Teaching+with+Student+Groups

=Teaching with Student Groups=


 * A Brief Summary of Tips for Online Faculty**

If we would like to have students work in groups, we will want to create effective groups. Here are some tips for faculty from online sources.

TIP 1: HOW TO GROUP STUDENTS
 * Students who are grouped according to shared characteristics such as gender, ability or level of communication skill will more effectively collaborate and constructively talk (Seal, 2006).
 * Some faculty randomly mix students to maximize heterogenity (Fiechtner & Davis, 1992; Smith, 1986). Others take into account the studen’t prior achievement, levels of preparation, work habits, ethnicity and gender (Connery, 1988). Some try to sprinkle the more able students among lower performing students (Walvoord, 1986).
 * For projects with a short duration the number of 4-5 students work best. The less skillful the group members the smaller the group should be (Cooper, 1990, Johnson, Johnson & Smith, 1991; Smith, 1986).
 * Keep groups together even if they are not working well and are asking to change, since the floundering members going to new groups may throw off their process that was working for them and the bailed-out group does not learn how to handle underperforming members (Wolvoord, 1986).

TIP 2: PROVIDE DIRECTION TO THE GROUP ON HOW TO WORK TOGETHER
 * Don’t assume that students know how to work in groups. Given them a strategy to use and provide direction such as: requiring students to submit a project proposal and timeline; assigning roles in the group; set interim deadlines and follow up with individuals who do not meet the deadlines; suggest ways to coordinate schedules; provide ways to communicate as a group through an online collaboration tool. (Eberly, 2010)
 * Every group needs a way to get started (Davis, 1993), a way of knowing when its task is done, and guidance about the participation of members.
 * Regularly check in with the student groups at regularly established checkpoints. Ask groups to turn in timelines, drafts and meet with you (Davis, 1993).

TIP 3: CREATE GROUP TASKS THAT REQUIRE INTERDEPENDENCE
 * Require participation of the whole group, even if only one or two are the ones assigned to posting or presenting (Eberly, 2010). This can be done via the teacher individually questioning students about the readings and requiring their postings. Others formulate tasks that require students to reach a consensus. (Johnson, Johnson and Smith, 1991).

TIP 4: GRADE EACH INDIVIDUAL RATHER THAN THE GROUP
 * Hold students individually accountable by grading individual effort (Eberly, 2010) to prevent the “free-rider” phenomenon.

TIP 5: PROVIDE MECHANISMS TO HELP GROUPS MANAGE THEIR PROCESS
 * Walvoord (1986) suggests telling the class ahead of time that after the group task is completed each student will submit an assessment of the amount of work done by each student in the class (Davis, 1993).
 * Keep the group to 3 members to reduce shirking among group members (Davis, 1993).
 * Allow groups to vote to dismiss a member who does not do their share or meet timelines (Davis, 1993) especially if the group is earning a shared grade.
 * Ask students to each post the answers to two questions:
 * What action has each member taken that was helpful for the group?
 * What action could each member take to make the group even better?

//Papers from which tips were drawn that offer more detailed information.//

//Tools for Teaching// by Barbara Gross Davis; [|Jossey-Bass] Publishers: San Francisco, 1993. Enhancing Education | http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/ | Eberly: (412) 268-2896 | OTE: (412) 268-5503 | Blackboard: (412) 268-9090

Goodsell, Maher, Tinto, and Associates (1992, pp. 75-79) have compiled a detailed bibliography of discipline-specific efforts in collaborative learning that can be useful for developing tasks and activities.

