This worked pretty well.
I would adjust the cards for every class.
But I soon tired of handing out and then collecting them all again.
While it probably only took a minute,
It was too much time being non-productive in my eyes!
Surprisingly, we never lost a card!
If I were to use cards in the future,
I would stick a library card pocket on every board for the cards,
Making collecting them easier as I move around the room.
We switched to the app Team Shake.
I had read about this app on the Building Thinking Classrooms Facebook group.
What a quick way to create truly random groups!
Plus, I could discreetly shake my phone to create a new set of groups
if I happened to notice a pairing that wouldn't work that day.
We never had more than three at a board.
And even then, this sometimes was too many
As the third participant would sometimes take the passive seat in the learning process.
A couple hurdles that we had to get over with random groups was
1) the concept of being kind to others, even if you don't want to be in their group
2) not wandering to other groups to talk to friends
When these things happened, we would revisit the group expectations
and the importance of being kind and being able to work with others.
Students reported on the reflection survey their thoughts about the random groups.
"I like them because it shows you different people and their struggles with the problems so you can help them."
"I felt like I just got partners that didn't do anything or people I just didn't get along with."
"It depended on who you are working with for it to be a good learning experience."
"[Random groups] were good because I could get help or my team could get help."
"Random groups are better so we don't just choose our friends."
"It was great because you didn't have the same people all the time."
"It would help us know more about each other and it helps cause it's a different person trying to explain it if you don't get it."
"I liked it because you got to share info with people you've never met before."
"It was nice because not only did you get to see how other people learn, it really helps you learn how to work with others."
"I disliked random groups because I would get people that would mess around."
I will continue to incorporate random groups next year.
To help with working with and getting to know others, we might need to use more
1) Kagen Cooperative structures and
2) Get to know you activities at the beginning of the year.
This might also need to be repeated when classes switch for the second semester.
I might also incorporate a peer rubric of sorts.
(Was this mentioned in a following chapter?)
The rubric would help students remember the expectations when working at the boards.
Just off the top of my head right now...
--> Contributes their thinking/ideas
--> Asks questions of the group
--> Utilizes the marker when it's their turn
--> Stays engaged at the group's board
--> Respects those in the group
Students could rate themselves and also rate the peers in their group.
For each expectation, students would assign a number.
2 -- Expectations were met on a consistent basis
1 -- Some expectations were met and some need work
0 -- Most expectations were not met
I would not use this as a grade, but as a tool for growth.
After collecting data for a week/month, I would share averaged scores with each student.
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