ProduProducctive Group tive Group WorkWork
CCooperative Groupsooperative GroupsWIWICCRR
Conversations are central to high-quality professional development.
Look at NSDC, Title II, or your state’s standards for professional development. The standards are laden with references to conversations; planned, collaboratively, continuous feedback, reflection, self-assessment, inquiry, and peer coaching.
--Carol Corwell-Martin JSD, April 2010
How is group work relevant?
Moller and Pankake (2006) describe professional learning: “The real learning happens in the cycle of conversations, actions, evaluation, and new actions.”
PurposePurpose Reflect on your experience with group work Understand four phases of releasing
responsibility Characteristics of productive group work How do we trouble shoot problems Making a plan for success
Collaborative groups and cooperative learning refers to a variety of structured classroom management techniques and grading systems.
Definitions for this workshop: Cooperative Groups—A group of participants that
work together to complete a structured assignment Collaborative Groups—A group of participants that
work together to create a product based on appropriate resources found by the group to meet an assigned objective
Reflect on Your Experience
Think about a time when you worked in a group or when you had your students work in groups.
What would have make it a better experience for you and/or your students?
Quick Write for 3 minutes about this experience and be sure to list What worked What did not work How it could have been better
One—One—Two Minute Partner Share Move around the room at the direction of the
facilitator Pair up with the person closest to you at the
end of the movement Label yourselves A & B in your pair A – Tells B about their Quick Write for 1 minute B – Tells A about their Quick Write for 1 minute A & B have a conversation about their Quick
Writes of 2 minutes
Better Learning Through Structured Teaching By Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher
The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model of Instruction (David Pearson)
4 Phases of Gradual Release Model Focused Lessons Guided Instruction Independent Learning Collaborative Learning – Time when students work
in groups to consolidate what they know from previous lessons and to gain valuable insights from each other
Chunk this
information
Productive Group Work: The Role of Collaboration in Learning
By Nancy Frey, Sandy Everlove and Douglas Fisher
Done properly, productive group work results in: Increased self esteem Improved relationships among students Enhanced social and communication skills Higher levels of academic learning and retention
than peers working individually We know it works! The question is How and Why it fails? Chunk this
information
Why do we resist working in groups?
Teachers & students rarely experience genuine collaborative learning
Usually “thrown” into a group with good intentions to produce a product, practice a skill, or complete a task
1 or 2 students take over and do most of the work Worker Bee’s feel put upon, taken advantage of, or
shackled by group Others feel inadequate, unable to keep up, or they have
nothing valuable to contribute
In successful cooperative groups, each member has a task with the teacher as a frequent monitor and “guide on the side” instead of the “sage on the stage.”
Chunk this
information
How do we know when Group Work is productive?
Knowledge is built and extended between the exchange of ideas
Task must require Individual Accountability Level of difficulty so students can consolidate their
understanding Too Easy – Students will divide and conquer and
reassemble to turn in Should be hearing academic language and
academic vocabulary If the conversation is mostly about logistics then
we’ve missed the mark
What if they fail? Fear of failure keeps teachers in front of the
classroom lecturing and in our comfort zone Failure is underrated Wrestling with the task causes students to rely on
one another Groups need a task that might result in failure Learners who had tasks that were difficult (but not
impossible) outperformed those where success was guaranteed
If success is guaranteed, it does not result in higher learning
We have Special K because Special A-J failed!
What to do if it doesn’t work?
Is the difficulty related to an one aspect? – Assist the group in reaching a decision
Is the task the problem? – More guided instruction
Model, Model, Model Consider reconstituting the groups Task cards or checklists of items that must be
completed Resist the urge to allow students to work alone
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information
How do we ensure success?
Scaffold up to collaborative learning Explicitly teach the skills of collaborative group work Start small to build confidence & competence Teach procedures and routines of how to interact to
create products that represent their thinking Teachers examine their own beliefs Start small – Group work does not = long extended
assignments Teach – How to ask for, decline, offer, and accept
helpChunk this
information
Why and How are AVID Tutorials Collaborative?
Students are specifically taught the skill and they are reinforced in the process by trained tutors (We scaffold up to Collaborative Learning)
Students are gradually released from Focused Lessons to Guided Instruction to Collaborative
Students work in groups to consolidate what they know from previous lessons and to gain valuable insights from each other
Each group member has a task and Individual Accountability Level of difficulty causes students to consolidate their
understanding Language is academic and not logistical Difficult but not impossible and might result in failure Success is not guaranteed Students rely on one another
Review
your notes!
Fill in gaps!Write
questions
you still have!
Summary:
List 2 ideas
you gained!
Brain Storming
Using the experience of the table Discuss and list the reasons why some group work
is not successful. Discuss and list reasons why some group work is
successful. Narrow the list of reasons why some group work is
not successful down to the top reason for the table
Culture Analysis
Take a piece of chart paper and write that top inhibiter of successful group work on the top of it.
Brainstorm ways to eliminate or decrease the effect of that one inhibitor to make group work successful and productive by answering these questions:1. What do we need to stop allowing?2. What do we need to start allowing?3. What do we need to continue allowing?
Gallery Walk
Each group will begin at their poster and have a short stack of Post It Notes and a pen.
Each group will move clockwise as directed by the facilitator.
At each piece of artwork, you will leave comments or questions to consider for the authors of the chart.
Let’s Reflect: Cube It
Roll a die. Share your ideas from today’s training based on the number you roll: Describe itAnalyze itReinvent itApply itTake a stand on itChoose a different perspective
Thanks!
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