Quick and Dirty Checklist for Effective Cooperative Groups

When you attend a Geometry in Construction 5 day training, a small portion of time is devoted to establishing effective cooperative groups. It is a vital part of the curriculum. This training is sometimes forgotten so here is a review written from a math teacher’s point of view.

Many teachers tell us that they do “Cooperative Groups” but in reality they do nothing more than put students together at a common table and hope for the best. So, now is a good time to evaluate your groups, to decide are you, as the teacher, making the most of this highly effective teaching tool. Below is a quick checklist of some of cooperative strategies.

1. Where does the teacher spend his/her time? During homework time in class there are teachers that use this time to sit at their desk, catching up on that pile of papers to grade. So, the question that must be asked “Is the teacher’s time better spent at the desk catching up on papers or is it better spent roaming the classroom, in a designated path, answering student questions”? I am a big proponent of some things on a teacher’s plate must decrease in order for the valuable things to happen. If roaming the classroom to answer student questions is sacrificed to take care of paper grading, then something is wrong. When I have student teachers, I never allowed them to sit while in class. There are too many positive things that are accomplished by roaming the classroom such as classroom management, informal student evaluation, answering student questions, showing the students that you care by circulating, etc. By-the-way, the construction teacher should be roaming as well. He/she may not be able to answer questions but they can help with keeping groups on task, build relationships, and most importantly, show a united front of both the math and the construction teacher to the students.

2. So, when students do ask questions, are you limiting their questions to one per table? This forces students to work together to decide what is the one question that needs the teacher’s attention. Many of the easier questions will then be answered by the group. I suggest that you answer one question at a table, and then move on to the next table. I even go as far as setting a path for going from one table to the next.

3. If you are unsure about questions being discussed prior to your arrival at the table, here is a handy tool. Instead of responding to the person with the question, ask the other members of the group what the question is. If they do not know, then the group probably is not working as well together as you would like. It is okay to pass by and let them know that you will be back to answer the question once everyone has discussed it.

4. Do you have your groups arranged such that there is at least one high ability student in the group? It is important that each group has a resource person. You do not need to publicly identify the person….the group already informally knows who it is. Also, you may elect not to have a high ability person at the table but instead have someone who is gifted with being able to explain. Many times the patient person is more valuable than the high achiever.

5. Do you reward good group behavior? Remember that you need to reward anything that you value. Set daily goals for students. One way to do this is to set a goal for students to get to on their homework/classwork. This is as simple as stating a problem number that students should get to in class. If they are successful, or you feel they did their best, reward their accomplishment. We stamp their paper using a rubber stamp of something unique. The students collect these and can turn them in for extra credit. There are various versions of this routine…the important thing to remember is your students need daily feedback from you on how they worked in class. Reward students that worked hard, that took time to explain a problem to someone at their table, that participated in an activity, etc. The construction teacher can be the one to do this task.

6. Do you make use of group quizzes? Some teachers feel this defeats the purpose of quizzes. There is some truth in that. However, for me in the classroom, I believe quizzes have 2 purposes. First, the quiz gives me a reading of the student’s knowledge. Second, and equally important, the quiz is to be a learning tool. Some of the most intense learning times have occurred during group quizzes. I know that someone is thinking “What about the student who copies?” My argument is:

a. Are the points assigned to the quiz a significant entry (enough to make major changes) in the gradebook?
b. You still can move the copying student to work alone without penalizing all students.
c. It takes something off of the teacher’s plate so you can do more important things in the classroom. Reference #1 above.
d. I can grade a group quiz right in front of the group and give instant feedback….a great learning tool for students.
e. I can ask higher level questions (Quadrant D Learning) with a group quiz.
f. By roaming, I can still get a reading on student’s knowledge.

I hope this provided a brief review for you. Self evaluation is a valuable tool in teaching. In the near future we will provide some notes for you to evaluate team building principles.