Beckman, M. "Collaborative Learning: Preparation for the Workplace and Democracy" //College Teaching,// 1990, //38(4),// 128-133. Chickering, A. W, and Gamson, Z. F (eds.), //Applying the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.// New Directions for Teaching and Learning, //no.47.// San Francisco: JosseyBass, 1991. Collier, K. G. "Peer-Group Learning in Higher Education: The Development of Higher-order Skills." //Studies in Higher Education,// 1980, //5(1), 55-62.// Connery, B. A. "Group Work and Collaborative Writing." //Teaching at Davis,// 1988, //14(1),// 2-4. (Publication of the Teaching Resources Center, University of California at Davis) Cooper, J. "Cooperative Learning and College Teaching: Tips from the Trenches." //Teaching Professor,// 1990, //4(5),// 1-2. Cooper, J., and Associates. //Cooperative Learning and College Instruction.// Long Beach: Institute for Teaching and Learning, California State University, 1990. Fiechtner, S. B., and Davis, E. A. "Why Some Groups Fail: A Survey of Students' Experiences with Learning Groups." In A. Goodsell, M. Maher, V. Tinto, and Associates (eds.), //Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education.// University Park: National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, Pennsylvania State University, 1992. Goodsell, A., Maher, M., Tinto, V, and Associates (eds.). //Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education.// University Park: National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, Pennsylvania State University, 1992. Guskey, //T// R. //Improving Student Learning in College Classrooms.// Springfield, Ill: Thomas, 1988. Hendrickson, A. D. "Cooperative Group Test-Taking." //Focus,// 1990,5(2), 6 (Publication of the Office of Educational Development Programs, University of Minnesota) Johnson, D. W, and Johnson, R. T. //Cooperation and Competition: Theory and Research.// Edina, Minn.: Interaction Books, 1989. Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K. A. //Cooperative Learning:Increasing College Faculty Instructional Productivity.// ASHE-FRIC Higher Education Report No.4. Washington, D.C.: School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University, 1991. Kohn, A. //No Contest: The Case Against Competition.// Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. Light, R. J. //The Havard Assessment Seminars: Second Report.// Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University, 1992. McKeachie, W. J., Pintrich, P R., Lin, Y.-G., and Smith, D.A.F. //Teaching and Learning in the College Classroom: A Review// of //the Research Literature.// Ann Arbor: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, University of Michigan, 1986. Rau, W., and Heyl, B. S. "Humanizing the College Classrooms: Collaborative Learning and Social Organization Among Students." //Teaching Sociology,// 1990, //18(2),// 141-155. Sansalone, M. "Teaching Structural Engineering Through Case Studies and Competitions." //CUE,// 1989, 2(2), 7. (Newsletter available from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y) Seal, C. (2006) //How can we encourage pupil dialogue in collaborative group work?// National Teacher Research Panel summary Slavin, R. F. "Cooperative Learning." //Review of Educational Research,// 1980, //50(2), 315-342.// Slavin, R. E. "When Does Cooperative Learning Increase Student Achievement?" //Psychological Bulletin,// 1983, 94(3), 429-445. Smith, K. A. "Cooperative Learning Groups." In S. F. Schmoberg (ed.), //Strategies for Active Teaching and Learning in University Classrooms.// Minneapolis: Office of Educational Development Programs, University of Minnesota, 1986. "Study Groups Pay Off." //Teaching Professor,// 1991, 5(7), 7. Tiberius, R. G. //Small Group Teaching: A Trouble-Shooting Guide.// Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Press, 1990. Toppins, A. D. "Teaching by Testing: A Group Consensus Approach." //College Teaching,// 1989, 37(3), 96-99. Walvoord, B. F //Helping Students Write Well: A Guide for Teachers in All Disciplines.// (2nd ed.) New York: Modern Language Association, 1986. Whitman, N. A. //Peer Teaching: To Teach Is to Learn Twice.// Washington, D.C.: ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No.4. Washington, D.C.: Association for the Study of Higher Education, 1988

From the hard copy book //Tools for Teaching// by Barbara Gross Davis; [|Jossey-Bass] Publishers: San Francisco, 1993. Linking to this book chapter from other websites is permissible. However, the contents of this chapter may not be copied, printed, or distributed in hard copy form without permission. Available at the UCB campus library (call # LB2331.D37). The entire book is also available [|online] as part of netLibrary (accessible only through computers connected to the UC Berkeley campus network). It is available for purchase at the Cal Student Store textbook department, the publisher, and Amazon. Note: Barbara Gross Davis is working on the second edition of //Tools for Teaching//.


