"Whenever teachers talk about grouping, it seems the number one question revolves around the size of groups: How large should the group be? Following closely are questions of control: Who should choose the group members?" --Peter Knowles
Working together productively requires organizing students for group work, structuring the project tasks for self management, and organizing learning activities that move students along.
Student Grouping
The Global Challenge project combines individual research on assigned
countries with group work in analyzing, selecting and presenting the best
location for the production company, MOI. Peter groups students in teams
of four. All teams need to collect and analyze information on eight Latin
American countries from which they select the location for MOI. The countries
students are responsible for, drawn randomly at the beginning of the project,
determine teams. A group of students remains together to the end of the
project. Peter shares his thinking about group size and selection.
Scheduling
The project takes place in three phases over five-weeks.
Phase I & II research and country profiling take about one week each.
Phase III selection and preparation of the persuasive presentation
takes another two weeks. An additional week is need to introduce the project
and to give final presentations.
On a given day, students will work in several different settings and groupings. They usually begin in whole class for announcements, brief instruction, or a demonstration. They move next to group work at their desks in the classroom, at the computers in the classroom, or in the library. Peter schedules and announces rotations for groups to switch settings, dividing up the 90-minute period as needed.
Getting Started
Early
on in the Challenge, class time is devoted to task definition activities
that address the following questions:
- What would make a corporation choose one country over another for a new production facility?
- What features distinguish one country from another?
- What drawbacks might there be for country chosen for new industrial development?
- What qualities make a good piece of writing?
- What qualities make a good oral presentation?
- How can you make sure everyone in a group fulfills his/her role?
- What can you do to solve problems within a group?
On some questions, Peter organizes a brainstorming activity that begins
with generating ideas as a whole class and moves to groups. The groups'
brainstormed ideas are recorded in concept maps using a software application
called Inspiration. 
Learning Together
Peter works to bring every student's voice and ideas into whole class and small group discussions, with varying success. He recreated a couple of dialogs in the following scripts:
Developing Skills
To address varying computer skill levels, Peter develops self-guided tutorials such as this one that walks students through spreadsheet and graphing using the data that they generate during research:
At times a group will work on extension activities that build skills. This study guide helps students to focus on the map reading skills covered in a video.
Staying Organized
Peter structures group work during rotations through activities. He uses simple organizers that keep students on track.
Monitoring Progress
"These tools help me check on where kids are...it's
a good way to track whole group dynamics." --Peter
Peter acquired a handheld personal digital assistant (PDA) called the
Newton, as part of a grant-funded technology project. Although
the device is no longer in production he continues to use it with software
called Learner Profile, that allows him to enter checklists of
observable skills and processes. When he meets with small groups, he records
his observations using the touch pad entry and stylus. He can keep systematic
track of things such as physical presence with the group or contributing
to group discussion. He finds that it gives him an objective look at individual
students within a group.
Producing Results
"Right now I'm a little behind, so I really need to kick into gear and get moving. But other than that I manage my time well and try to get as much done as I can in class." --Tim, a student
Peter finds that most students are able to meet the fast-paced timeline and complete their work both individually and in groups. Student work samples below show a Phase I Country Profile, the brief synthesis of research data used to make decisions later in Phase III about the best country for locating MOI. A Phase III proposal and presentation slide show is also shown below.
Revisiting Group
Work
At the end of the school year with several Global Challenges behind them, Peter and a student discussed the benefits of working in groups. From a teacher's perspective it develops important life skills and his student sees group work for the positive impact on social interactions.
- Peter and
a student reflect on group work (video--requires
QuickTime 4)
(text transcript)
