Creating the right environment for group work takes a good deal of effort. Teachers are sometimes hesitant to take on small group discussions for a number of reasons: they are not always efficient, students may get off task, and the quality or depth of the discussions make it feel less productive than other methods. Never-the-less, the benefits of collaborative discussions can be significant. One of which, is the ability for students to collaborate over complex texts to make meaning together.
These academic discussions don’t happen naturally, however. They require a lot preparation and scaffolding early on with regular coaching over the course of time. As Fisher and Frey (2012) write, there are four predictors of good group work: group tasks that require students to work together, discussions that require academic language, grade level appropriate work, and the opportunity for “productive failure.”
While small group discussions can require a good deal of set-up in the early days of a class, once students become accustomed to the expectations and processes, they become a little less labor intensive for teachers. Here are a few helpful hints that might guide your thinking in designing and implementing collaborative discussions for your.
- Mix up your grouping techniques. A heterogeneous group for these types of discussions work better than homogeneous groups. The ratio suggested here is often two lower functioning students to one higher functioning student (which might seem counter intuitive, but is generally suggested).
- Create scaffolded sentence frames for students who might need help developing their academic language. Here are some examples taken from Rigorous Reading. I disagree with __ because ___. The reason I believe __ is __. The facts that support my idea are __. In my opinion, __. One difference between my idea and yours is __.
- Have a clear goal for the group, and indicate “roles” that each student should take-up to participate.
- Vary accountability measures from group to individual. Sometimes, it could be a simple “sharing out”. Other times it could be a written response. Other times it could be a Discussion Roundtable form, which would look divide a sheet of paper into equal parts for each group member. Individuals fill out each part of that paper (include one for themselves) of the ideas that the group member contributed to the discussion. A circle in the center of the sheet would be designated for a summary of the group’s findings. On the backside of this month’s newsletter you will find a template for this.
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