 * PART II**

The following material is excerpted from a handbook I created for my undergraduates for a class that is heavily group-work oriented:

**COURSE HANDBOOK** **NLM 160 Volunteerism & Community Service** 70 students, one instructor. That could amount to bedlam! But I think, if we apply a little organization and structure, it could lead to a really enjoyable learning experience. This handbook contains information you may need this semester.
 * Why a handbook?**

This class is about volunteerism. But it is also about volunteerism on steroids – community organizing!
 * Volunteers Organizing to Build Community**

//Suppose your neighborhood has a lot of working single moms with latchkey kids, and one of the kids on your block is struggling with school. His mother happens to mention that she has little time to work with him. You volunteer. You work with your neighbor’s child twice a week for a few months, helping him with study techniques and the subjects he’s having trouble with. You are rewarded by friendship and he by increasingly better grades.//

Moms start showing up at your door with cookies, imploring you to work with //their// kids too. Obviously, you can’t quit your day job to tutor all these kids. So instead, you begin talking to people about mentoring, put up your phone number and a note at the local grocery store, and ask the principle at the local middle school if you can have a word with the parent-teachers group the next time it meets. Soon, a few people respond**. //You are on your way to becoming a volunteer organizer organizing other people to help, people who, together, can make a bigger difference in the neighborhood kids’ lives than you could possibly make as a solo.//** Maybe that’s all it becomes – a group helping a single elementary school. Or maybe over time it becomes a national organization, matching students and mentors across the nation.

Banding together to get things accomplished is something volunteers have been doing well, probably as long as people have been around. America’s history is replete with examples of volunteers organizing to build up their communities, Ellis, S., & Noyes, K. (1990). //By the people: A history of Americans as volunteers//: Jossey-Bass.


 * Organizing a Learning Community**

One of the best ways to learn is //**to do**.// We are going to learn about the five main typologies of activist organizations in America, and we are going to learn it by organizing ourselves into a learning community to help each other learn. We will also have opportunities to practice some of the skills that volunteer organizers use to make a difference, including: I always have some students who complain to me about group work. //“I want to work at my own pace.”// //“I don’t think it’s fair to be graded based on someone else’s work.”// //“Some people work a lot harder than others, and that’s not fair.”// //“Trying to schedule things around everyone’s schedule is just too hard.”// //“We have a member who is doesn’t show up (or “is never on time”).”//
 * Developing individual leadership capacity
 * Successfully working in groups
 * Successfully establishing group goals and group strategies to reach goals
 * Successfully collaborating with other groups
 * Why Group Work?**

Here are my responses. 2. In the real world, everybody works as teams. You will never arrive at your first day on the new job and have your new boss ask you, “Do you mind working in teams here?” This is as good a place as any to learn to work through the rough spots.
 * 1) A strong body of education research tells us that collaboration leads to a deeper learning experience. Students who work collaboratively nearly always out-perform those who go solo on exams and comprehension. //Citations available on request.//

3. I recognize the inherent difficulties in working with groups. I have structured our class to help you minimize or work through as many of these issues as possible. One learning object this semester is to learn to work better in groups. You will be given guidance, resource materials, and plenty of opportunity to practice!
 * Groups will be formed based on criteria that will make you more compatible.
 * We will learn some organizational and conflict management tools to make your group more successful.
 * You will be allowed to do a large part of your group work during class hours.
 * We will use peer evaluations to encourage everyone’s participation, and to let me know how the workload is being shared.
 * Finally, there will be some “relief valves” for any group that cannot manage to resolve its conflict.


 * FUNCTIONING AS A GROUP**
 * Study Groups**: For Study Groups, you will be grouped according to learning styles. Hopefully this should make it easier for you find complementary ways to study your assigned readings together.
 * Community Lab Teams:** Community Lab Teams will be based on personal interest. These groups will contain mixed learning styles. Be sure to discuss study and work habits, and create ground rules for participation, timing, communication, etc.

