Building a Learning Team
Imagine that your classroom is a lake, and your job is to be sure that all your students successfully make it across. The water represents the knowledge that students must acquire in order to pass the course. Sometimes the water is very smooth and sometimes it is very choppy. You are the coxswain whose job it is to set the pace and help steer your students through sometimes troubling waters to the other side. In the ordinary classroom, each student, although part of the class, seems to be in his or her own boat. They all begin the course at the same time and individually make it to the finish line or not; you carefully guide each one of them. There are other ways that you could achieve the same goal. It is possible, for example, to put all of your students in the same boat and have them act as a team, working together, to get across the lake. Each student must still acquire the knowledge and skills he or she needs to be successful. Rather than being alone in this pursuit, however, students must work together to complete the course. In other words, they become team players.
Given the nature of today's student body population, it is very important that we, as instructors, structure our courses to accommodate students in meaningful ways. Our students are an eclectic mix. Some are recent graduates of high schools. Some are just beginning their post high school education, and some are just finishing. Some are wives and mothers. Some are senior citizens. Some are husbands and fathers. Some are full-time students. Some are part-time students. Some hold full-time jobs and have family responsibilities. While it would be nice to assume that because these people are all students they learn in the same way, that is not the case. Each of today's students brings a unique background, learning history, and life experience that can only enliven the classroom experience. In fact, a lack of common background and experience among students makes it even more important to build a learning team or teams in the class. After all, students in one class are all in the same boat. Rather than students rowing across the lake by themselves, they should all be in the same craft heading toward a common purpose. The journey is made easier for all concerned because of the diverse energy and experience each individual student brings to the group. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
There are a number of ways tp build learning teams. The most obvious would be to design assignments and class projects and/or presentations as group efforts. Each student would ultimately be responsible for a different part of the assignment. A specific topic could be assigned, for example: "Based on your research of the period studied, present a pro/con debate on the merits of the Embargo of 1820." Or a specific problem could be presented to the group in which they must decide how to come up with a solution, for example: “Each of your committees has been asked to prioritize the five most important high risk clean-up sites for the Environmental Protection Agency. Be prepared to defend your list as a group effort." By their nature, these types of assignments force students to work together. Time should be provided in class for these groups to meet. If the class members are all technically sophisticated, they will also be able to conference online outside of class.
If your course involves distance learning, then it is doubly important to structure your course so there is interaction between and among class members and yourself. Oftentimes the comments of one class member helps another class member grasp a sophisticated concept or idea. Questions asked by one student may help another to realize something that he or she does not know. This, then, leads the second student to ask a question which, when answered, unlocks the door to his or her understanding. Only through a concerted effort on your part will this happen.
The experiences of the older, sometimes more serious, students will often help less mature students rise to the task at hand. The innocence and enthusiasm of younger students often help more mature students to think outside of the box. Perhaps young males need to hear an older woman's views on reproductive rights or free speech. Remember, your class has been brought together randomly from a variety of students with uncommon experiences among them. Only through a conscious effort on your part will the natural barriers that exist begin to disappear and the individuals in the class meld together to become a dynamic class. It may take a while for all members of the course team to get their paddles in the water at the same time and have the same determination. It may take a while for them to achieve the same rhythm, but once accomplished, the course, like a racing scull, will glide to the finish beautifully.
Web Sites:
Cooperative Learning Center at the University of Minnesota: Learn about the principles of cooperative learning and discover resources for integrating cooperative models into the classroom.
http:// www.clcrc.com
Stuart Atkins, Inc: Provides programs to help teams and individuals work on communication skills.
http://www.stuartatkins.com
