Anyways, I thought this section, especially chapter 8, was very salient at the moment because I am currently doing a persuasive writing lesson in my placement and have decided upon having the merits of homework being one of the persuasive topics. The majority of the class was "anti-homework" and were able to make that position statement, but I was VERY surprised to see that some students offered something beyond "It's stupid", "Homework sucks", "it's not fair to make us do it," etc. In fact, some students mentioned some of the criticisms offered in this section. Some students wrote that they felt like their homework assignments did not ever feel like they had a real purpose and that it was not really practicing what they learned because they were either a) confused about what they were doing or b) knew exactly what to do and were able to "zone out"---and if it is something that causes them to zone out, then what is the purpose of the busywork? Another thing they brought up was the fact that homework was only rarely taken up (and they were never told when it was going to be taken up, since then they wouldn't do it the other times.) As a result, on days the students do not take it up and the homework is not gone over (they claim that it rarely is), they feel like they wasted their time the night before even more.
I was surprised by several points in chapter nine. First, the students themselves were incredibly sophisticated metacognitively and, secondly, the students were also coached towards group interactions to boost their ability to learn. Their teachers were very thorough scaffolders and modelers. I guess having been in placement for so long where competition is brutal and constant (our high school teachers consistantly reminded us that we were "all competing for colleges and there weren't enough spots" for all of us to attend any college let alone a specific one)I am surprised by Kristian's comment on page 139 about whole classes being taught strategies on how to work with others--even people they didn't like. Many times in my high school teamwork was a fate worse than death because one person did all the work and everyone got the same grade--or one person did all the work and the teammates used the project for individual work in other classes. The alternative was to share the work and reap a poor grade. I think many students would benefit from teamwork strategies and scaffolding. Teamwork is supposed to help students learn how to cooperate in the business world after graduation (high school or college)--giving students specific strategies, modeling these strategies, and having students practice them as part of a lesson is a brilliant idea! I wish I had someone do this when I was in highschool instead of throwing us together with a rubric and a communal grade.
Teamwork is a fantastic, necessary, important concept. It is something that we have to master in order to be successful in the workforce. Everything we have read about group work and learning as a social endeavor sounds wonderful. It is the way I want my classroom, my school, all schools to operate. However, in my placement I am finding this idea to be more and more of a challenge. During the second week of this placement, Ms. Newby unleashed me on a lesson that focused on group work. I was thrilled. I arranged all the desks in groups of five. We would be working in groups and then separating into breakout groups. It was going to be different, and social, and fun. As soon as the kids walked in "Man, why the desks moved??" "Ugghh, I hate group work!" "I'm not doing this ****" What? I was so confused. This is what they wanted, right? Ask every single kid that Cushman worked with. They want collaboration, they want groups, they want a team. Not my kids. The whole time Newby knew this was going to be a struggle. That's why she asked me to teach it. It was a reality check I will never forget. But why? Why do my kids hate group work? Why was our activity an ineffective waste of time? Why do Cushman's kids want this when my kids don't? I think the perception of group work that Lorien discussed is much more pervasive than we might think. How do we shift this paradigm so that we can encourage astounding learning projects like the ones Cushman's kids created?
I think chapter 8 made some good points. I think a lot of kids are faced with teachers that give homework a lot that either don't take it up or grade it for wrong answers and the kids feel disheartened after so many years that they don't do it all after awhile. I really think that if my kids had been seen homework in a different light as the years progressed, then they wouldn't be in 8th grade hating it so much. I absolutely hated when teachers assigned work and didn't take it up or take the time to look at it and commend us for our efforts beyond classroom walls. So many of the kids int eh chapter offer valid points as to why they don't think homework is very helpful and I can't but help to agree. It is also tough to manage a lot of homework for one class on top of homework for every other class. I think teachers fail to take children's valid points into consideration sometimes because it is masked by short and shallow comments like, "This is stupid" or "Yeah, right." They don't give an explanation to the teachers so the teachers just forget about their attitude. I think that not grading homework is a good idea as well as at least looking at each child's homework to see that they did it so they don't feel like it was a waste of time.
