Solving Common Groupwork Problems If you have experienced common groupwork issues like one person completing all the work, these high impact strategies can be implemented tomorrow for use with just about any lesson plan you have in mind in order to increase participation, grit and perseverance. If you weren’t planning on groupwork, most lessons can […]
Roles Aren’t working? I have had mixed experiences with roles despite the overwhelming evidence that roles are a way to promote productive groupwork. The thing about roles is that many times they can seem contrived or we put them in place but don’t really use them. In Jo Boaler’s book Mathematical Mindsets, in Smarter Together! […]
Increasing group participation is probably the most common task of a teacher in running groups. Perhaps the most important aspect of equalizing members of a group is to change what Elizabeth Cohen referred to in her research as “expectations”. This refers to the expectations of generally higher achieving students of lower achieving students and also […]
Getting to know students is probably the single most important thing a teacher does. With this information, teaching and learning can go to heights unattainable without it. If you know the interest, learning styles and experiences of your students, you can tailor their learning opportunities in a way that just can’t be done without this […]
Another key component of group work that can narrow the achievement gap is connecting your classroom management to the common core standards. As I outlined in the post ClassDojo and the Common Core, the common core standards can easily be broken down into specific behaviors which can then be taught, monitored, reinforced and ultimately become […]
As we implement the common core standards, attempting to use them to promote equity in classrooms, well designed group work is imperative. One of the major pitfalls of group work is putting kids in groups just for the sake of putting kids in groups. The first thing to consider is whether a task is even […]
Pitfalls of running groups Teachers and students alike have experienced unproductive groups and so they are reluctant to run groups. The reality is that groups are likely to fail unless they are structured to be productive. Below are some common pitfalls of running groups and solutions to those problems. 1. No positive interdependence structured There […]
Sample Lesson Plan In this sample lesson plan, a general activity is used to show how cooperative learning elements can be embedded to structure the lesson for improved productivity. Use any worksheet that requires answering questions or solving math problems. For the purposes of providing a specific example, imagine students have engaged in a mini […]
Cooperative Learning Elements I cannot emphasize enough the importance of teaching kids to work in groups. There are several reasons that using groups is so important. Employers today want collaborators. They want people who can work with other people and be highly productive and efficient. If an employee doesn’t work well with others, they can […]
