1
EdSe 4501 Assignment 4 Option B: Dialogue
My mother has been an educator for 28 years, both as a high school English teacher and a high school counselor. Through email we talked about our ideas regarding group work and collaborative learning. We discussed many of the ideas and issues surrounding these two philosophies in the following dialogue. (My mother’s words will be in italics)
As an "old" teacher with 28 years of experience, I am initially a bit skeptical about the distinction between cooperative learning and group work. In fact, some--perhaps most--of the distinction seems arbitrary or semantical. After all, can't cooperative learning use groups? Can't a dedicated, diligent teacher structure group work so that it is meaningful?More importantly, shouldn't we prepare our students, particularly those in high school, to be able to work effectively in groups even if they have not been carefully structured? Given those initial reactions, I can say that I value the philosophy behind cooperative learning; if I am remembering correctly, the Johnson brothers engaged in important research about the various benefits of cooperative learning in student achievement and engagement and class atmosphere. I have read some of their research, and I have personally experimented with using cooperative learning in my classroom for years
This is very true. At times the lines between the two are gray. When looking at group work I feel that this type of structure will often lead to a lack of learning for many students. By simply putting students into groups without any structure of roles or tasks, many times students will simply assume their “normal” roles of which they are comfortable in. I believe that structuring group work in this manner does not allow students to learn all of the material that is being presented in the task or lesson at hand. David Rigoni states in his piece Education, Inc., “We tend not to discard old views unless they are causing us some discomfort; when we are comfortable, we tend to cling to our comfort. But it is the discomfort that causes change and growth” (Rigoni, 2002). This is why collaborative learning is different in my eyes. Collaborative learning allows students to be placed in roles that may cause discomfort. Through this discomfort these students will not only learn how to operate under many different titles, but they will also understand the ideas that they are studying from every angle.
Some kids love to work in groups; some kids do not. It is wise to offer students a choice if you can. The important thing is that you create a learning environment in which each child can learn and feel comfortable. Talking to students directly about why they would choose to work in a group or why they would choose to work individually makes them feel supported and comfortable with either choice. I often use the terms introvert and extrovert to discuss learning environment preferences. It is illuminating to discuss learning with students and expect them to make decisions that will facilitate their own acquisition of knowledge.
I agree that the first priority as an educator is to meet the basic levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs of body, safety and belonging. Allowing students to make the choice of whether or not to participate in group work would in certain situations make students feel more comfortable in a classroom situation, and more importantly with their learning. At times though, I do believe that students should have to participate in groups despite opposition they may have to the process. Johnson and Johnson make the point that by participating in collaboration, we take the competitive aspect out of the classroom that too often leads to an unproductive learning atmosphere. “In competition there is a negative interdependence among goal achievements; students perceive that they can obtain their goals if and only if the other students in the class fail to obtain their goals (Deutsch, 1962; Johnson & Johnson, 1989).” I can’t deny that some students may not want to work in groups, or may even be more efficient working alone. I will always try to make sure that every student is happy with their learning environment, and the way in which their learning is taking place. But, if we don’t force some of these students to partake in the collaboration that the classroom has to offer they will be missing out on many valuable personal skills, and habits of mind that they could develop from the experience. Alfie Kohn states, “learning at its best is a result of sharing information and ideas, challenging someone else’s interpretation and having to rethink your own, working on problems in a climate of social support.” This is why I believe collaborative learning should be used in classrooms, just as the Socratic Method, it makes students reach deeper beyond their original thoughts. In reaching deeper these students have the chance to find information and ideas that they never thought possible, and the best part is they will be the ones to do it, not the teacher.
Since we have to work with people throughout our lives, some group work is essential just in terms of developing interpersonal skills--like cooperating, collaborating, resolving conflict, delaying immediate gratification, and sharing.
I frequently use "Turn to your neighbor and talk about..." just to get students engaged and to check understanding. Friday, for example, I asked students to read the distinction between an explication and an analysis. Then I had them turn to their partners/neighbors to discuss the critical distinction. Finally, I checked for understanding by asking a student to explain her understanding of the distinction to the entire class. Her partner was invited to add information if she wanted. I ended with asking the rest of the class if they had anything to add. It is an effective way of engaging the entire class. I use this before discussions too; it gives the class a chance to warm up and begin discussion in a less-threatening environment. It forces each student to participate rather than just listen (not that there is anything wrong with listening) and it offers students the ideas of the entire class during the ending sharing. In that sharing, I occasionally hear an incredible insight that is due to the synergy; that is one of the most exciting events in teaching--the whole of the minds/ the "group" mind surpasses my expectations.
