This chapter discussed the importance of creating positive interdependence during PGW. “Positive interdependence is considered by many to be the defining quality and most important component of cooperative group work” (pg. 23). After reading this chapter I can see why interdependence is considered so important. If students feel like an important member of the group, they will be more willing to work in the group!
Each task must require students to contribute something unique to the group. Students ask themselves the following questions during PGW: Who am I? Who am I with you? Who are we together? What do we have to do? What do we need to do to accomplish our goals? If students are able to answer these questions, they will possess the self knowledge of how and when they are learning something new. The authors also remind us on pages 25 and 26 that positive interdependence can reduce threats and increase the sense of reward. We are also reminded that rewards can be intrinsic or extrinsic.
Finally this chapter gives three strategies to promote positive interdependence. The different experiences strategy requires putting students who have experienced different things into groups. They share that knowledge and learn from one another. The goal here is that students will build their knowledge through discussion with partners.
The jigsaw approach is also described. Students have two groups, an expert group and a home group. Students start in their home groups. They discuss what knowledge they will need to obtain in their expert groups. Students then go to their expert groups. In these groups, students work together to become experts on their specific topics. Finally, students go back to their home groups and share what they have learned.
Student-led reciprocal teaching consists of assigning students specific roles for PGW. The authors suggest using modeling and guided instruction about 20 times before letting students try the roles on their own. Students will then be well aware of what their specific role should look like.
My Reflection:
I think it is essential that students feel like a group would not be successful without them. If this is how students feel, they are much more likely to be actively engaged in PGW. I think the strategies described would be great to share with the staff. I know that we have done jigsaw before, but not really in this way. I like this way because there is also movement! I have not had a lot of success with assigning roles for PGW – but after reading – I see that is because I had not modeled them enough! I would really like to try student-led reciprocal teaching!
The main point I gathered from reading chapter two was that there must be a supportive learning environment in place in order for PGW to work. Since it is a joint effort, all students should feel like they have something to offer to the group’s learning. Even though we have some PGW going on at JB, I feel like the majority of groups still have that one or two kids that don’t feel like their opinion counts or like they have anything different or better to offer. I truly think that this is controlled by the teacher. The classroom environment should be set up so that ALL kids (tier 1-3) feel comfortable sharing - this also includes the chance they are wrong, are playing devil’s advocate, or are just trying to bring a new and risky idea to the table. “They are not going to have a positive picture of themselves as learners if they are not contributors to achieving the group goal” (p. 24). The teacher must model this, encourage and foster this, and set kids up for success with this.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the idea that the authors bring up about different experiences. I think this is similar to jigsaw in that it gives all students some mastery on a novel idea to share with others. If that individual doesn’t do his part, the group suffers. This puts pressure on all members yet makes them feel as though they have something to offer that is different. I also like that this cannot be done by another member. Accountability is key!
Finally, I like the idea of the necessity of building stamina in the whole group before the teacher can expect the PG to take on the roles. The teacher must allow for sometimes several weeks of practice. I think this is where some teachers fail. They expect kids to do PGW right the first or second time. I also see teachers that have a successful day, pull back from the scaffolding the next, see failure and give up. It is okay to have a bad day. It is all about learning when and how… kids may need more or less at any given moment - we need to be prepared to check for this on the spot and change accordingly.
I agree that we should share the strategies with staff. Again, maybe add them to their blue cards. My favorite was the Jigsaw Approach. I think this approach also lends itself to RTI, because one of the groups, for example #3s, are the group the teacher works the most with.
ReplyDeleteI think a point that needs to be shared (probably more than once) with staff is that teacher modeling is crucial. At one point, the authors said that it takes over 20 lessons to have the students be able to work it out without teacher guidance. This isn't a one to two lesson deal, then put the students into groups to let them work.
I agree with Rachel, that in order to have PGW work, there must be a supportive learning environment. Students have to be comfortable taking risks and relying on one another.
