Managing
Group Learning with 3-5 Computers
Expected
result
(goal):
This
is an effective rotational grouping scheme for students when they do
project based lessons involving technology.
It is recommended for use when there are at least 3 - 5 Internet
accessible
computers
in the classroom, but may be adapted to other configurations. It
requires
students to be organized into cooperative or collaborative learning
groups
who are responsible for pacing themselves while completing all
components
of the lesson.
(Read more
about Cooperative
and Collaborative Learning)
Area of
concern:
Management
Strategy -
Group and Rotation Patterns
Instructional
Strategy
- Managing Cooperative / Collaborative Learning Groups,
Grade
levels:
3 to 5, 6 to 8, 9
to
12
Location:
Classroom, School
Computer
Lab, Computer Lab shared by small group of teachers, Grade Level
Computer
Lab
Procedure:
Pre-Lesson
Organization: Choose a lesson or group of
activities
that can be successfully done by small groups of children utilizing a
computer
and other class materials. The lesson should have several varied
activities,
including an Internet component, and be written with clear directions
so
students may work interdependently and monitor themselves. (Read
about Traditional
vs. Cooperative Learning Groups.) In order to institute a group
classroom management system to insure that everyone has equal access to
the materials and computers needed to complete the activities, divide
the
class into groups with one group assigned to each computer that is
available
within the classroom. These groups will be responsible for completing
all
aspects of the lesson and for pacing themselves to finish within the
time
allotted. Each group will follow the directions and complete all
activities
with minimum guidance from the teacher. They will maintain a daily work
journal and also rate themselves on the way they interacted and
functioned
as a group. The teacher will give them a rating on their journal and
their
group behavior using rubrics.
Careful
thought should
be given to the make-up of the groups to ensure that they will be able
to work well together and have all the necessary skills to do the
lesson
requirements as an interdependent team.
(Read about
how to
purposefully group students in Homogeneous
or heterogeneous groups? or you can do random grouping.
Lesson
Introduction:
- Explain
the
lesson goals
to the students and model appropriate outcomes or products, if
desired.
- Review
any
computer or safely
concerns with them and pre-determine the time to be allotted for the
lesson
before allowing them to begin.
- Announce
the
members of each
group and instruct them on the procedures and jobs that they will be
responsible
for each day:
- One
person
in the group will
be the recorder each day and keep track of who is doing each task in a
short daily work journal entry and note the progress made as the
components
of the lesson are completed.
- Each
day,
another person,
or team of persons, will be in charge of accessing the computer for
directions
and information to share with the group.
- Someone
else will be in charge
of obtaining reference books, lab or art equipment, writing or other
materials
for the group and putting them away.
- And,
another will be monitoring
the group for on-task behavior, sound levels, and safety procedures
each
day.
- Jobs in
each group will be
rotated according to a planned schedule.
- Each
group
will have a master
folder to keep all relevant materials beside the computer or in another
special location within the classroom so that it is always there if
someone
is absent.
- At the
end of
the lesson,
each individual in the group will be required to "privately" give the
group
a grade using a rubric. The teacher will use the same rubric to
evaluate
the group and another to grade the daily group work journals.
You
may see some examples here of how to assign student duties and also
sample
rubrics for assessing both group behavior and work journals:
Cultural or
linguistic
aspects:
This strategy would be helpful
in bringing various students together to
learn to work interdependently for a common goal. This will benefit
them
by teaching them to cooperate and communicate with one another and be
tolerant
of others' ideas. Students of different ethnicity, race, and / or
gender
can learn to interact appropriately in this manner. They will be able
to
help each other with reading and understanding directions, writing
responses
and reports, making graphs, doing artwork, designing presentations and
displays, calculating math problems, completing science lab activities,
or using the computers. Variations in native languages, talents,
experiences,
and backgrounds between the students in the group will actually be an
advantage
in discussions and in giving the "group" a broader insight into
different
situations. Working together should help give each child an
appreciation
for the relative strengths of the other individuals in the group.
Implementation
& Frequency:
Use daily until
lesson
is completed whenever working on group projects.
Student
progress
is measured by:
- The
students
will be monitored
on the performance tasks and assessments set up in the actual lesson
that
is completed by the group and, also, on the way they carry out their
tasks
as a group using the Rubric
for Group Dynamics.
- The
teacher
should make periodic
checks of the group's journal and discuss, check, and/or collect the
products
and assignments required in the lesson in a timely manner. (See the Rubric
for Group Work Journals)
- Interim
progress conferences
should be held between the teacher and the members of each group from
time
to time - either scheduled or unannounced - to check for understanding
and/or time management.
