Julie Chang Mahvash Chaudhri Naomi Couplin Tricia Douglas

The Benefits of SUCCESSFUL Groupwork: Increased tolerance for others Collaborative problem solving Effective negotiation More equitable interaction Elements of Problem Solving Groupwork: Mixed ability grouping Tackling of challenging projects (i.e. through dramatizing or puzzle creating) Each student has a well-defined role (director, script-writer, stage manager, graphic designer) Teacher serves as a resource (for checking in with along each step) Ends with a presentation of projects

1. Prepare all students for successful group-work 2. Assign engaging multiple ability projects 3. Give group members clearly defined roles and responsibilities 4. Give groups autonomy and time to prepare high- quality products 5. Allow groups to show-case their work

 Prepare all students for successful groupwork Forming Your Groups Essential: Take 15 minutes or more to form them Consider the following when grouping: Mixed abilities Mixed gender Mixed ethnicity Mixed predominant intelligence (determine through observations of multiple-ability projects and a simple diagnostic test) Break up friendship circles

Have clear guidelines for cooperative work  Make a poster, explain, and reinforce: Working COOPERATIVELY in groups 1. Smile, be friendly, and introduce yourself 2. Arrange desks properly 3. Use positive body language 4. Use eye contact 5. Listen to others 6. Take turns giving ideas 7. Use positive comments 8. Be helpful 9. Disagree in an agreeable way 10. Follow directions and stay on task

Students must follow these guidelines effectively PRIOR to joining a group and beginning the group task Tips for successful mixed ability groups: link up strong and weak interpersonal skills together keep an easily accessible file for predominate intelligences Clearly define place of group-work its members their respective roles

 Assign engaging, multiple-ability projects Maximize success of your problem solving group: The task should lead students to innovative answers to complex problems If the task is too simple then the purpose of challenge and meaningful interaction will NOT be achieved The group should consist of 3-4 students There should be open-ended questions involving higher- order thinking skills

The TASK must include: A working together of multiple abilities bringing together multiple perspectives More than one answer and more than one solution A challenge to students – allowing them to use problem solving skills An initial frustration so that a sense of accomplishment is achieved upon completion

 Give each group member a clearly defined role and responsibility Specific, meaningful roles Some examples: materials leader, building checker, clean-up leader, reporter The choice of roles depends upon positively interdependent tasks – all members will have to cooperate to achieve a successful end result This method ensures a cooperation of all members and prevents domination of any one given member

 Give groups autonomy and time to prepare high-quality products Divide students into small groups with specific duties and roles Monitor students’ progress to resolve problems if arise ASIDE TIP: to keep the group on task – the teacher should initial each step upon completion Possible Problems: 1. Student gets off-task or refuses to join the group 2. One student dominates the interaction 3. Too noisy 4. Run out of time

 Solutions to the possible problems: 1) Ask the group if they have tried two times to include everyone. If necessary, take the student aside to go over the expectation. 2) Ask students to review their roles, give them two minutes to discuss how to better divide the responsibilities. Listen to their resolution. 3) It will be noisy, but productive noise. If it gets too loud, cheerfully ask the class to use their inside tone. 4) Give them a shorter time limit than they need. You can always tell them later that they will have additional time if they make an extra effort to create a great product.

 Allow groups to showcase their work. Set high expectations for presentations Rearrange classroom for dramatic presentation For ex. set up a stage in the classroom and use overhead projector to provide dramatic lighting Prepare plenty of props on hand For ex. masks, posters, costumes, sheets, hats colorful cloth—let students be creative! Showcase student products throughout the school For ex. show off student work on bulletin boards or school’s website