I have to say that I I have to say that I always hated group work. Like Lorien, I always dreaded being the one who ends up doing all the work. Why is it that Cushman’s students seem to want this? I have to think that maybe it was because my teachers were not as creative with project assignment. They probably were not as good at modeling or scaffolding students within the lessons themselves. I think that the true skill of a teacher is getting student to work with other students they don’t care for. We are in training for the workforce, and even in college we have to work with people who don’t necessarily care for. I understand why we do these group projects, but like Lorien said the crucial part in teaching is modeling the right kinds of co-habitation and collaborative learning in lessons. always hated sgroup work
I completely agree with Brittany. I remember spending way too long on certain homework assignments and being infuriated when that specific assignment was never mentioned again. But now that I look at this situation from a teacher's perspective, I can understand being overwhelmed with homework to grade. I loved the chart on page 132, "Alternatives to Traditional Homework." I want to keep this somewhere where I will see it often, a reminder that homework should be effective and meaningful. My biggest question as I was reading is how can we effectively differentiate? If some students are clueless about comma splices and others have mastered it, how do we make sure that no one is left behind while still challenging those who comprehend more quickly? How can we do this in a way that is both time effective and learning effective? All of my ideas seem to involve an inordinate amount of time and energy invested by the teacher.
Erin, I understand and completely sympathize with the desk situation you experienced. Strangely my students don't mind groupwork--probably because they know they can talk more and many of them need help but are scared to ask and look foolish. The noise level is atrocious but they do get a surprising amount of work done when in groups--mostly because I circulate constantly and pester them with no- opt-out questions. Still, like you said, there has to be an easier way to do group work and differentiate. Most of the suggestions we read about seem to require a lot of time-consuming work on the part of the teacher--even the reading and writing workshops which I really like. I guess you could begin each unit with a survey and ask students to fill it out (not a grade) to show how much they know. Then you could conference with them before class or at the end of the school day and plan out a series of worksheets and activities to help them work on their specific needs. You could set goals together and a date--when that date rolls around they have to show you proof that they have tried to meet their needs and that they understand more than they did (sort of like the new business strategies we discussed in class where the students work on their out-of-class assignments at any point as long as they have a finished product by a specific date). This would not be homework but it would be included in a final project and require quizzes to practice (again not graded). (One of the kids in the Cushman book said it helped him when his teacher gave quizzes to review old material and practice new material because the teacher did not grade them--but pointed out areas where the student had improved or needed help). Hope this is helpful! Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
The group work thing is tricky because I always hated it as well and yet I seem to be turning to group work to shake up the class sometimes because then the students have the opportunity to socialize. I like the literature circle idea, but modified for other assignments. Giving each student a certain task in the group still holds the student accountable for his or her own work, yet together the students corroborate to fully understand the assignment. Then if you do need to give grades you can give each a grade for their own work. Make it so they need each other, but at the same time they are not held accountable for all the work, maybe?
At what point does the ideal interfere with the practical concerns of groupwork? I agree with Brittany that responsibilities should be outlined to hold every student accountable, but what about situations where external elements (such as parents) get in the way? (Granted, I know you can't tailor a lesson toward an individual child every single time just because a parent is being difficult.) But going back to the traumatizing parent-teacher conference I sat in on: one of the "poor" grades (it was a B) was on group work and the mother (you know, the one who "did good this time. Just yelled at her this time" made a fuss about the fact that the grade reflected the group's work, not her daughter's. (Oddly enough, it wasn't the common concern of "I don't want slackers bringing my daughter's grade down when she carries her weight" but rather "My daughter is lazy and I don't want other people's grade's suffering as a result. I forbid you to let her work in groups." There probably is not a real answer beyond paying little attention to the parent, but I was just curious.
My God do I love chapter 8's section on homework and the effects it has on students. When I was in high school, I had the exact same sentiments. I was so bogged down with extra stuff like chorus or beta club, or even student teaching, that I didn't want anything to do with homework when I got home. The amount of homework I had some nights was absolutely ridiculous. So when these students were talking about how they were bogged down to the point of exhaustion, I loved the points that Cushman talks about bout to help alleviate the load. The four R's I found very useful, but I loved the checklist the most from the students. I thought it was interesting, some of the points that they made, especially the one about taking up homework for a grade. Whenever my teachers would do that I would be so upset. It's practice and I think that teachers need to realize that. Sure a participation grade will suffice, but to take off points for wrong answers? Absolutely not.
