Last year the year 11 English course was changed. To cater for this change we adopted the Australian Identity as our context. As a group of teachers we decided that all students produce 3 short pieces of writing minimum and that we organize groups to produce a magazine. Their 3 pieces would form the basis of their magazine.
At the beginning of the year I noticed that the students were not mixing at all. They would come in session after session and sit in exactly the same seat without having anything to do with anyone else.
I decided to divide the class into 5 groups of 5 students. They had to sit and work together at all times for the duration of term 1 which was Creating and Presenting. I asked each member of the class to give me two other names of people they would feel comfortable to work with. I insisted that all groups include both genders.
I took these away and came up with groupings. As it turned out they were not exactly mixed ability grouping because the students wanted to work with people of similar abilities. I explained to them that if there was anyone who was not happy with my decision they could come to see me and we would discuss it. I made sure that all students had at least another person they knew. When that wasn't the case I went and saw them personally prior to the class to get their approval.
Their task was to produce a magazine in 9 weeks of term 1. Each lesson they would sit together in groups. I had to do some direct teaching in that I needed to explain what the different forms of writing were and what their options and due dates were. These were non-negotiable because as a group of year 11 teachers we had come to that decision.
I would give them time to discuss their magazine. For example, what will you theme be? What audience are you aiming for? and so on. Directly after they had 15-20 minutes of discussion I followed up with their journals. I got them to write down their ideas individually and what they had agreed to do as a group. I specifically used the session to teach the skills first and then to work in groups the next.
They had to assign each member of the group specific tasks, especially since their magazine required mote than their 3 articles. For example, some did star signs, advertisements and so on.
Since dates were assigned for work to be finished I employed the groups to not only check over each other's work, but to also brainstorm ideas for each other.
I made it my business each session to spend a little time with each of the groups. It was interesting to see how they pressured each other to do the required task and also how some became a little competitive and somewhat secretive of their work. They did not want other groups to pinch their ideas.
When the groups assigned roles two people were assigned to be the leaders or editors. All the other students had to email their stories to them. The leaders were responsible for putting the finishing touches to the magazine. They would come to class with printouts of their work and discuss their vision or ideas with them.
This worked quite well in that the students were mixing and getting to know each other more. However, when a member was away frequently, they felt that he/she had let the team down. The fact that I was assessing each student individually made it a lot easier. Had I marked the magazine as a group some would have been unhappy for the obvious reasons.
AS part of the process, I asked the students to reflect on their work, how they used their time, positives of working this way, what suggestions they would make to improve it for next time and even grade themselves. They were very honest. Individuals who did not do much admitted their failing and at the same time praised the students who did a lot of the work and deserved better results.
What did I learn?
1.That it was worthwhile and that I would do it again. I did it with my current year 11
English group earlier this year.
2. That it is better to assess people as individuals. They co-operate more, especially the good kids.
3. That they actually do get to know each other a lot more.
4. That they become more willing to share their ideas with each other.
5. Some students were more vocal in smaller groups than in the whole class discussion.
I also learnt that
1. You have to be in 5 places at once.
2. If you place responsibility on their shoulders, most will rise to the occasion
3. It is a good idea to have non-negotiated dates and expectations.
Overall, I learnt from it and now feel quite comfortable to adopt it with each of my classes at least for one topic each term/year, preferably at the beginning of the year.
Vince Demasi
September 2008
Photo credit: very little dave 2007
