I picked up a copy of "Smarter Together: Collaboration and Equity in the Elementary Math Classroom" by Featherstone, Crespo, Jilk, Oslund, Parks and Wood because I do not know how to create group work assignments where everyone participates.
The book calls the type of teaching done in groups as complex instruction.
Chapter 1 talks about the value of groupwork in math: that several heads (working well together) are better than one: they can draw on a much broader combined set of knowledge.
Chapter 2 discusses the aspect of groupwork that most bothers me: unless it is carefully planned and executed and supported, the high status students in the group call the shots, and the low status students disengage and/or their contributions are not valued.
Chapter 3 introduces the idea of using assigned roles in groups to help level the status differences. I have seen these used, but so far without a lot of success. The authors describe 4 primary roles, but also include some others that I think could help with success. The 4 primary roles are Facilitator, who gets the team started, organized, and makes sure everyone understands the assignment; Resource Monitor who collects, cares for and returns supplies, and is the contact person for the teacher; Recorder/Reporter who checks that all team members record the work, and organizes the team's report; and the Team Caption/Includer/Questioner who encourages checks that everyone is doing their role, encourages the group, and works to settle disputes. The additional/substitute roles mentioned are Timekeeper and Harmonizer, who keeps the peace, and Skeptic, who keeps the group on track by questioning. For students who have trouble sticking to their role, there is the Rover role, where they make a report on how all the groups are doing, but also have a chance to observe groups where everyone does perform their role. Each role can be given sentence stems for the kinds of questions or encouragement or push that is expected from their position.
In addition to roles, group work is done with a set of norms:
1. No talking outside the group.
2. Helping does not mean giving answers.
3. No one is done till everyone is done.
4. You have the right to ask for help, and the responsibility to help.
5. Follow your gruop role.
6. Call the teacher for group questions.
7. Listen and talk equally.
8. Show respect to one another.
9. Everyone helps clean up.
10. I can't...Yet!
The chapter includes a great student intro activity which is also an intro activity to the group roles, which is to create a Venn diagram of the kids in the group and what they have in common, or not.
The book calls the type of teaching done in groups as complex instruction.
Chapter 1 talks about the value of groupwork in math: that several heads (working well together) are better than one: they can draw on a much broader combined set of knowledge.
Chapter 2 discusses the aspect of groupwork that most bothers me: unless it is carefully planned and executed and supported, the high status students in the group call the shots, and the low status students disengage and/or their contributions are not valued.
Chapter 3 introduces the idea of using assigned roles in groups to help level the status differences. I have seen these used, but so far without a lot of success. The authors describe 4 primary roles, but also include some others that I think could help with success. The 4 primary roles are Facilitator, who gets the team started, organized, and makes sure everyone understands the assignment; Resource Monitor who collects, cares for and returns supplies, and is the contact person for the teacher; Recorder/Reporter who checks that all team members record the work, and organizes the team's report; and the Team Caption/Includer/Questioner who encourages checks that everyone is doing their role, encourages the group, and works to settle disputes. The additional/substitute roles mentioned are Timekeeper and Harmonizer, who keeps the peace, and Skeptic, who keeps the group on track by questioning. For students who have trouble sticking to their role, there is the Rover role, where they make a report on how all the groups are doing, but also have a chance to observe groups where everyone does perform their role. Each role can be given sentence stems for the kinds of questions or encouragement or push that is expected from their position.
In addition to roles, group work is done with a set of norms:
1. No talking outside the group.
2. Helping does not mean giving answers.
3. No one is done till everyone is done.
4. You have the right to ask for help, and the responsibility to help.
5. Follow your gruop role.
6. Call the teacher for group questions.
7. Listen and talk equally.
8. Show respect to one another.
9. Everyone helps clean up.
10. I can't...Yet!
The chapter includes a great student intro activity which is also an intro activity to the group roles, which is to create a Venn diagram of the kids in the group and what they have in common, or not.
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