Due 2/5/07: Compare Your Small Group Experiences
We're moving toward more structured small group work. Last class (1/31), you were given an accountability, some roles, and a time limit with which to create your accountability product (the teaser).
Now that you've experienced a rather open-ended small group discussion and one that is more focused and formalized, compare and contrast the two experiences.
Tenets of effective group work:
1. Keep groups small (5ish)
2. Have clear roles and duties explained prior to starting the activity
3. Have a time limit
4. Have students craft an immediate accountability to keep them focused in group work (give them a common goal to work towards)
5. Find ways to assess the group experience (self-evaluations; evals of other group members, etc).
Are we getting closer to actualizing these ideas?
posted by Bucky C. @ 11:06 AM
15 comments
15 Comments:
I think we are definitely getting closer. The main thing I liked about this time was that we had twice as much time, so we didn't need to feel as rushed. I really like my group. Every one of us seemed to have really liked the book, and we all brought different ideas to it. I really liked that you had us come up with a teaser, because we really had to think about it. I think class went very well. I'm looking forward to future LC discussions.
I agree, Ryan. It did seem that we were more focused on the task at hand with goals in mind. Everyone brought great ideas into the group and we worked great together. I can see how setting limitations and boundaries on a lesson can definitely be more productive than just letting a group go at their own pace. In our last LC, our conversation was just thrown up in the air and everyone was fighting for a chance to be heard. When you have a set of tasks to be performed, it keeps frivolous actions under control.
Today was much more productive than last week. My group did not throw out random ideas and themes. Instead we found a common theme dealing with puzzles and character in the book Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I enjoyed hearing everyones well prepared discussion plans and their thoughts on the material. I feel as if I really got to the meaning of the material as a group.
I think we are getting closer to the goal at hand. I enjoyed the LCs because everyone was more focused on the material this time. Everyone brought great conversation to the table. I was pleased to see that we all had different views on Steve's character in Monster. I have a very good group that I am working with. I am pleased that we are all deep thinkers when it comes to content in texts. We all bring in different ideas to influence one another and make one another stop and think. Thanks for giving us more time this go around Bucky!!
Oh and completely off subject---I'm LOVING the reading that you are doing from Love Dog!
This small group section was definitely more productive, focused, and enjoyable. Our discussion lead to ideas that could actually be applied in a classroom setting and we didn't stare at each other blankly like our previous experience.
One question our group thought of, though, after reading Curious Incident... and Stargirl: Is a pet rat a common indicator or an oddball/uncommon character?
I think in our group discussion we actually got something accomplished. The group had great ideas to talk about and we did not just sit around like last time wondering about what to discuss. I think overall it is a good idea to have LC groups.
This time the LC was more productive than the last one. By setting a time limit and boundaries we were able to get more accomplished. My whole group loved the book we read so it made it more enjoyable to talk about the book. I believe that having the discussion plans help out the most with our discussions in our LC.
Valerie, a rat or mouse is a common animal character or pet in Children's and YA Lit. We may have Beatrix Potter to thank for it, or at least that's the case in Bryan Talbot's graphic novel The Tale of One Bad Rat (an excellent choice if no one has found one they like yet).
There may be older precedents in mythology or fables. I think about the mouse who saved the lion in one of Aesop's tales, for example...
I think this was a fairly successful LC discussion. Despite some fairly sizeable setbacks, we were short an person and one hadn't been able to read the book (mea culpa, it won't happen again!), we slogged through and had a good discussion. The longer time limit was very useful to me. The more structured system this time was quite helpful, we had a guiding goal and something that had to be produced in the end. All in all, I think these LC discussions are evolving very nicely.
In our LC group, we had a wonderful discussion about "curious incident of the dog in the night." Everyone in our group was prepared to discuss the book, and we each asked and answered each others questions. Setting a time limit for the discussions did help us stay focused and get the job finished on time. In my opinion, I think the LC groups are doing great! I can see where LC groups would be important in High School classes. They would help students to get better understandings of the readings and also teach students to have an opinion, but agree to disagree sometimes. This is a very important lesson that everyone needs to learn at sometime in their life!
PS. I am enjoying the poetry readings! It is relaxing to me for someone to read to me, especially after a long day!
Yes, this group was very productive. We all had input that was relevant to the book, and we had a great discussion. Having the set roles was okay, but I don't think that it would've mattered either way. Our group worked together on figuring out what was most important about the book. It was easier this time though, because we had more time to focus on our tasks and we had set tasks for the group.
I just wanted to sy to Valerie's comment I have ALSO noticed that there are a lot of rats/mice in YA Lit...How Funny?~?
I enjoyed the small group experience more this time since I had a head's up on what was expected of me. It def. takes some prep time to be able to discuss things and make it actually work. There were not very many positive comments on "Feed", but we did find ways that it could relate to the classroom (especially if you have a bunch of sci-fi crazed kids). It has been very interesting to hear what others have to say about the literature. I'm looking forward to more group time!
I thought the small group experience was a great way to get down to book business. Its great that it is so flexible as far as age groups are concerned. As you can see its simple enough for a 5th grade classroon and sufficient for a 12th grade classroom as well. It would interest me to see what affect changing the participants roles from book to book(having kids switch who the leader is etc etc.).
the more structured small groups seemed to actually accomplish more than the open ended group sessions. it was pretty nice to have goals and time requirements it kept the group on track.
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