Also I thought the points they made about students needing an estimated amount of time helped them manage their home was an excellent point. I remember when Dr. Alby first gave us an estimated amount of time to spend on each assignment. I thought it was a great way for me to keep track of it and helped me pace myself.
I hope that as a teacher I can be mindful of students work loads and not be overbearing with homework...I just hope its not hard to find that balance between too much and too little.
Erin, in regards to your comment, my students feel the same way about group work being forced. I remember when I had group work for my students to do and a lot of them started fighting. However, if I let them just choose their groups, they would choose people they didn't really work that well with and just fooled around with. But when I taught the symbolic story representation, I did something different. I gave my students the option to work together or individually and this really made them light up. I told them they couldn't move seats, but that if they wanted to work with the person next to them they could. A lot of students actually chose this. They liked having the option, which is what I think all group projects should be. When you give the student the power or ability to choose how they complete their work - I think it makes it more fun for them since they have a say so.
During my placement in Sweden, I experienced a lot of group work. They would do group work to help each other do work. Their desks are always in groups whether they do group work or not. Whenever I did lessons, I included group work. Mostly because learning English is much easier for some and not others, which is pretty typical. But, my students all enjoyed group work. Even though Cushman's students really seemed to enjoy it all the time, my students never complained much about it. Sometimes whenever we read or hear about other teacher's endeavors with strategies, they seem to get students that are always happy to do whatever they say. Yes, some show us how it was at first difficult, but how do I get my students to that point? Sometimes I don't feel like they continue to tell us those important points.
I agree with Erin from my American placement. I thought they would love group work. But they didn't and it ended up putting the classroom progress further behind and it took longer to tell them why we had to do group work than it did to actually do the whole task.
As a student throughout my academic career I have absolutely hated group work. Like Lorien's experience I always felt that I was constantly picking up other people's slack. The idea of assigning each person a specific task is a good idea. In the business classes here you have to do peer evaluations of your group members which helps. I have always felt that students that get good grades consistently dislike group work and would rather work alone where as those that don't achieve as high normally love group work.
I feel like the best thing to do in regards to group work is to give the students the options of working in groups or not. I've had teachers in the past that have required groups to make a contract stating what each member is in charge of and allowing the group to fire a member under certain circumstances. I think I might try this the next time I do a group project. It seems a little extreme, however I feel like it is what happens in the real world everyday.
I loved the responses of the students on homework, and Nick great idea for persuasive writing. I saw with my placement at Baldwin the teacher very rarely gave out home work, so when she did the students did not complain that much. I feel that if you are reasonable and respect your students then you will only give hw when it is necessary. I hope to give home work infrequently and when I do it will definitely be something I grade and will be pertinent to students' learning.
I am all too familiar with the "what is the point of this?" / "why do we need to know this?" argument (chapter 8) after this last week in placement. I did a unit on annotated bibliography (my host teacher's idea, definitely not mine). While I personally was interested in the unit because it was something I have been assigned to do before but never have really quite gotten the grasp of, my students did not see the benefit in learning it. And I can't really blame them. If I were a senior in high school, the last thing I would want is for someone to teach/speak about annotated bibliographies. I tried to explain to them that the purpose in doing it would be to make their senior research projects next semester much easier, but they didn't want to hear that. What could I say to them to give them the motivation to learn annotated bibliography?
How do I get my students to the point where, as Cushman says, "start to think of homework as 'getting good' at something..." (118)? I tried to explain to them that the homework was practice for something they would need to know in the future, if only for their research project.
We did have them do a group annotated bibliography in class. 2-3 people got together to write an annotated bibliography on various TIME articles and turned them in as a "completion" grade. From there, I read through each one and offered them feedback, both good and constructive but not negative. I think that my doing that motivated them, though probably not very much.
