I have not been able to get onto the blog until today, so I have been keeping a document of my responses in case I ever got on to this. :) Thanks for interesting comments.
I agree with the statement by Marianne Evans about students learning to master skills when working in groups. I put my 8th grade honors classes into groups of 5-6. Each group read a different novel, but all had a similar theme. Because this was an honors class, the groups were homogeneous for the most part, but the group dynamics were based on the student's first choice of novels. They had about 12 class periods to read the book, discuss as they went and be accountable for reporting to the rest of the class. At the end of the time period, I gave the students an accountability form to fill out; specific tasks needed to be accomplished by the time they completed the book. One of the questions I asked on the form was to describe the best and worst part of working in the group. I was extremely pleased, but surprised at the responses I received on this assignment. Many of the students said that they were a little nervous being in a group with people they might not have known well, and didn't pick to be with in a group.At the end of the time frame, the students mentioned that they had learned a lot about the book because the other group members often had different interpretations or understandings of what was happening. I was happy with the results and intend to do this again next year.
I like what you have shared, and hope that you will share more about your group work. I would like to do literature circles next year and would appreciate any advice or help you are willing to impart. By the way, I was just invited to be a part of the blog this week also, so don't feel too bad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. I have been trying to encourage students to share literature they have been reading. It has been a bit difficult to get much depth. I would like to see your accountability form.
ReplyDeleteI have already established the fact that I am illiterate on the computer or I would put my accountability sheet on here. So, I will bring a copy when we leave if you'd like or else email me and I'll send an attachment.
ReplyDeleteI agree on the depth issue with students. My students are usually guilty of doing the least amount of work and hoping for the most amount of credit. This form gave me some insight into some of the kids that I hadn't seen before.
I have also found that blogging about a book is a very effective "accountability" procedure. The particular blog that I utilized had a feature where the students blogged under pseudonyms. This was a great feature for 8th graders who never find it "cool" to admit that not only are they reading the book, they are enjoying it. The anonymity also facilitated admissions of students who weren't getting it and allowed their colleagues to step in and explain stuff. The software is free and extremely user friendly. Email me if you are interested and I'll send you a link.
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