These are my notes from the Group learning class and notes I have picked up from other classes that follow that theme. As someone designing curriculum or learning experiences, can you create an environment for group projects or group discussions for success?
Can we set up groups that work in group projects for success?
GROUP DISCUSSIONS
Simply asking good questions does not ensure a good discussion. Discussions depend on students as well as teachers; without students listening, thinking, and speaking, there would be no discussion. Hollander, J. A. (2002). Hollander also goes on to cite literature about how an instructor's ability should not be the central piece of determining whether a classroom discussion succeeds or fails. Faculty mem, but it seems that students play a fundamental role in creating classroom climates. (Fassinger, 1995)
Students might not participate for many reasons. It could be boredom, lack of knowledge, general habits of passivity, cultural norms, or, most compellingly, the fear of being embarrassed. (McKeachie, 1999)
Hollander proposes two strategies for a good group discussion:
A. Shifting the focus to collective Hollander argues group discussions in classrooms or topics should not be viewed as an individual endeavor. They suggest that discussions must be seen as a collective process that gives a collective outcome. Students should be able to build on, extend, contradict, or even take issues with points put forward by other students.
Start with an assignment in class where students write what makes a bad discussion (refer to Hollander for a list). The students then can also write what factors contribute to a good group discussion. As students speak, write the factors on the board or type them out and distribute it to the students for reference towards other classes.
Thought: this seems similar to setting up group norms in group learning.
B. Developing discussion skills Perhaps starting with a reflection exercises, one can start with a personal anecdote. Ask the learners to think about their own self-evaluation, describing their perceived strengths and weaknesses. Then, have them write down one or more specific discussion goals for themselves for the term.
Other IDEAS for active participation in class used in the past from other literature.
Providing opportunities for students to be acquainted with others in class.
Using writing exercises, prior to discussions.
Calling students by name, avoiding sarcasm or ridicule, rewarding infrequent participators with a smile or a positive comment.
Thinking about culture and development as Instructional design. As we learn about culture in instructional design for development of a child, I am wondering how that looks like for adults.
Who is the learner?
Who is the learner?
What do you want your learners to understand? Generative understanding?
Who do you want to understand it?
Thinking about culture and development as Instructional design
Structural knowledge interacts with culture
Analogy-case-based learning-reasoning the neural underpinning of narratives
What is the nature of learning?
The value of certain learning goals over others?
What do you tend to perceive/notice in learning situations?
The greatest destroyer of learning is education- Mark Twain.
There has been a lot of focus on outcome vs. the process.
The interaction of culture and learning
Scaffolding with the rich support of the culture (Vygotsky in contrast to piaget)
Understanding Goals (: ID that accounts for
How do you respect the developmental journey of learners as they branch out?