When I place my students into groups. I always try to put advance students with student that might need help. I always keep checking each group to make sure they stay on coarse.
Mary,
this is a great idea for learning groups focused on the tasks/material.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have found most groups work at a good pace but you will always have some that waste time. I always make my way around the lab and ask questions. also to see how they are doing. I
think you need to spend time with them but not take over some require more time than others. So its always different.
I'm still somewhat of a novice nursing instructor; one year full-time and two years as clinical adjunct. It's fairly easy to get students working together in small 3-4 group on a particular medical unit because working together (being a team) is critical for success in a nursing career. Also in the clinical setting, because we're providing patient care, it's easier for students who are distance to each other in the classroom to focus on the patient's needs versus any personally clashes.
I've not used group projects as of yet but have been a member of several group projects in my master's program and in my PhD course work. I never really liked group projects but I did have some great professors who established for the beginning of the semester, specific timelines and final grading rubrics. I believe the strategy of periodic "check points" and group formations from the beginning of the semester to the final presentation at the end of the semester definitely provided guidance and accountability for each of the groups. Regardless of the group's personal dynamics, we didn't have time to not divide up the work or to let personalities clashes get in the way of getting the project done on time and creating a well prepared presentation.
Now, that I'm feeling more confident in my role as faculty, I would like to prepare similarly planned group projects.
Assign tasks for each person in the group. Stop frequently to check the status of the groups progress.
Scott,
this is a good reminder that we as instructors can't "take a break" while groups are working but need to be helping them stay focused & on task.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
angelica,
yes, assigning specific tasks can really help the student groups stay on task.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
At times, I provide a guide of expected milestone dates to assist the group stay on course and work effectively towards the deadline. I also ask for regular feedback of the group's progress during the quarter.
Yes, you are right. This is particularly so when there is a member of the group who seem to be over-bearing on other members and speed the group through the assignment.
Keeping the pace set for class, especially in a lab setting where some students work faster/slower than others can be a challenge.
One variance I use is that I most often will assign group members, depending on what the learning outcome is for the lesson.
Students sometimes lose focus if they are in a group of people that they are too comfortable with. Strong students tend to choose strong students for their group. When I assign them, they are quite aware that the task on hand requires teamwork and cooperation, and every member of the group has their own individual goal to meet. This way, nobody feels inadequate, and the "do gooder" students have no choice but to take a step back and work as a team.
This seems to help them stay focused more than when they choose their groups.
I believe you have to identify a group leader, outline objectives end goals or final results, advise students to be an active group member and do not put all of your eggs in one basket, what I mean by that is take you own notes, keep copies of group work, be accountable!!!
The course instructor should give examples of what the students need to do in order to succeed in their work groups. Give the group activities that involve decision-making and judgment, these are the most effective. Make sure assignments fit the students' skills and abilities as this will help to stay on course and be productive.
Chris,
these are great suggestions & show that group projects require a good amount of planning on the part of the instructor.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Every day at the end of lecture I put them in to 2 to 3 groups of 6 people,and assigned them to come up with 4-5 questions within 10 min. Then each group will ask the question.
It help them to understand more about that day's lecture and have fun at the same time.
easy enough to interject, "ok, everyone, let's make sure we're taking enough time for this, remember you still have 15 min. (or whatever) - make sure to do x,y and z
Farzana,
this is a great strategy as it promotes the interaction & also helps them reflect on the material.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I actively engage them every 10 minutes or so to make sure they are understanding what were going over and see if there stuck at any one part.
I control the pace of the groups. I never stay on one topic at a time. I limit the times for each group.
I find that walking around and pausing to observe the different groups while they are working helps to keep the group ontrack with the assignment. Too often I find when the students get in a group the topic of discussion quickly steers away from the assigned task. Giving the students an assigned amount of time to complete the assignment along with walking around to observe has helped me in my experience, to keep the group focused and on track.
I have discovered that more and more students have very short attention spans, and tend to wander off into discussions un associated with the assignment. i try to mix these students into one small group, and them spend some time as one of the group members so as to help guide the group in the direction they need to go. Constant monitoring is required of this group, but as they become aware of your frequent interaction, even the most easily distracted tend to focus long enough to provide input to the assignment.
Unfortunately, in todays classroom electronic distractions creep into almost every learning environment, making moving around the classroom even more important.