- Whole
group
discussions should
be used to facilitate exchange of ideas and information between all
members
of the class periodically.
- Demonstrations
or presentations
by each group to the rest of the class can be used as culminating
events.
The
teacher should
always monitor the classroom atmosphere carefully each day to assure
that
learning is occurring and to avoid conflicts and problems before they
arise.
(Read about
how to recognize,
improve, and evaluate Teamwork
and Social Skills and Group
Dynamics by promoting Positive
Interdependence.)
Suggested
parent/caregiver
activities:
There
is no actual requirement for parents or caregivers, but they should be
aware of the classroom activities and invited to view all online
lessons
and project descriptions. They may be a source of materials or
information
to be used in the projects. They should be asked to monitor activities
for students who can't come to class due to illness, etc.
If online
discussions
or emails are an available option, then they could be used to post
group
information and discussions for others to see.
In general,
parents or
whomever is available at "home" should be encouraged to become informed
about and involved with what is going on at school.
(If you are
interested
in learning more about the importance of involving parents and / or
caregivers,
read this Toward
Improving
Home Involvement in Schooling from School Mental Health Projects at
UCLA.)
Characteristics
of students who would benefit from this strategy:
All students can benefit from
this strategy in the areas of developing
effective communication, learning tolerance of others, becoming
self-paced
and self-motivated learners, and recognizing how to solve problems
cooperatively.
For students who are either exceptionally strong or weak in a
particular
area, careful placement of those children within the groups may allow
them
to get or give peer help. Students who are especially proficient at
using
computers can teach others.
(For more
information,
please read Accounting
for Cultural, Racial, and Other Significant Individual and Group
Differences from
School Mental Health Projects at UCLA.)
Resources
required
to implement this strategy:
The resources needed are a well
written lesson (in any subject area) with
multiple activities for the students to share the work, a detailed
rotational
schedule, a folder or journal for keeping notes, and assessment
instruments
for evaluating group
dynamics and group
journals. The lesson should have its own built in assessment(s) of
content to evaluate understanding of the concepts being taught.
Some
sources of
student lessons and projects (will open in a new window):
Alternate
grouping
idea:
If
limited classroom resources and reference materials are a concern,
consider
forming several "expert" groups that each meet to research one aspect
of
a given topic using shared resources. Then have these "experts" regroup
so that there is now one of them in each of several general "mixed"
groups.
Make sure that each mixed group has one of each type of "expert". Each
one will then be responsible for teaching the others all about the
topics
he/she researched until each member of the general group has obtained
the
"whole picture". The group may then utilize the information they have
learned
to compile some sort of timeline, written report, media or oral
presentation
or other creative product. This technique is sometimes called the
"jigsaw
technique" and you can learn more about it in Jigsaw
in 10 Easy Steps.
Another
resource for teachers to learn more about implementing various grouping
strategies is:
Additional
comments regarding this strategy:
Any
student not able to work cooperatively with his or her group should be
removed and given an alternative individual assignment and then given
another
chance later on to work with the group, either on that lesson or
another
one.
Repeated
problems may
require finding a compatible group for the student or using a different
learning technique for that particular student
This
works best for classes of 20 - 25 students with at least 4 - 5
classroom
computers so that no group is larger than 6 if possible. See the Sample
Duty Rotation Charts.
You may
learn more
about the "jigsaw technique" at this site: Tips
on Implementation.)
Adaptations
of
this strategy:
It
can be adapted for 3 computers and/or larger classes. The whole class
can
be first divided into two halves and each one then subdivided into
groups
assigned to each of the computers in the room. Half of the class (one
set
of computer users) would work on the computers one day and the other
half
would work on the next day and continue alternating. This would require
that lessons have off line components or that the teacher assigns some
other lessons and activities to be done within the classroom each day
for
those groups who were not able to use the computers.
For
example: If there are thirty students and only 3 computers, then 15 of
the students could be divided into 3 groups of 5 to work on Mondays and
Wednesdays and the other 15 could be grouped the same way and work on
Tuesdays
and Thursdays. Fridays could be used for whole group interaction and
discussions
and/or make-up work on the computers.
Another scenario would be to have partners work as a pair in
each job capacity so that larger groups could be accommodated, but this
might require more tasks to keep everyone engaged productively.
Source
of this strategy:
This
strategy was developed and classroom "tested" by Susan E. Alkire, science
teacher at Romney
Middle School, Romney, West Virginia.
Please notify
me by e-mail salkire@access.k12.wv.us)
if you use this strategy and give me feedback on how it worked for you.
Look here for
some examples
and photos
of this strategy being utilized.
|