I agree with Katie, Lorien, and everyone else who has voiced concerns over group work. I can remember one class in particular (my Canadian Lit class) where there was a small group project (2-3 people) to introduce the each book and the author, which was about 15% of our overall grade, and a big group project (4-5 people) to introduce an aspect of Canadian history and culture, which was about 25% of our overall grade. [40% of our grade was dependent upon other people]. This class taught me a lot about group work, both good and bad.
One thing that I would suggest from my experiences in group work would be to have students fill out a sheet with who will be contributing what to the overall project. That way, the teacher will know what to expect and can get an idea of who actually contributed.
I went to a session at NCTE that talked a lot about differentiation. One of the units they taught required group work, but each student was assigned to a task (or was able to choose a particular task). In the unit they showed us, they had spots for students who were skilled at reading for the most important passage, a student who was skilled at writing things down, a student who was skilled at drawing things, and so on and so forth. This might be the best way to approach the group task assignments.
Another thing that I would suggest would be to have each student evaluate (anonymously) the participation/contribution of other members in the group. While it could get pretty heated, I've found it to be a pretty honest way of giving (and getting) feedback on group projects.
I also agree with giving students the option to do groups or solo work. But I do want to throw out there the fact that at some point everyone has to work with a group to work on a task, if not in the classroom then definitely in a job at some point in life; we should do our best to prepare them for these situations. Also, it is in the Common Core Standards to have students perform basic group tasks.
The idea of group work can go both ways in my mind. I never liked group work growing up -- it's never fun getting stuck with all the work or with people who don't put in their best effort. However, on the other hand, group work can be such a great thing because you learn how to work with other people, even when you don't care for them. In the work place you have to push past dislike of a person if it means getting the job done. In the classroom it provides time for the students to move around a bit -- to socialize.
At times it can be a good idea to give students the option of working alone or with partners/groups. But, this should not be an option every time. Students do need experience working with other people -- they may be able to learn things they wouldn't otherwise have. Different students may be able to contribute different things to the group -- they may not all have the same gift/strength/strong point.
I like what Andrew said about having a sheet that students can fill out, assigning different students in a group to have different tasks. Not every student has the same strength, so this way everyone is able to contribute something and no one feels left out. A teacher could consider choosing groups and intentionally placing specific students in different groups so as to spread out the speakers, the writers, the artists, etc.
I agree with Brittany about the homework thing. So many times I see kids being asked to complete lengthy homework assignments, just to complete them. The teacher walks around the room and “checks” to make sure everyone has done it. None of the answers are given and there isn’t an opportunity to let the students ask questions. Even worse, than not going over the homework is when you get a bad grade for it. Like the book says, the students are practicing!
Group work has its good and bad points. If a teacher gives every group member a specific task that they and they alone are responsible for then grading can be fair. When I think of positive group work, I see students sitting together, and discussing ideas about a similar project that they all have to complete.
I think the concept of assigning homework and not acknowledging it or giving a reward for it is not worth giving. When I was a kid, my mom would tell me that I couldn't do anything after school unless my homework was done, and all of my friend's parents said the same thing. I know that my main concern was to write something down so that I could go over it later with my mom. This is why I don't think assigning homework every night is effective. On the other hand, when I worked hard on a homework assignment and my teacher didn't check over it thoroughly it bummed me out because of all the work I put into it. I think this is the case with a lot of kids. When they don't get a reward and not just holding up a piece of paper with words written on it is not effective. I think by assigning homework on material that they are having a hard time in class to understand is when it is an effective way for helping them. The group project in Chapter 9, a Learning Expedition to Washington, is a great idea for a group project. Not all the time can a group go to DC and have the privilege of interviewing people in the embassy, but creating a way that the students are able to present their final project is a good way to engage all of the students. Whether it's performing in front of the student body their results or having guests that have to do with their group assignment is a great reward for all of the hard work put forth.
I am a huge believer in group discussion, but I must agree with mostly everyone else. The majority of group work with no reward for their final project usually ends with one or two members of the group doing the final project. Andrew has a good point at giving each member a specific assignment so that the teacher will know what to expect from each participant.
