This week I learned about cooperative learning and technology. Much of what I read was very logical. However, I am wondering about groups in the area of grading. The group grade does fit in with the social learning theory (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). There are several strategies mentioned this week. One strategy demands that everyone in the group pass the test before the 5 bonus points can be awarded to anyone. Another is the jigsaw strategy in which groups of 5 students are all responsible for teaching the others the material to be learned (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).
However, I think my students would be very upset if they were graded as a group and not individually. I have several learning disabled students and I am afraid that it would create animosity. I have worked so hard this year to make sure everyone is accepted and supported. I have made us all on the same team, and I am afraid a group activity like that would destroy what I have worked so hard to build. I do not want to put learning disabled students in a position where their challenges are obvious. I do a lot of group activities with my students, but I have them keep track of their contributions and I grade them individually at their level. This causes everyone to pull their weight and be supportive and helpful instead of angry at each other.
I agree that groups should stay very small and have different learning styles and academic levels in them (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). I was thinking that some of the processes could involve all the core teachers. For example the mathematician movie idea (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007) could involve math and science and studying where these mathematicians crossed over between math and science. Language arts might include writing about these men and including those papers in the power point or as a voice thread. History could be included in the aspect of what else was going on in the world at the time this mathematician was alive. This kind of cross curricular project could involve an entire middle school.
I also liked the detailed rubric and thought that could be useful. I liked the individual paper grading and the group roles descriptions (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This promotes group work and social learning with also giving each student a clear idea of what is expected of him.
Several of the things mentioned would support social learning theories. I especially liked the Jason project (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This could be interesting for a science class. I can think of some group projects that might come out of that.
The idea of a class website created by the students also intrigued me as well as the calendar programs, bookmark managers, global classroom sites, as well as games such as building homes of our own (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Social software has been developed in the Web 2.0 movement (Hargis & Wilcox, 2008). These ideas support social learning in the idea of learning being a series of networks and ways of navigating networks (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). Calendars can help everyone know what is going on with everyone else. Bookmark managers can help students and teachers as they share favorite sites. Global classrooms promote group work on a global level. Games that have students working together also support social learning.
With all the new technology and tools on the market today, teachers may have a difficult time staying on top of it all. It may be difficult to be fluent in all the tools that we need to teach students. I think it would be a good idea for teachers to have some professional development in the area of technology. I know even in my coursework for this program, I feel like I am racing through it and not getting some of the tools as well as I would like. I think the new tools are going to keep being developed at an explosive rate. This will continue to give us new avenues to explore for social learning.
References
Hargis, J., & Wilcox, S. (2008, October). Ubiquitous, free, and efficient online collaboration tools for teaching and learning. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE), 9(4), 9–17. Retrieved using the Education Research Complete database.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program eight. Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program nine. Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Hi Missy.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if the group grade is about the students "teaching one another". If so, this could be an invaluable lesson for your students who are not academically challenged. To my mind, it means that those students who "get it" need to find a way to "communicate" that knowledge to their peers. It could really build empathy; learning that everything at school is not easy for everyone.
Alternatively, cooperative learning can also be successful with homogeneous groupings so you could simply "differentiate" the test required by each group.
I woldn't argue with you, since you know your class better than everyone, but I think it's a shame if that atmosphere of acceptance and support which you have so careful nurtured only works when everyone is an individual; working "alongside" but never "for" each other. Where's their community spirit?
Hi Missy,
ReplyDeleteI also work to build a class community within my classroom using the Responsive Classroom approach. I would think if you have such a nurturing environment students would be more apt to pitch in and share roles and even final grades if the tasks assigned meet the needs present within your classroom. Alot of my grouping is done heterogenously with a mix of boys and girls and a range of abilities to allow job roles to be given to assure project work is on task and meeting or even exceeding expectations. I know within my class I have students reading from kindergarten to 5th grade when discussing range of abilities. As a result of this, I provide particular graphic organizers to support some students more than others where needed.
I definitely agree with you that it can be a major struggle for students to all pitch in an equal amount but differentiated rubrics is one way to assess each individual but also tie in a group component to the rubric as well.
In the real world, employees need to step up and work together to meet deadlines regardless of needs so why not start training our students and preparing them for this next step?
Also, I definitely agree more professional development could be given in the area of technology especially within my district. I have been individually turn keying some of the information like webspiration graphic organizer creations and blogs with other professionals in my building although I know alot more would be eager to learn as well. Interactions really are the key to success for both students and humans to gain insights, build upon prior knowledge, and earn new knowledge.
Kourtney
Hi Missy,
ReplyDeleteAs a former special education teacher, I know exactly what you mean when you say you do not want to risk animosity amongst the varied students by basing bonus points on everyone passing the test. I think as educators we have to remember to keep it real. It is a wonderful idea to think that all of our students are going to pitch in and help one another succeed, but that is not always the case.
It is a bit altruistic to think that all students are going to pitch in and help lower achieving students perform better. I have found that younger students are more apt to lend a helping hand than students in the grade 7-12 levels. I do not remember what age your students are, but the following might work with your students if you really wanted to incorporate the bonus points idea.
Do you think your students would buy into bonus points if everyone in the class improved their scores from the last test/assignment? An improvement over one’s own personal ability makes it less daunting for some students. This might encourage higher achieving students to agree to this sort of a system because showing an improvement can sometimes be vastly different from passing a test.
Missy,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I think you brought up many valid points. You are correct, students do not always enjoy group work or appreciate receiving a group grade. However, I alway explain to my students that that is part of life and something that they need to get more accustomed to. In "real life" students need to understand that they are going to be collaborating and problem solving as a group. Although, it may be frustrating, it is reality. However, I do have several aspects of a project or experiment that the student is individually responsible for, to allow for personal investment in the activity.
-Katie
I'm wondering why you think that students would be upset if they received a group grade? Do you think they would be upset no matter what or only if they received a poor grade? I cannot imagine a scenario where students would complain about getting a good grade. I like the idea of group grades. I would never use it exclusively, but I think it has it's place. So many jobs these days are team oriented. In these situations workers are held responsible for the actions and performance. I think that students need to learn the concepts of teamwork and working together to keep others accountable. So many students graduate not knowing how to properly work on a group and deal with conflict in an appropriate way. I think that giving group grades, when done appropriately, is a tremendous opportunity to teach students some important life skills.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate all the input. It has given me so much to think about. I teach 8th grade math and I have several special needs students who would never be able to pass a test. I give some traditional tests, but I do quite a bit of project based learning. My students work in groups wonderfully, but I always grade them individually. I might try a compromise. I am thinking on the next project, I will grade them individually in the area they are assigned, but also give a group grade for the final project. This would probably be fine in my class, because the other students would help the lower level students rise to the occasion. However, making them pass a test is a different issue altogether. I especially liked Deanna's idea of "showing improvement" rather than "passing" the test. That might work really well with my students. I am really trying to think of a work situation where people are assessed as their whole group. At my school, teachers are individually assessed. I also think that even if a team works on a project, employers see if some members can not pull their weight. So, even though it may be a group, employers are looking at individuals, too. Many jobs do have individual performance. I know the world is moving toward collaboration, but some jobs will never become "group" activities. Working at a gas station, walmart, a bank, a factory, a school, etc. may never have group evaluations. Collaboration is important and I teach that, but the group grade is something I think may not have as much validity as we are seeming to give it. I am open to more input...What jobs can you think of that might be evaluated as a whole group by an employer?
ReplyDelete