__Introduce yourselves__: Groups work together better when there is trust. Trust-building begins with familiarity and open dialogue. Accountability and follow-through help too! __Share information about the way you like to study and work__. At your first meeting, share your learning preferences, e.g. reading alone or together, using visuals, talking about examples, googling more information, comparing notes, or whatever. Use the info as guidance for how to approach learning as a group. __Set some ground rules__. __Exchange contact information__. If you need to get ahold of each other between classes, discuss the best ways to do that. __Post your ground rules__. Go to the Group Discussion Board Forums. There will be Forums for both Study Groups and for Community Lab Groups. Find and open the correct Forum, then hit **REPLY** and create a thread just for your group. Post the rules and any other agreement your study group develop. And you may use the thread for communicating through the semester, if you’re group wants to.
 * All Groups**
 * How would you like to ensure that everyone participates in the discussion? Will you use a round-robin formula? Or will you just wing it?
 * How will you ensure that you cover the necessary material and don’t get off track? Will you agree to an agenda? How would you like to signal each other if the conversation has gotten too far away from the group’s goals? Will you pull on your ear? Pound with a gavel? Or ?
 * What will the group do if it feels that someone is not pulling his or her weight? Figure out your expectations and come up with some ideas for handling it //before// it happens. Will you call a special group meeting? Do you prefer to use written communication? Will you meet as a group with the instructor? Do you want periodic feedback sessions to bring up problems and potential solutions before they get out of hand?
 * Do you prefer to use the Blackboard Study Group Forum to exchange information?
 * Do you prefer email?
 * Do you want to exchange phone numbers?

__Reevaluate__: From time to time, if the ground rules don’t seem to be working, or people are having a hard time adhering to them, stop the studying long enough to adjust the ground rules to something that seems more workable. __Read About Group Dynamics__: Check for solutions in the Course Content Library folder on group dynamics. __Office Hours__: If your group is having serious problems and cannot work them out easily. Please contact me for a “group office hour.” __When all else fails__: When you have tried both conflict management and group office hours, and things still are not working, a group may elect to eject a member, or a member may elect to resign.
 * Trouble-Shooting Group Problems**


 * Resources for Groups**

Maybe your group will function beautifully. In case it doesn’t, look to these resources for some ideas about how to cure what ails you. [] [] [] //“Outdoor Action Guide to Group Dynamics and Leadership”// by Rick Curtis, in the Course Content file [] []


 * PEER EVALUATIONS**

__Peer Evaluations__: Part of your grade this semester will be determined by your peers, through a peer evaluation. Peer evaluations will be done on the Blackboard system, and will look something like this: Your peer evaluation grade will be your average score across evaluations from each of your team members. If you do your work in the same professional way you would approach your work for an employer, you won’t have any problems.


 * **Instructions:** You will be assessing your own performance, along with your Team Members’

1. For each listed attribute, assign a number using the 0-5 scale to describe each person’s contribution to group work. If a category isn’t applicable, just type “n/a.” 2. These evaluations will be considered when I assign grades but not definitive. 3. I may (or may not) share tabulated assessment results with students, but your personal responses will be confidential.


 * Rating scale:** • 5 excellent • 4 satisfactory • 3 ordinary • 2 marginal • 1 unsatisfactory ||
 * **Team member —>**

In alphabetical order, write group members’ names, including your own. ||


 * Jimmy E.** ||


 * Todd F.** ||


 * Sarah L.** ||


 * Jane M.** ||
 * **Contributed ideas to discussions** || **3** || **4** || **5** || **4** ||
 * **Comes prepared** || **3** || **5** || **5** || **5** ||
 * **Takes initiative** || **3** || **5** || **5** || **5** ||
 * **Committed to group goals** || **3** || **4** || **4** || **4** ||
 * **Listens effectively and respectfully** || **5** || **5** || **5** || **5** ||
 * **Takes responsibilities seriously** || **3** || **5** || **4** || **4** ||
 * **Accepts criticism gracefully** || **5** || **5** || **5** || **3** ||
 * **Did fair share of work** || **4** || **4** || **5** || **5** ||
 * **Completes tasks on time** || **3** || **4** || **4** || **4** ||
 * **Completed tasks are of satisfactory quality** || **3** || **4** || **5** || **5** ||
 * **TOTALS** || **35** || **45** || **47** || **44** ||
 * **Multiply Totals by 2** || **70** || **90** || **94** || **88** ||