COLLABORATIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES

CONCEPT FORMATION: This is really a great strategy for instilling interest in a particular piece of writing.  While it was especially designed for literature students, the technique is equally valuable for social studies activities.  It has a great deal in common with the scientific practice of developing a working hypothesis for a research project.  The idea is to get the students to become involved with the idea of proving or disproving a preliminary idea.

PROCEDURE

Present the students with a list of items, ideas, vocabulary entries, etc.  Ask the students, either in small groups or singly, to make groups of the items in the list and then to formulate some predictions about the subject at hand based on the groupings.  For example, a vocabulary list which has many technical words or ones dealing with astronomy might lead the students to formulate the concept that the piece of literature is going to deal with space in some fashion; a list of “objects” referred to in a Puritan journal could lead to some concept formation about the style of living of those Puritan colonists.

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GRAPHIC IMAGING:  This is a technique designed to guide students of

literature into the sensory images of a piece of literature by tapping into their senses and imaginations. Although it may be used for other pieces of writing, it is an especially effective technique for introducing imagistic poetry.

PROCEDURE

Take the students on a mind journey by softly playing music appropriate to the goal, asking the students to close their eyes, and then imaginatively projecting them into a specific locale by “talking them there.”  For example, this might be an especially good way to introduce the students to My Antonia. The teacher could take the students imaginatively on a journey back in time to view the golden prairie that Antonia sees at the book’s opening.

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MORAL DILEMMAS: This a particularly good exercise in higher thinking skills. It is a strategy that can stand alone as a lesson, or it can be very valuable as an “into” activity to get students involved in a reading assignment.  Although originally designed as an English activity, it has great potential for social studies and science classes, where ethical considerations may well be a desirable part of a learning activity.

PROCEDURE

      The instructor presents to the class some sort of moral dilemma implicit to the work to be studied.  (Sometimes it may be a parallel to a dilemma within the work.)

·       Sketch an outline of the situation.

·       Ask for an immediate response to the situation. (Some student will always voice a highly predictable response to a charged situation.)

·       Then ask for an opposing view.

·       When the polarities have been announced, poll the students as to how many of them line up on which side.

·       Break these sides up into small groups. (About 5 is best and maximum.)

·       Give the students in the small groups all time necessary to marshal and prioritize all of their reasons for supporting their particular view.

·       When you call “Time,” have each group’s spokesman present one supporting argument to the group as a whole.

·       AT THIS POINT, NO REBUTTAL IS ALLOWED!

·       Continue going around the groups until all initial reasoning has been advanced.

·       After this activity has been exhausted, entertain rebuttal only for as long as you think profitable.

·       The moral dilemma exercise should be brought to closure in some formal fashion, usually with a written response.

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READING LOGS/JOURNALS:  Such journals and records are ways of keeping students focused on reading assignments.  It is easy for students to get off task when reading a particular work or passage silently.  Such logs act as “products” of their activities and provide impetus for students staying on task.

PROCEDURE

·       Students may use the dialectic journal method of logging their reading.  This is especially satisfactory if the text is dense or if actual “study” is needed.

·       Logs or reading diaries are efficient for keeping track of novel readings, or other long reading pieces. (Students

       Keep a reading diary, making summary entries each       time some reading is accomplished.  Entries are written    as prose summaries and critiques and are dated.

·       Quick writes are initial brief responses to material just read. 

SENSORY RECALL:  Although this technique was developed for actors who are preparing for a role, it is very helpful to get a student actor, writer, or student of literature in touch with his actual feelings or sensory impressions for a particular occasion.  For example, a student actor is assigned toprepare for the role of a monomania murderer and has no means of getting to an understanding of the character.  The director (teacher) requires the student to go back in time to a moment when he was being driven crazy by a persistent fly or mosquito. At that time, the director begins to fill in the scenario, through side-coaching,  The insect becomes increasingly bothersome, the student reaches for a magazine and misses the insect.  The student swings again and again, finally becoming obsessed with killing the insect.  The pest lands on the student, which action moves the victim to a fever pitch of frustration.  The student then kills the insect with great glee and no remorse.  In this way, the student comes to an inner understanding of sensory or emotional content he could not otherwise grasp well. 

                  In the same way this technique can be used in a regular classroom by asking students to recall a moment when

·       Fill in with the appropriate recall situation (This is the trickiest point to select appropriate parallels.)

·       Have students do the recall to the point where they are in touch with the  feelings

·       Students should then respond on paper to the experience.

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STUDY GROUPS: Various study group configurations may be very helpful in focusing student exploration of assigned readings or research.  They may be used for any of the academic subjects.

PROCEDURES

Expert groups:  Small groups become highly knowledgeable about a single aspect of a subject, reporting back to the class and standing for questioning.

Matched pairs: Students are randomly assigned to a study pair  by counting off or the teacher may make the assignments based on matching learning styles or skills. This is particularly valuable for assisting LLD or other special needs students.

Small group read-arounds: This is particularly valuable for group critiquing or peer of written work. To make this valuable, the teacher needs to spend time teaching all students the particulars of the rubric to be employed. 

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