Oh Gallagher, that's so cliche. I have to disagree with Gallagher's assessment of 3 in a group being the best number (107). Having grown up in a family with 3 kids, I have to say that it's always going to be 2 vs. 1, so having a group of 4 (if it must be more than 2) would be my preference. I do agree though that groups of 2, especially when it's not always the exact same partners, are the best way to go.
I really liked Gallagher's take on Accountability (112). The whole "hitchhiking" thing can be quite interesting to those who are working hard, so any sort of accountability ideas are a good thing. I especially enjoyed the idea of having group projects in which the group members do not know which of them will have to present it to the class, so each of the group members have to have a basic understanding on what the group has done.
I also love the idea of "collaborative groups" and "talking to learn" (122). Tomorrow I am teaching "The Great Gatsby" at Central High School and I hope to incorporate some of this (although I already had planned on doing this before the reading). Students interpreting text on their own, and being able to discuss it with others and bounce ideas off of each other, are important ways for them to think critically. I feel like it's important that they realize the significance of their own interpretations and opinions.
Monday, April 7, 2008
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3 comments:
I have no comment. Just wanted to tell you that you had a catchy title that immediately drew me in...and made me giggle like a schoolgirl. Apologies to any school girls who made read this.
~Stan
well i read it-- but was not offended by the school girl comment...anyway. I think that three to five is a good group number. I think switching it up between activities is also important because certain students would get used to hitchhiking and other things. If you keep the same number of partners throughout the year everytime, students will get used to this and bored with it...but it is always up to the teacher!
In my in-class lesson I used groups of 3. Gallagher didn't influence me in that. I actually forgot that he wrote that. I just did it because I couldn't think of four task for each member in a group of 4. I think it is a good point if you have students in an odd number it could pose a problem if 2 of the 3 students feel strongly about one thing and the other student not so much.
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