Increasing Student Belonging Using New Group Related Routines Sandra DeSousa – San Jose State University Kristin Spiegelberg – Cuyahoga Community College

Students feel socially tied to peers, faculty, and the course. Primary Driver (Drivers of the solution)   Productive Persistence Students believe they are capable of learning math. Aim: Students continue to put forth effort during challenges and when they do so they use effective strategies. Students feel socially tied to peers, faculty, and the course.   Students believe the course has value.   Students have skills, habits and know-how to succeed in college setting.   Faculty and college support students’ skills and mindsets.

New Group Related Routines As part of the Productive Persistence Subnetwork, we incorporated two group related routines into our classes last year. These new routines focus on increasing students’ sense of belonging. Group Noticing Group Role Routines Group Role Cards Group Participation Evaluations

Group Noticing Routine P2 Subnet Driver Diagram* Primary Drivers Secondary Drivers Change Ideas Have routines for noticing attendance and participation. AIM: Students will improve on attendance, pass, and persist rates Students feel they are a necessary and important part of the classroom community. Group Noticing Routine Group Role Routines Create expectations for classroom collaboration that is productive and involves all students. Measures: Weekly attendance Pass rates Persistence rates

Group Noticing Routine Groups Exchange Contact Information Attendance Taken in Groups Students create team names Students are given the responsibility to report group member absences each day Students Contact Absent Group Members Absent students are contacted by teammates and given information about what was done in class Students are told that they were missed, and that it is hoped they will attend the next class session Median attendance was 85%

Group Noticing Routine

Group Noticing Routine

“The classroom group work made me feel more comfortable in class because it allowed us to work side by side, helping each other along the way. Many minds working together…brilliant!” - Spring 2013 Quantway student

Group Role Routines Group Role Cards Group Participation Evaluations Problem: Students were not working effectively/efficiently in their groups Solution: Students were given Role Cards explaining the responsibilities of each role as well as assessment criteria Group Participation Evaluations Problem: Student attendance and class participation were low Solution: Students were assessed by fellow group members based on their group involvement each day

Group Role Card Routine Group Role Cards We slightly modified the names/descriptions of the existing group roles as an extension of the Working in Groups Productive Persistence lesson in Section 1.1.1 Reminding students of their group role and associated responsibilities multiple times a day started to distract from the lessons Making Role Cards for each student to have in front of them each day made the groups function more efficiently and effectively

Group Role Cards – Facilitator Facilitator – Your responsibilities include: Initiate discussion on lesson by asking for input or questions. Keep group on task. Evaluate participation for your group members at the end of class. Be active in group discussions by: Ask and answer questions Suggest ideas and/or explain concepts Scoring - Here’s how you should score yourself as Facilitator: Excellent: 4-5 of the above are done well. Satisfactory: 2-3 of the above are done well. Needs Improvement: 0-1 of the above done well.  

Group Role Cards – Monitor Monitor – Your responsibilities include: Review all group members’ roles and responsibilities each day. Question group members understanding of responses before moving on. Keep track of time and inform the group when time is running out. Be active in group discussions by: Ask and answer questions Suggest ideas and/or explain concepts Scoring - Here’s how you should score the Monitor: Excellent: 4-5 of the above are done well. Satisfactory: 2-3 of the above are done well. Needs Improvement: 0-1 of the above done well.

Group Role Cards – Recorder Recorder – Your responsibilities include: Write down your group’s responses for questions discussed. Write down notes from the instructor. Review all group members’ responses and notes for completeness. Be active in group discussions by: Ask and answer questions Suggest ideas and/or explain concepts Scoring - Here’s how you should score the Recorder: Excellent: 4-5 of the above are done well. Satisfactory: 2-3 of the above are done well. Needs Improvement: 0-1 of the above done well.  

Group Role Cards - Liaison/Presenter  Liaison/Presenter – Your responsibilities include: Present your group’s responses. Discuss responses and/or questions with other groups. Discuss group work with instructor. Be active in group discussions by: Ask and answer questions Suggest ideas and/or explain concepts Scoring - Here’s how you should score the Liaison: Excellent: 4-5 of the above are done well. Satisfactory: 2-3 of the above are done well. Needs Improvement: 0-1 of the above done well.

Participation Evaluation Routine Participation Evaluations Facilitators evaluate fellow group members each day based on the criteria on the Group Role Cards Groups were changed each Module Individual group roles were changed each day Participation scores counted as 10% of overall grade Achieved an overall attendance of over 90% for the 3 sections of Statway at SJSU in Fall '12

Participation Evaluation Scoring Sheet Daily Participation Evaluation Sheet Place an X in the appropriate column for each group member. DATE   GROUP 1 Role Name EXC AVG NI ABS FAC MON REC L/P

Participation Evaluation Scoring Rubric Facilitator: 1. Initiate group discussion (FAC) 2. Keep group on track 3. Evaluate participation Monitor: 1. Review Roles and responsibilities (MON) 2. Question group understanding before moving on 3. Keep track of time Recorder: 1. Write down group responses (REC) 2. Write down instructor notes 3. Review groups notes/responses for completeness Liaison/Presenter: 1. Presents group’s responses (L/P) 2. Discuss responses and/or ask questions of other groups 3. Discuss group work with instructor All Roles – Be active in group discussions by: Ask & answer questions Suggest ideas and/or explain/concepts

Faculty Experiences Sandy - I saw such great results in Statway using the group role routines, so I implemented it in other classes I teach because of the sense of community it brings to the classroom . Kristin - After a few weeks of using the group noticing routine in my Quantway class, students were contacting each other regularly, forming study groups outside of class, and expressing concern about teammate absences. I have never seen a greater sense of community in any class I've taught.

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