Report #3
FIPP Activity Report
Funded by the Basic Skills Initiative
Name Elise Geraghty
Date 11/25/09
FIPP Partner Nelson Espinola
Section #6042
Activity /Strategy Group Work in 4-pods
Category Classroom Environment
Briefly describe the activity/strategy.
1. Introduction All semester, the students have been sitting (at least one day a
week) in 4-pods where students' desks are facing each other so that they can
discuss and work collaboratively. The students reviewed the group work
guidelines (responsibility, respect, sharing, supporting). At times they are
asked to form their own groups; at other times, I format the groups to maximize
student strengths and minimize student weaknesses.
2. Set up & Supplies The desks in the classroom are easily moved into this
configuration.
3. Directions The students will be given a particular acitivity to study independently
(possibly homework) and then to share their results with the group; they are
given an in-class assignment to work on collaboratively. Each group chooses
a scribe and a spokesperson and are sure to rotate this duty so that everybody
has a chance at both of these activities.
4. Conclusion The students love it; they are very chatty as it is, and if they know
we'll be doing group work during the second half of class, they're particularly
motivated to participate and do well in the first part of class, so that we don't cut
into group time. The more vocal students do very well in groups since
speaking about the subject helps them learn it.
What worked well? The groups worked better later in the semester when I got to know
the students' strengths and weaknesses and was able to make the groups myself based
on this information.
What would you change? I would change that there are students in the class that are
working well below the class level or have extreme learning disabilities; this is out of my
control, but it can have a very negative effect on group work. I wish I had a way of
resolving this issue (but I don't).
Would you use the activity/strategy again? Why or why not? Yes, the students look
forward to it and are very productive.
Please describe any student learning outcomes/changes that you observed after the
implementation of the activity/strategy. If we do group work first and a quiz on the subject
later, students invariably perform better on the quiz than if they took it "cold."