FIRST! LOOKATHAT!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I thought this section, especially chapter 8, was very salient at the moment because I am currently doing a persuasive writing lesson in my placement and have decided upon having the merits of homework being one of the persuasive topics. The majority of the class was "anti-homework" and were able to make that position statement, but I was VERY surprised to see that some students offered something beyond "It's stupid", "Homework sucks", "it's not fair to make us do it," etc. In fact, some students mentioned some of the criticisms offered in this section. Some students wrote that they felt like their homework assignments did not ever feel like they had a real purpose and that it was not really practicing what they learned because they were either a) confused about what they were doing or b) knew exactly what to do and were able to "zone out"---and if it is something that causes them to zone out, then what is the purpose of the busywork? Another thing they brought up was the fact that homework was only rarely taken up (and they were never told when it was going to be taken up, since then they wouldn't do it the other times.) As a result, on days the students do not take it up and the homework is not gone over (they claim that it rarely is), they feel like they wasted their time the night before even more.
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ReplyDeleteI was surprised by several points in chapter nine. First, the students themselves were incredibly sophisticated metacognitively and, secondly, the students were also coached towards group interactions to boost their ability to learn. Their teachers were very thorough scaffolders and modelers.
ReplyDeleteI guess having been in placement for so long where competition is brutal and constant (our high school teachers consistantly reminded us that we were "all competing for colleges and there weren't enough spots" for all of us to attend any college let alone a specific one)I am surprised by Kristian's comment on page 139 about whole classes being taught strategies on how to work with others--even people they didn't like. Many times in my high school teamwork was a fate worse than death because one person did all the work and everyone got the same grade--or one person did all the work and the teammates used the project for individual work in other classes. The alternative was to share the work and reap a poor grade.
I think many students would benefit from teamwork strategies and scaffolding. Teamwork is supposed to help students learn how to cooperate in the business world after graduation (high school or college)--giving students specific strategies, modeling these strategies, and having students practice them as part of a lesson is a brilliant idea! I wish I had someone do this when I was in highschool instead of throwing us together with a rubric and a communal grade.
Teamwork is a fantastic, necessary, important concept. It is something that we have to master in order to be successful in the workforce. Everything we have read about group work and learning as a social endeavor sounds wonderful. It is the way I want my classroom, my school, all schools to operate. However, in my placement I am finding this idea to be more and more of a challenge. During the second week of this placement, Ms. Newby unleashed me on a lesson that focused on group work. I was thrilled. I arranged all the desks in groups of five. We would be working in groups and then separating into breakout groups. It was going to be different, and social, and fun. As soon as the kids walked in "Man, why the desks moved??" "Ugghh, I hate group work!" "I'm not doing this ****" What? I was so confused. This is what they wanted, right? Ask every single kid that Cushman worked with. They want collaboration, they want groups, they want a team. Not my kids. The whole time Newby knew this was going to be a struggle. That's why she asked me to teach it. It was a reality check I will never forget. But why? Why do my kids hate group work? Why was our activity an ineffective waste of time? Why do Cushman's kids want this when my kids don't? I think the perception of group work that Lorien discussed is much more pervasive than we might think. How do we shift this paradigm so that we can encourage astounding learning projects like the ones Cushman's kids created?
