First class
sure was very interesting! I did note except
to be given a choice as to how we would be graded. My first reaction was, “oh I am not sure about
that…!”, but as I thought about it more and listened to others’ arguments for
and against either of the options, I started to lean towards favoring the group
grade. Like everyone else, I want a good
grade, and it seems riskier for a grade to hinge on the performances of a group
of people, however, I thought the opportunity like this would not come often
(or would not ever come again) that I wanted to be able to see what the
learning experiences would be like for a class without an individual grade.
While
the discussion was going on, I remembered the time when Dr. Museus asked last
semester, who in the class did not really like group projects, and I was one of
more than half of the class who raised their hands. He mentioned how we all have to be able to
work in groups in whatever field in which we choose to be. I typically do work well with others, and I
enjoy it, however, I do not really care to do so for class when a grade is involved
so I was not all that thrilled about having to write two group projects for
that class. I was fortunate, though, to
have good group members. We complimented
each other’s strengths well, and personally, I felt that I was able to learn much
from the other members. I appreciate the
different perspectives and unique writing styles they brought to the table, and
I was able to gain much from the group experiences that I would not have
otherwise.
Having
that said, I look forward to more of such learning experiences from this
class! I can tell already that everyone
in the class has much to bring to the class.
Although I was worried about the grade at the beginning, I have a sense
that as we focus on the learning, the grade will follow, rather than the other
way around. I look forward to
experiencing the process and all that we are going to gain from each other
through this class and having chosen a group grade option. Lastly, I was appreciative of Megan who suggested
the majority vote and her explanations for not voting for the group grade. I understand where she was coming from, and I
respect her for standing her ground on this matter.
Hi Ryoko!
ReplyDeleteI feel that group projects have been forced upon us, in college as well as in K-12, to make sure that we learn how to work together. The problem is, though, I do not know how much we actually learn, except to resent the process. When there are rewards and consequences for group actions designed to solicit a certain result, I think trust and mistrust are the actual learned outcomes instead of learning how to work collaboratively and efficiently.
So how do you teach effective group work? Do you start with bonding exercises? Do you let students pick their groups or assign them? Do you assess them as a group, individually, or a combination of both? Maybe I have been scarred from my experiences. Or maybe we haven't found the optimal procedure yet.
In his book, The Last Lecture, professor Randy Pausch explained how one of his classes required group work and how individuals were assessed and given feedback from their peers regarding their participation. The students assessed their peers on three points:
1. Did his peers think he was working hard? Exactly how many hours did his peers think he had devoted to a project?
2. How creative was his contribution?
3. Did his peers find it easy or hard to work with him? Was he a team player?
Students were then ranked in a bar graph, using code names of course, and a longer bar indicated that the student was easier to work with. Pausch (2008) wrote, "My hope was that more than a few students would see this information and say, 'Wow, I've got to take it up a notch.'"
Maybe the feedback option is what is missing from the traditional group work grade. It would definitely help individual students learn where they need to improve regarding group assignments.
I'm sorry, I forgot citations.
DeleteThe three points are from p. 114.
The quote is from p. 115.
And here is the APA citation. Pretend that is italics.
Pausch, R., & Zaslow, J. (2008). The last lecture. New York, NY: Hyperion.