cirtl class meeting 6: cooperative learning

What do you see?

1 Peer Instruction

collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

2010–2011 Higher Education Research Initiative (HERI)

Faculty Survey of 23,824 full-time faculty at 417 four-year

colleges and universities [1]

The College Classroom – Spring 2015

Class Meeting 6: Cooperative Learing

Dave Gross dgross@ biochem.umass.edu

Thursday, March 5, 2015

1:00-2:30p ET, 12:00-1:30p CT, 11:00a-12:30p MT, 10:00-11:30a PT

Peter Newbury

[email protected]

@polarisdotca

Objectives for Today

Peer Instruction - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 3

By the end of today’s session you will be able to

explain to a colleague what constitutes collaborative learning

outline the different levels of collaborative learning in the classroom

design teams for collaborative learning

describe how collaborative, peer learning fits into the scheme of backward design


active learning

cooperative

learning

What do you see?

5 Peer Instruction

collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu




What do you see?

6 Peer Instruction - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu




Cooperative Learning[3]


Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so

that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s

learning.

(Rique Campa)

Cooperative Learning requires 1) multiple students

learning the same material and 2) a positive social

interdependence of the students’ learning efforts.

Uses of small groups


Casual Use

Frequent Use: Cooperative Learning

Transformative Use: Team-Based Learning

L. Dee Fink, “Beyond Small Groups” in Team-Based

Learning, Ed. L.K. Michaelson, A. B. Knight, & L. D.

Fink, Stylus Publishing, Sterling, VA (2004)



Casual Use

“Turn to the student next to you and talk about…”

Ad hoc, little or no advance planning

No grading, group composition, fit to course

structure



Casual Use


Carefully planned and structured group activities

Small group activities added to preexisting course

materials

Attention to: accountability, group formation,

student roles, etc.

No structural changes for the course are necessary



Casual Use


Transformative Use: Team-Based Learning

Small group work is the primary in-class activity

Procedures are needed to support “groups” into

higher performing “teams”

Employ teams to enhance in-class learning

Often requires a change in the course structure

Keys to successful cooperative learning


If you choose to use cooperative learning so that students

learn how to work effectively as a team,

you need to teach the students

how to work effectively as a team

Keys to successful cooperative learning


If you choose to use cooperative learning so that students learn how to work effectively as a team,

you need to teach the students how to work effectively as a team

You can’t leave it up to them to figure out

positive and negative team member traits

team-building, management, conflict-resolution skills

how to remain inquiry-based: asking questions of each other, making recommendations, receiving feedback

how to make effective, professional presentations to the whole group

Constructive & Destructive Group Behaviors


Cooperating: Is interested in the views and perspectives of the other group members and is willing to adapt for the good of the

group.

Clarifying: Makes issues clear for the group by listening, summarizing and focusing discussions.

Inspiring: Enlivens the group, encourages participation and progress.

Harmonizing: Encourages group cohesion and collaboration. For example, uses humor as a relief after a particularly difficult

discussion.

Risk Taking: Is willing to risk possible personal loss or embarrassment for the group or project success.

Process Checking: Questions the group on process issues such as agenda, time frames, discussion topics, decision methods,

use of information, etc.

Dominating: Takes much of meeting time expressing self vies and opinions. Tries to take control by use of power, time, etc.

Rushing: Encourages the group to move on before task is complete. Gets “tired” of listening to others and working as a group.

Withdrawing: Removes self from discussions or decision making. Refuses to participate.

Discounting: Disregards or minimizes group or individual ideas or suggestions. Severe discounting behavior includes insults,

which are often in the form of jokes.

Digressing: Rambles, tells stories, and takes group away from primary purpose.

Blocking: Impedes group progress by obstructing all ideas and suggestions. “That will never work because…”

Brunt, Facilitation Skills for Quality Improvement, Quality

Enhancement Strategies, Madison WI 53715 (1993)

Team building


We’ll model a team-based class today. First we will form

out teams randomly. (That’s bad.)

Then let’s find out what sorts of group behaviors our team

members have.

Break out into rooms and discuss your own constructive

and destructive behaviors. Spend about 6 minutes doing

this.

Remember your room – that’s your team for the day.



Cooperating: Is interested in the views and perspectives of the other group members and is willing to adapt for the good of the

group.

Clarifying: Makes issues clear for the group by listening, summarizing and focusing discussions.

Inspiring: Enlivens the group, encourages participation and progress.

Harmonizing: Encourages group cohesion and collaboration. For example, uses humor as a relief after a particularly difficult

discussion.

Risk Taking: Is willing to risk possible personal loss or embarrassment for the group or project success.

Process Checking: Questions the group on process issues such as agenda, time frames, discussion topics, decision methods,

use of information, etc.

Dominating: Takes much of meeting time expressing self vies and opinions. Tries to take control by use of power, time, etc.

Rushing: Encourages the group to move on before task is complete. Gets “tired” of listening to others and working as a group.

Withdrawing: Removes self from discussions or decision making. Refuses to participate.

Discounting: Disregards or minimizes group or individual ideas or suggestions. Severe discounting behavior includes insults,

which are often in the form of jokes.

Digressing: Rambles, tells stories, and takes group away from primary purpose.

Blocking: Impedes group progress by obstructing all ideas and suggestions. “That will never work because…”

Brunt, Facilitation Skills for Quality Improvement, Quality

Enhancement Strategies, Madison WI 53715 (1993)



How would you characterize yourself?

A) Cooperating

B) Clarifying

C) Harmonizing

D) Risk Taking

E) Process Checking



How would you characterize yourself?

A) Blocking

B) Digressing

C) Dominating

D) Rushing

E) Withdrawing

Team creation


How should one form teams?

Should they be permanent?