ReplyDeleteI think chapter 8 made some good points. I think a lot of kids are faced with teachers that give homework a lot that either don't take it up or grade it for wrong answers and the kids feel disheartened after so many years that they don't do it all after awhile. I really think that if my kids had been seen homework in a different light as the years progressed, then they wouldn't be in 8th grade hating it so much. I absolutely hated when teachers assigned work and didn't take it up or take the time to look at it and commend us for our efforts beyond classroom walls. So many of the kids int eh chapter offer valid points as to why they don't think homework is very helpful and I can't but help to agree. It is also tough to manage a lot of homework for one class on top of homework for every other class. I think teachers fail to take children's valid points into consideration sometimes because it is masked by short and shallow comments like, "This is stupid" or "Yeah, right." They don't give an explanation to the teachers so the teachers just forget about their attitude. I think that not grading homework is a good idea as well as at least looking at each child's homework to see that they did it so they don't feel like it was a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I I have to say that I always hated group work. Like Lorien, I always dreaded being the one who ends up doing all the work. Why is it that Cushman’s students seem to want this? I have to think that maybe it was because my teachers were not as creative with project assignment. They probably were not as good at modeling or scaffolding students within the lessons themselves. I think that the true skill of a teacher is getting student to work with other students they don’t care for. We are in training for the workforce, and even in college we have to work with people who don’t necessarily care for. I understand why we do these group projects, but like Lorien said the crucial part in teaching is modeling the right kinds of co-habitation and collaborative learning in lessons. always hated sgroup work
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Brittany. I remember spending way too long on certain homework assignments and being infuriated when that specific assignment was never mentioned again. But now that I look at this situation from a teacher's perspective, I can understand being overwhelmed with homework to grade. I loved the chart on page 132, "Alternatives to Traditional Homework." I want to keep this somewhere where I will see it often, a reminder that homework should be effective and meaningful. My biggest question as I was reading is how can we effectively differentiate? If some students are clueless about comma splices and others have mastered it, how do we make sure that no one is left behind while still challenging those who comprehend more quickly? How can we do this in a way that is both time effective and learning effective? All of my ideas seem to involve an inordinate amount of time and energy invested by the teacher.
ReplyDeleteErin, I understand and completely sympathize with the desk situation you experienced. Strangely my students don't mind groupwork--probably because they know they can talk more and many of them need help but are scared to ask and look foolish. The noise level is atrocious but they do get a surprising amount of work done when in groups--mostly because I circulate constantly and pester them with no- opt-out questions.
ReplyDeleteStill, like you said, there has to be an easier way to do group work and differentiate. Most of the suggestions we read about seem to require a lot of time-consuming work on the part of the teacher--even the reading and writing workshops which I really like. I guess you could begin each unit with a survey and ask students to fill it out (not a grade) to show how much they know. Then you could conference with them before class or at the end of the school day and plan out a series of worksheets and activities to help them work on their specific needs. You could set goals together and a date--when that date rolls around they have to show you proof that they have tried to meet their needs and that they understand more than they did (sort of like the new business strategies we discussed in class where the students work on their out-of-class assignments at any point as long as they have a finished product by a specific date). This would not be homework but it would be included in a final project and require quizzes to practice (again not graded). (One of the kids in the Cushman book said it helped him when his teacher gave quizzes to review old material and practice new material because the teacher did not grade them--but pointed out areas where the student had improved or needed help).
Hope this is helpful! Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
The group work thing is tricky because I always hated it as well and yet I seem to be turning to group work to shake up the class sometimes because then the students have the opportunity to socialize. I like the literature circle idea, but modified for other assignments. Giving each student a certain task in the group still holds the student accountable for his or her own work, yet together the students corroborate to fully understand the assignment. Then if you do need to give grades you can give each a grade for their own work. Make it so they need each other, but at the same time they are not held accountable for all the work, maybe?
ReplyDeleteAt what point does the ideal interfere with the practical concerns of groupwork? I agree with Brittany that responsibilities should be outlined to hold every student accountable, but what about situations where external elements (such as parents) get in the way? (Granted, I know you can't tailor a lesson toward an individual child every single time just because a parent is being difficult.) But going back to the traumatizing parent-teacher conference I sat in on: one of the "poor" grades (it was a B) was on group work and the mother (you know, the one who "did good this time. Just yelled at her this time" made a fuss about the fact that the grade reflected the group's work, not her daughter's. (Oddly enough, it wasn't the common concern of "I don't want slackers bringing my daughter's grade down when she carries her weight" but rather "My daughter is lazy and I don't want other people's grade's suffering as a result. I forbid you to let her work in groups." There probably is not a real answer beyond paying little attention to the parent, but I was just curious.
ReplyDeleteMy God do I love chapter 8's section on homework and the effects it has on students. When I was in high school, I had the exact same sentiments. I was so bogged down with extra stuff like chorus or beta club, or even student teaching, that I didn't want anything to do with homework when I got home. The amount of homework I had some nights was absolutely ridiculous. So when these students were talking about how they were bogged down to the point of exhaustion, I loved the points that Cushman talks about bout to help alleviate the load. The four R's I found very useful, but I loved the checklist the most from the students. I thought it was interesting, some of the points that they made, especially the one about taking up homework for a grade. Whenever my teachers would do that I would be so upset. It's practice and I think that teachers need to realize that. Sure a participation grade will suffice, but to take off points for wrong answers? Absolutely not.
