? Students were videotaped while working on a jigsaw activity on Shakespeare?s Theater.
? All students were recorded, as the teacher circulated around the room to tape all groups.
? Each group was videotaped for approximately two to three minutes. The total recording was about fifteen minutes.
? This brief video was reviewed by the teachers and then shown to students.
What strategies do you have for teachers?
You really got to know you?re class. You have to have a balance of folks who get along. You might not want friends in the same group, but like in our class, we mostly get along, but we get our work done.
How would you improve your learning?
I would be more active. It didn?t look like I was really working.
Why do you participate more in small group work than in the whole class setting?
The cool thing about groups is that you get feedback and reflection on what you?re doing.
Small groups should give opportunities to kids who don?t get to talk.
In a large group, you have to wait for others to speak. In a small group, you can make your comments right away. Everyone is already listening. It?s easier to debate.
What role does gender play in small groups?
When we?re in groups with our girls, we can?t get in two words.
I don?t think it?s a gender issue. It depends on the individual.
The boys won?t do anything, so I have to take charge.
What role do you take in groups?
Sometimes when you don?t appoint a leader, two people try to be leader. Some people try to be leader all the time; they are always dictating. They do it in every class.
My teachers always wanted me to be the leader because I had good public speaking skills. When I?m in a group, I?m not good at saying you do this, you do that.
Sometimes, I don?t like it when the teacher asks me to be the leader, that?s more pressure on me. I don?t like when there are different expectations on me.
What are drawbacks?
That?s the thing about groups. Some people when they come into groups, they?re so use to working on their own that they just do their work by themselves.
? Teacher must carefully choose groups.
? Depending on the particular assignment, the teacher should be more or less involved.
? Teacher must understand the students, not only in terms of skill level, but also personality and relational skills.
? Taping a class for reflection is key to see how students learn and whether they choose to help other students.
? Taping the class is also essential for students to learn about their own work habits, interpersonal skills, and recall.
? Gender balance is crucial. Use mixed groups but don?t shy away from single-sex grouping.
? Using assigned roles can be important to encouraging students to get out of their comfort zone.
? Use a representative sample of students to discuss the class. The whole class is not necessarily essential to have a productive reflection.
? When designing an assignment, the teacher should look to students as a resource. They should be part of the planning process, in terms of the flow of lesson and the purpose of the groups.
? In the future, ask students to help re-structure a lesson and then tape that to use as a comparison piece. Ask students to see how their learning has changed.
? Could also be used for cross-disciplinary purposes to see how students adapt to different environments.
? Professional Development workshop on best strategies for small group work with the full faculty.
