Rationale:
Group activities promote affiliation and interpersonal skills and also provide opportunities for collective inquiry and other problem-solving experiences. The individual gains mutual support during the time spent learning problem-solving behaviors.
Goal:
The student will interact successfully as a member of the group to produce the desired outcome. This outcome will be defined both academically and socially. For example, the group will design and produce a plan for contributing to a savings account on a monthly basis. The group will work together collaboratively and reach consensus each time that a decision is made that is relevant to the outcome.
Objectives:
In group work, objectives must be identified as appropriate both academically and socially.
| Academic | ||
| Identify 3-5 content-specific outcomes that must be accomplished. These outcomes will be found in the content of the Section that you are studying. Often these outcomes may be found in the “Key Points.” These outcomes should be explicitly reviewed with the students to make sure that they are clearly understood. | ||
| Social | ||
| As important as the content outcomes are the social outcomes. If a group is unsuccessful in completing a project, it is important to be able to identify the cause. Did the group not understand the academic concept or were they unsuccessful because of poor group dynamics? These social outcomes will often be the same from one group activity to another and will become increasingly more sophisticated as groups have opportunities to practice and improve their group skills. |
Examples of Social Group Skill Objectives:
- Identify roles of group members (e.g., recorder, timer, facilitator, reporter).
- Be responsible for your assigned task.
- Assist group members who may be struggling.
- Be a consensus builder.
Lesson Sequence:
Group investigation may consist of the following events:
- Students are given a dilemma.
- Students discuss their reactions.
- Students identify the problem.
- Students make a plan and discuss roles.
- Students carry out the plan.
- Students reflect on their experiences.
The sequence of the lessons is important in order to help students organize their time, stay on task, and meet deadlines. Students should be given a clear road map which includes where they will begin, the steps that are necessary for successful completion, and what the outcome for the group will look like when the task has been accomplished. The more specific this sequence is, the less ambiguity the students will experience during the group work process. If the task is not successfully completed, you may need to review this area to determine if a crucial step was not identified and therefore, missed by the group.
Outcomes:
What does successful completion for this group project look like both academically and socially?
The answer to this question academically will be articulated with the Section that is being taught. There may be various levels of outcomes: specific learning objectives accomplished, and a product produced to showcase the objectives. For example, if the goal is to produce a plan for regularly contributing to a savings account, then the academic outcome might be a computer-generated spread sheet that can be modified monthly as savings contributions are made. The categories of this spread sheet must reflect the “Key Points” in the Section being taught.
Socially, the outcomes should reflect a cohesive group dynamic in which everyone contributed equally to the successful completion of the outcome. This can be informed by teacher observation during the group process and student feedback.
Assessment:
The most comprehensive assessment practice is one that uses multiple criteria to measure success. This requires intentional observation on the part of the teacher, peer feedback, and self-reflection.
An assessment plan includes identification of specific knowledge that was focused on in the Section; the success of delivery is measured by peer feedback and self-reflection as individual students report their relative comfort level with the learnings.
The assessment instruments used may be traditional formats including objective tests, oral feedback from classmates regarding the overall effectiveness of the presentation/product, and an opportunity for students to record their comfort level with the content and the group process in their journals.
The purpose of a comprehensive assessment is to not only determine how well individuals grasp the information, but also to effectively personalize and individualize the next steps in learning to each student based upon his/her readiness to move on.