I love the way that the book is giving us specific ways to make PGW work in our classrooms. These are strategies we can add to the blue cards when the time is right. I think this will be beneficial when rolling it out to the staff. Another good point that we have seen so far with this book is that it helps implement RTI, also there have been several parts that mention questioning, which I know the superintendent wants to improve. Along with everyone else, I think that modeling is such a key point and I think it will be hard for a lot of teachers to realize that even half way through the year we are going to have to spend a lot of time modeling PGW in order to get this to run smoothly. I am excited to get better with PGW in my class and this book is VERY helpful already.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter two, I was excited to see more specific examples as Kristin said of how to incorporate PGW. In some of the books we have read in the past (Fred Jones), they tell us what is wrong or what could happen in our rooms, but they don't give a lot of specific strategies/ideas to use or fix it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jen that the Jigsaw approach would be a great way to work with the Tier 3 students. I see it as an opportunity to frontload the information to them so they feel prepared when they come back to their home group to present. As everyone has said already, students must feel comfortable in the classroom before they will take risks and become vulnerable in their learning.
To end, I really liked the information on page 24 that discussed the difference between process learning and content learning. "In seeking out the answers to content questions, students have an opportunity to consolidate academic knowledge, but in working out process questions, they gain an understanding of themselves as learners and members of a team" (24).
I really like the jigsaw idea, but I am wondering how exactly it would work with the math curriculum. As to how teachers can ensure that students are all contributing to the PGW, I have run into issues where students complain that one or more partners are not helping. This is why I think that having each student assigned to complete a task would work much better.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we must continue to model how PGW is used effectively to our students and staff. I have a few questions that I think we should consider before rolling this information out to the staff: How can we get buy-in for how PGW is to be used correctly if it takes a month of practice? Should all classrooms have the same PGW routines? (Roles, responsibilities) What are the best ways to monitor and evaluate PGW?
This book has brought many ideas that I can’t wait to use in my classroom to improve PGW. I like the idea of using the blue cards to help teachers with ideas for PGW when they are planning for their effective lesson!
I think the strategies presented will help us model with the staff PGW. I also agree that adding questioning strategies will be effective. Some data teams have started the discussions of a series of questions...what, why, why not, etc. having questions that encourage group discussion without a right or wrong answer will build that positive learning environment you have talked about. This is not only critical for our students, but our adult learners, too. Modeling is key for all learning, but this chapter really emphasizes the importance of model process....currently this is not consistently repeated. I think most teachers will be surprised to hear 20 times, but then again there is a quote "21 times" makes a habit! The roles reminds me of data teams. When roles are clearly implemented the meetings are. always productive at times meetings wander a bit and it is clear that the roles were not taken seriously....another good opportunity to do some modeling weekly.
ReplyDeleteI am just kind of typing these thoughts as they come to me so I am not so sure that what I am about to write is a great idea for us to attempt to implement, but nonetheless, maybe it is something for us to (possibly) consider...after reading through the above posts, what if we made the groups of our PGW, to an extent, student data teams? Data teams are such a HUGE part of EVERYTHING that we are doing at JB Young. Our students are semi-aware of the work that we do with data teams, but would it hurt to make them more aware of how we operate our data teams? How our teachers are collaborating? What if, within our PGW, students all had roles - roles that rotated every so often, and at the beginning of their PGW time they had to announce/define their roles? And what if they had to remind everyone of the norms of the "meeting" that they had previously established at the beginning of each PGW, and at the end of their PGW they had to collaboratively rate how they thought it went? Like I said, I was just kind of thinking with my fingers on the home keys...maybe it isn't an idea worth implementing, but maybe parts of it are?
ReplyDeleteI liked chapter as well. I really liked the commitment the author shows to the process and the different models of PGW. I particularly liked the examples of incorporating different reading levels in the early elementary classroom. I realize this exact approach will not work but believe this approach could be adapted to make it viable in the middle school.
ReplyDeleteThe need for students to feel like they are in an atmosphere that is respectful and safe will really empower students to take risks and reach their potential. I see many of the strategies of respect present in the DRT classrooms. I do wonder how we can ask teachers not on the DRT to create this atmosphere. We will need to explore options for this challenge.