The interpersonal skills that students will take part in will be a pivotal step in helping them develop successful habits of mind. The habit of mind of persistence will greatly benefit from students participation in collaborative learning. Costa and Kallick stated, “Efficacious people stick to a task until it is completed. They don’t give up easily. They are able to analyze a problem, to develop a system, structure, or strategy to attack a problem.” Not all students operate with this mentality. By putting students in a collaborative situation, students may be able to teach each other how to effectively use this habit of mind. They will be able to potentially motivate other students by showing them that tasks can be completed that may seem insurmountable by simply being persistent. Other habits of mind such as listening, flexible thinking, metacognition, communication, and thinking interdependently would all benefit from collaborative learning.
When using groups, having specific roles for students to perform expedites the task. I usually label and define the roles, and I ask the students to switch roles after each question is discussed. For example, in my AP: Literature and Composition class, I will ask students to discuss analytical and interpretative questions about a poem or a short story. I will give the roles: discussion director, recorder, and textual support locator. The students will switch roles after each question. Then when we share the answers with the class, each student has the opportunity to speak and be an expert. Each student has also had the chance to practice the skills of leading a discussion, listening, summarizing, note taking, isolating support, and interpretation.
This technique of having the students switch their roles is an effective way to help manage the collaboration between students. As Johnson and Johnson say, “The purpose of cooperative learning is to make each group member a stronger individual in his or her own right.” Each and every student has their own habits of mind which work successfully for them. By teaming students together in a cooperative atmosphere, students have the ability to pool their efforts and as a result multiple habits of mind will be in use. Through the teaming and cooperation between students it is even possible that students will be able to share and observe habits of mind other then their own which can be used successfully. Again Johnson and Johnson reinforce this point as they say, “Students need to do real work together in which they promote each other's success by sharing resources and helping, supporting, encouraging, and applauding each other's efforts to achieve.” This is why I believe cooperative learning is a better system then group work. In cooperative learning students learn from one another; they not only educate themselves, but also educate their peers with the information they have gained.
I also often shape the groups myself to balance the talents andweaknesses of individual students. Choice is important, but so is dealing with new personalities. Depending on the grade level and class and my objectives, I will allow students to form their own groups or I will form them.
Grading needs to be sensitive to encourage groups. Don't arbitrarily give everyone in each group the same grade. You'll give groups a bad name, which is unfair to the group process. Form your objectives; determine how you will assess the learning, and explain the assessment to the class. Incorporate an individual portion;the worst thing you can do is to give one group grade--especially if one, poor kid completes the entire assignment. Think about how that child will hate groups. Think about the anchor groups will have in his mind.
This is the one area where group work and cooperative learning becomes dangerous in my eyes. Although the final product or ideas that are presented by a group are in fact representing the whole group’s efforts, not all students necessarily deserve the same grade. In group work students often get “stuck with all of the work”. So in this situation it is not the group’s efforts that we see, but more likely one person’s efforts. I believe this exact situation is why cooperative learning needs to be used as another system to have students working together. Johnson and Johnson state, “The group must be accountable for achieving its goals and each member must be accountable for contributing his or her share of the work. Individual accountability exists when the performance of each individual is assessed and the results are given back to the group and the individual in order to ascertain who needs more assistance, support, and encouragement in learning.” By using this system we as educators can make sure that 1) all students participate in the cooperative learning, and 2) no students are being left behind, masking the gap that exists behind others work. Cooperative learning ensures that all students are held accountable, and more importantly are not left behind in the system.
During cooperative learning assignments, move throughout the room to help the groups function well. Encourage the students; resolved conflicts before they erupt; troubleshoot, and have fun while learning. Model the cooperation that you are expecting of your students. One of the most satisfying experiences for students is teaching their teacher; allow them this wonderful feeling.
As the teacher in the classroom we have the unique ability to not only teach students, but also the ability to learn from students at the same time. I believe that by letting the students cooperate and collaborate on their own they will feel more power and confidence in the classroom setting (Glasser, Choice Theory.) As the teacher give the students this sense of power, but also make sure that all cooperative efforts are in fact cooperative. Again referring to Johnson and Johnson, “Groups need to describe what member actions are helpful and unhelpful and make decisions about what behaviors to continue or change. Continuous improvement of the processes of learning results from the careful analysis of how members are working together and determining how group effectiveness can be enhanced.” This is why I believe cooperative learning can and will be effective in the classroom. If done properly students will not only collectively complete the tasks at hand, but they will also have and use the ability to be the critic.