groups at a time to make sure everyone is staying on task. The key is to not stop at any one group for more than a minute or two, but in that time to evaluate, encourage and if necessary point out any errors that I encounter.
I use small group activities in most of my classes. One of the problems I run into is one member of the group not wanting to participate with the other members. They come up with reasons such as they don't like their group or they prefer to work alone. Usually once I explain that in a work environment they will have to work with others in the office as a team though they may not care for them, students will correct the behavior.
Jeffrey, thanks for sharing and I agree 100%. The time that each student gets with their peers and the personal attention they can get from their instructors will provide the greatest dividends in achieving the learning outcomes. The best curriculum and resources alone will accomplish nothing if the quality of instruction and personal attention are not provided.
James Jackson
Janice, can you provide some of the techniques you use to get the small groups working together? Thanks for any information you can share.
James Jackson
I do assign small group activities involving a presentation. I give them some time to work on it at end of class and they also have "work book" labs that they can get together. I find from time to time there is someone in the group that is not putting forth enough effort or research according to the others in the group or simply a chronic absentee student that is not present to work in the group. I have learned to tell them all at the beginning that this is to be a group effort and that I expect each one of them to contribute equally. If some of the students approach me early with issues I will remind students that all need to participate in order to get a passing grade. I usually have them pick numbers and arrange the groups as to mix it up so they are working with different people. Lately, I haven't had any students complaining about their classmates not doing what they should. What would be your suggestion with a student that is frequently absent when it comes to group activities/project? Thanks, Therese Terelmes