ReplyDeleteAlso I thought the points they made about students needing an estimated amount of time helped them manage their home was an excellent point. I remember when Dr. Alby first gave us an estimated amount of time to spend on each assignment. I thought it was a great way for me to keep track of it and helped me pace myself.
I hope that as a teacher I can be mindful of students work loads and not be overbearing with homework...I just hope its not hard to find that balance between too much and too little.
Erin, in regards to your comment, my students feel the same way about group work being forced. I remember when I had group work for my students to do and a lot of them started fighting. However, if I let them just choose their groups, they would choose people they didn't really work that well with and just fooled around with. But when I taught the symbolic story representation, I did something different. I gave my students the option to work together or individually and this really made them light up. I told them they couldn't move seats, but that if they wanted to work with the person next to them they could. A lot of students actually chose this. They liked having the option, which is what I think all group projects should be. When you give the student the power or ability to choose how they complete their work - I think it makes it more fun for them since they have a say so.
ReplyDeletebut I like group desks...I will say that much.
During my placement in Sweden, I experienced a lot of group work. They would do group work to help each other do work. Their desks are always in groups whether they do group work or not. Whenever I did lessons, I included group work. Mostly because learning English is much easier for some and not others, which is pretty typical. But, my students all enjoyed group work. Even though Cushman's students really seemed to enjoy it all the time, my students never complained much about it. Sometimes whenever we read or hear about other teacher's endeavors with strategies, they seem to get students that are always happy to do whatever they say. Yes, some show us how it was at first difficult, but how do I get my students to that point? Sometimes I don't feel like they continue to tell us those important points.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Erin from my American placement. I thought they would love group work. But they didn't and it ended up putting the classroom progress further behind and it took longer to tell them why we had to do group work than it did to actually do the whole task.
ReplyDeleteAs a student throughout my academic career I have absolutely hated group work. Like Lorien's experience I always felt that I was constantly picking up other people's slack. The idea of assigning each person a specific task is a good idea. In the business classes here you have to do peer evaluations of your group members which helps. I have always felt that students that get good grades consistently dislike group work and would rather work alone where as those that don't achieve as high normally love group work.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the best thing to do in regards to group work is to give the students the options of working in groups or not. I've had teachers in the past that have required groups to make a contract stating what each member is in charge of and allowing the group to fire a member under certain circumstances. I think I might try this the next time I do a group project. It seems a little extreme, however I feel like it is what happens in the real world everyday.
I loved the responses of the students on homework, and Nick great idea for persuasive writing. I saw with my placement at Baldwin the teacher very rarely gave out home work, so when she did the students did not complain that much. I feel that if you are reasonable and respect your students then you will only give hw when it is necessary. I hope to give home work infrequently and when I do it will definitely be something I grade and will be pertinent to students' learning.
ReplyDeleteI am all too familiar with the "what is the point of this?" / "why do we need to know this?" argument (chapter 8) after this last week in placement. I did a unit on annotated bibliography (my host teacher's idea, definitely not mine). While I personally was interested in the unit because it was something I have been assigned to do before but never have really quite gotten the grasp of, my students did not see the benefit in learning it. And I can't really blame them. If I were a senior in high school, the last thing I would want is for someone to teach/speak about annotated bibliographies. I tried to explain to them that the purpose in doing it would be to make their senior research projects next semester much easier, but they didn't want to hear that. What could I say to them to give them the motivation to learn annotated bibliography?
ReplyDeleteHow do I get my students to the point where, as Cushman says, "start to think of homework as 'getting good' at something..." (118)? I tried to explain to them that the homework was practice for something they would need to know in the future, if only for their research project.
We did have them do a group annotated bibliography in class. 2-3 people got together to write an annotated bibliography on various TIME articles and turned them in as a "completion" grade. From there, I read through each one and offered them feedback, both good and constructive but not negative. I think that my doing that motivated them, though probably not very much.