What to do about the add/drop period early in the term?

Screen shot from “Teaching Untethered”, Olga Kyle, UMass IT

https://vimeo.com/114704516

Team creation



Randomly

Student-formed

Instructor-designed

Team creation


Based on what the literature says:

1. Instructor-designed, maximizing diversity

2. Randomly

Team creation


Based on what the literature says:


2. Randomly

Based on what my preliminary in-class research says:

1. Student-formed


3. Randomly

Ways to design teams:


Survey students prior to formation

Gender (or gender ID)

English as first language

Ethnicity

Course-relevant background

Group style (leader, creator, organizer, facilitator)

Obtain student data from the institution

Conga line (first Seniors, then Juniors,..., then Chem

majors, then Biology majors,…) and count off

Teams in my two PChem sections


8:30 – Student-formed teams (73.0)

10:00 – Instructor-designed (65.5)

Group style (leader, creator, organizer, facilitator)

Course-relevant background

Gender (no single-female teams)

English (no single non-native speakers)

Team creation





Stages of team development


Stage 1: Forming (independence, group leadership)

Stage 2: Storming (conflict, fear of failure)

Stage 3: Norming (cohesion, shared leadership, data flow)

Stage 4: Performing (true interdependence, dynamic adjustment)

Stage 5: Adjourning (disengagement, minor crisis)

Tuckman, B. (1965) Developmental Sequence in Small Groups.

Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399.

Tuckman, B. & Jensen, M. (1977) Stages of Small Group

Development. Group and Organizational Studies, 2, 419-427.

Team creation





Form teams after the first or second class meeting

Individual vs. team accountability


Grades provide a strong incentive for students, and can form the best way to have individual students be accountable for

their learning, both individual and cooperative.

Individual grades Exams

Classroom participation

Homework

iRAs

Team grades Shared projects

Team presentations

Peer evaluations

tRAs “staged assessments”

Staged exams with teams

29

A useful active learning assessment/learning tool in a

team-based classroom is the staged exam

iRAT/tRAT – individual assessment followed by

same assessment done by the team

Activity Advantage Disadvantage

Clicker answers Rapid feedback Cost, forget clicker

Scan forms Rapid feedback Messy, costly for scanner

Paper Cheap, reliable Slow feedback, lost papers

Online quiz Rapid feedback Computing device necessary

IF-AT Rapid feedback Expensive, messy

Peer Instruction - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

Immediate Feedback Assessment

Technique (IF-AT)


The “Jigsaw”


With permanent teams, it can be useful to alter the

team dynamic from time to time

A technique to do that while providing a learning

activity is the jigsaw

In essence, the teams rearrange themselves to become

expert in one area, and then reform to bring their

expertise together

A B Z …

Let’s do a jigsaw


Go back to your original team rooms

Start counting with the team room number

Next person adds one

And so on until you get to 7. Start over at 1.

Then we’ll reassemble and you will go to the team

room that you have counted.

Course: “The National Parks”


Go to your new rooms and become experts on different

national parks

Room 1: Gates of the Arctic

Room 2: Isle Royal

Room 3: Great Sand Dunes

Room 4: Mammoth Cave

Room 5: Wind Cave

Room 6: Dry Tortugas

o What state?

o When created?

o Who created?

o Size?

o How many visitors annually?

o Primary attraction?

o Average temperature?

Spend 14 minutes or so to gather your data, then we’ll return to the main room

Course: “The National Parks”


Go to your new rooms and become experts on different

national parks

Room 1: Gates of the Arctic

Room 2: Isle Royal

Room 3: Great Sand Dunes

Room 4: Mammoth Cave

Room 5: Wind Cave

Room 6: Dry Tortugas

Now go to your home team rooms and write a question that our class might have on an exam. It should pull together your expertise. Aim high, Bloom’s-wise. Take about 10 minutes, then we’ll come back.

Monitoring the teams


Let teams hash out their constructive and destructive

behaviors early on

Teams write “contracts” that they sign

Teams decide on good team member attributes early in

the semester

Peer reviews that count for points that are based on the

attributes

Revisit team expectations during the term

What to watch for

and what to do about it


lack of group maturity insufficient guidance and training from instructor about how to work together

“free-riding” instructor hasn’t built in enough individual accountability

loss of motivation instructor needs to stay in touch with groups frequently

lack of skills and abilities instructor needs to create groups with more diverse skills and abilities

Team activities


Next week: Peer Instruction part 2

Class Meeting 7

March 12, 2015


References


1. Hurtado, S., Eagan, M. K., Pryor, J. H., Whang, H., & Tran, S. (2012). Undergraduate

teaching faculty: The 2010–2011 HERI Faculty Survey. Los Angeles: Higher Education

Research Institute, UCLA. www.heri.ucla.edu

2. Eagan, M. K., Stolzenberg, E. B., Berdan Lozano, J., Aragon, M. C., Suchard, M. R.,

& Hurtado, S. (2014). Undergraduate teaching faculty: The 2013–2014 HERI Faculty

Survey. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA. www.heri.ucla.edu

3. Derek Bruff, Henry (Rique) Campa, III, Trina McMahon, Bennett Goldberg (2014).

“An Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching” (coursera

MOOC) class.coursera.org/stemteaching-001

4. Brunt, Facilitation Skills for Quality Improvement, Quality Enhancement Strategies,

Madison WI 53715 (1993)

5. National Research Council (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School:

Expanded Edition. J.D. Bransford, A.L Brown & R.R. Cocking (Eds.),Washington, DC:

The National Academies Press.

6. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University

Press.

cirtl class meeting 6: cooperative learning

Education

peer learning fits

casual use frequent

casual use turn

team keys

group formation

group composition

multiple students

course structure keys