I agree with Katie, Lorien, and everyone else who has voiced concerns over group work. I can remember one class in particular (my Canadian Lit class) where there was a small group project (2-3 people) to introduce the each book and the author, which was about 15% of our overall grade, and a big group project (4-5 people) to introduce an aspect of Canadian history and culture, which was about 25% of our overall grade. [40% of our grade was dependent upon other people]. This class taught me a lot about group work, both good and bad.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I would suggest from my experiences in group work would be to have students fill out a sheet with who will be contributing what to the overall project. That way, the teacher will know what to expect and can get an idea of who actually contributed.
I went to a session at NCTE that talked a lot about differentiation. One of the units they taught required group work, but each student was assigned to a task (or was able to choose a particular task). In the unit they showed us, they had spots for students who were skilled at reading for the most important passage, a student who was skilled at writing things down, a student who was skilled at drawing things, and so on and so forth. This might be the best way to approach the group task assignments.
Another thing that I would suggest would be to have each student evaluate (anonymously) the participation/contribution of other members in the group. While it could get pretty heated, I've found it to be a pretty honest way of giving (and getting) feedback on group projects.
I also agree with giving students the option to do groups or solo work. But I do want to throw out there the fact that at some point everyone has to work with a group to work on a task, if not in the classroom then definitely in a job at some point in life; we should do our best to prepare them for these situations. Also, it is in the Common Core Standards to have students perform basic group tasks.
The idea of group work can go both ways in my mind. I never liked group work growing up -- it's never fun getting stuck with all the work or with people who don't put in their best effort. However, on the other hand, group work can be such a great thing because you learn how to work with other people, even when you don't care for them. In the work place you have to push past dislike of a person if it means getting the job done. In the classroom it provides time for the students to move around a bit -- to socialize.
ReplyDeleteAt times it can be a good idea to give students the option of working alone or with partners/groups. But, this should not be an option every time. Students do need experience working with other people -- they may be able to learn things they wouldn't otherwise have. Different students may be able to contribute different things to the group -- they may not all have the same gift/strength/strong point.
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ReplyDeleteI like what Andrew said about having a sheet that students can fill out, assigning different students in a group to have different tasks. Not every student has the same strength, so this way everyone is able to contribute something and no one feels left out. A teacher could consider choosing groups and intentionally placing specific students in different groups so as to spread out the speakers, the writers, the artists, etc.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brittany about the homework thing. So many times I see kids being asked to complete lengthy homework assignments, just to complete them. The teacher walks around the room and “checks” to make sure everyone has done it. None of the answers are given and there isn’t an opportunity to let the students ask questions. Even worse, than not going over the homework is when you get a bad grade for it. Like the book says, the students are practicing!
ReplyDeleteGroup work has its good and bad points. If a teacher gives every group member a specific task that they and they alone are responsible for then grading can be fair. When I think of positive group work, I see students sitting together, and discussing ideas about a similar project that they all have to complete.
I think the concept of assigning homework and not acknowledging it or giving a reward for it is not worth giving. When I was a kid, my mom would tell me that I couldn't do anything after school unless my homework was done, and all of my friend's parents said the same thing. I know that my main concern was to write something down so that I could go over it later with my mom. This is why I don't think assigning homework every night is effective. On the other hand, when I worked hard on a homework assignment and my teacher didn't check over it thoroughly it bummed me out because of all the work I put into it. I think this is the case with a lot of kids. When they don't get a reward and not just holding up a piece of paper with words written on it is not effective. I think by assigning homework on material that they are having a hard time in class to understand is when it is an effective way for helping them.
ReplyDeleteThe group project in Chapter 9, a Learning Expedition to Washington, is a great idea for a group project. Not all the time can a group go to DC and have the privilege of interviewing people in the embassy, but creating a way that the students are able to present their final project is a good way to engage all of the students. Whether it's performing in front of the student body their results or having guests that have to do with their group assignment is a great reward for all of the hard work put forth.
I am a huge believer in group discussion, but I must agree with mostly everyone else. The majority of group work with no reward for their final project usually ends with one or two members of the group doing the final project. Andrew has a good point at giving each member a specific assignment so that the teacher will know what to expect from each participant.
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