In class today, I handed out the guidelines for your group projects, and those of you who were in class got to meet the other members of your group and start coordinating your plans for getting the project underway.
Feel free to post here with questions, comments, observations on this requirement (or any of its component parts). You can of course e-mail me at any time if you have questions or concerns, but if you post a query here, your classmates will get the benefit of it.
Feel free as well to reflect on the nature of group work. Some people love it, some people hate it. Where do you stand, and why? What do you see as the benefits of these kinds of projects? What are its drawbacks? What aspects of this assignment have you particularly worried?
[My take on it: As I said in class, I am aware of the pitfalls, and I try very hard to structure the requirements and evaluation to avoid them: to minimize busywork, eliminate initial floundering, reward those who take the assignment seriously, and penalize those who rely on the hard work of others. Still no system is foolproof, and having to rely on the work of others is always more stressful than being in exclusive control of your own work. That said, I am a slow convert to the merits of group work: it has real pedagogical payoffs that are worth the stress it generates--but I'm interested in where you stand, as we get the semester underway.]
Deadline: Wednesday (2/3), 1pm (posts before midnight on Saturday, 1/29, will count towards Week 2; after midnight on Saturday, they'll count toward Week 3).
13 comments:
Just to clarify, we are basically leading class for the full 50 minutes, correct? What are some suggestions you have in filling that time? I know you briefly mentioned video clips and things of that nature, any other ideas?
I find it difficult to give a ten minute speech, let alone a 50 minute lesson. Would it be okay to have students get into groups and do an activity (5-10 minutes maybe) so that it takes up some time and allow students to discuss the material? Maybe create a worksheet with questions for them to fill out in their small groups?
In the past, a lot of groups have found they cam fill the time with a mixture of lecture (short 5-minute explanation of cultural/historical background) interspersed with discussion questions. Some groups divide the class into four and each group member leads a more intimate discussion. Some groups are able to effectively use small group activities. Feel free to be creative--so long as your learning goals are clear, are met, and bear directly on the material you've assigned. In the next couple of weeks I'll be modeling a few different discussion formats; it's also a good idea in the next couple of weeks to pay attention to your professors and how they keep a class engaged and produce effective discussion.
Hope this helps!
KW
In starting my reseach on our subject I am finding that the few sources I have looked up(and I mean a very few as I am just getting started) have pointed to primary texts that fall just outside of our time period. I am sure with futher research I will find some that are more appropriate. But I am wondering how strict we should be on the later 18th century dates?
I'd encourage you to hold out for primrary texts that fall squarely in our time period--you will find them! particularly for your topic: sentiment and sensibility. Don't be in *too* big a hurry to nail down your primary texts--part of the reason I assign the annotated bibliography first is to encourage you to look around a little and discover what's out there.
Secondary texts that discuss earlier/later works are a different matter: if a particular article or book helps you understand your topic, but it mostly analyzes slightly later/earlier works, you can still use it for your bibliography.
One challenge that your (lexijoma's) group--and a few others--is going to face is that a lot of the texts (not all) that critics writing on your topic analyze are novels, particularly HUGE novels like Pamela and Clarissa. Assigning an excerpt from such a book is fine, so long as you get to know the novel well enough to be confident that your excerpt is well chosen and that you can explain its context and relation to the larger work to the class.
For me, group projects have always been the one type of assignment that fills me with dread. In the past, (during high school and grade school) I somehow always ended up in groups with people who never wanted to put forth any effort and also knew that I would end up completing all the work due to my insatiable need to finish projects in a timely fashion. I think that one of the elements that drew me to being an English major was its predominantly independent nature--I'd write papers, reflections, and critical analyses on my own and be subjected to the sole grading opinion of my professor. However, my assumption was incorrect, as I have done more group work within my major than I ever could have imagined.
From my negative experiences of my earlier education and the more positive experiences that my undergraduate classes have brought me, I feel as though group work is not as horrific as I once thought it to be. Truthfully, much of my own work and research has been enhanced by the ideas and opinions of my fellow classmates. Obviously the same problem of one person being saddled with all the work still exists, but it is much less prevalent in a major where revising is a constant practice in our work.
My major concern with this assignment, as Cholie mentioned in this thread, is the 50 minute lesson plan. The class period flys by when I am just sitting and taking notes, but I fear that having to control and drive a whole class is more of a daunting task than I am aware of...
I hate group projects. This one is better than most, and given the way this class is formatted (with the class deciding a lot of the syllabus), it's difficult to avoid group work.
I think the handout is fantastic, but it could really benefit from a concise list of everything that's due, when it's due, and how many points it's worth at the beginning. This would not only clarify what's going on, but it would help make the project seem less daunting. Another suggestion I have is for a handout with a sample lesson plan from a past semester. Seeing an example that worked in the past might make people feel more comfortable, especially groups that have to go early.
One small fear: what if someone drops the class in the middle of the project? I'm not sure if that situation has arisen before, but that could really hurt a group if they were counting on someone.
RS has a great suggestion: "a concise list of everything that's due." Since I'll have to devise something of the sort when I make the grading spreadsheet for the group units, I'll try to do that sooner rather than later, so that everyone can have a quick reference for the deadlines.
The possibility of someone dropping is a concern. Obviously, such a situation creates more work for the other members of the group--on the other hand, the fewer people in the group the easier that logistics and coordination become, so there's a tradeoff. Of course, if someone drops at a particularly bad moment (say, the day before the bibliography is due, leaving that person's portion of it incomplete), it could hurt unfairly hurt the grades of the others in the group. Two things: (1) the self-assessment give you an opportunity to let me know about these kinds of problems and take them into account in evaluating your work; (2) even though the course enrollment is at capacity, it's still a small enough class that I can make adjustments as needed to accommodate these kinds of unforeseen circumstances.
Bottom line: let me know what's going on! Because so much of the course is structured around the group projects, I have a large stake in seeing that each group is working smoothly and on schedule to make their unit a functioning part of the class's learning. Problems (a group member dropping, for example) that jeopardize your ability to teach the material you're responsible for are going to be a problem for the class as a whole. I'd rather help you solve such problems than slap you with a bad grade as you flounder.
I have a very strong love-hate relationship with group work. I have had some groups that were amazing, and others that were far from it. It can be a great experience, with the right group.
There are certainly some aspects of group work that are great. Certain people are better with the various aspects of a presentation. Some are better at public speaking, while others may be amazing at research. In that respect, I love group work. It is a great way to play on each person's strengths.
On the other hand, group projects require you to rely heavily on other group members. The project is not completely in my control, which bothers me at times. For some groups this never becomes an issue, but it does happen. When there is a person that does not wish to do their share of the work, it leaves you in a difficult situation.
In general, I don't mind group work. Being able to work in a group is a great skill to have in the long run. At the same time though, it certainly adds a higher level of stress. The length of the presentation does have me a bit worried as well. After seeing that having group discussion is acceptable though, I feel less worried. Half of my group was not in class Friday, which also worried me a tiny bit. I too was curious about what happens if a group member drops the class, but the previous messages have helped calm that fear a bit too.
I have always hated working in groups when they count for a large portion of our grade. In the past, I have always experienced group members who do nothing for the entire project and expect to receive the grade that all the other members who work deserve.
I prefer working in groups when there it can clearly be seen who did what part of the work; when everyone has to complete their own designated part of the project but missing out on a part will not hurt the rest of the group's grade.
The one time I do like to work in groups is when we are discussing homework or writings such as we did on class Friday. I think small groups can be helpful in understanding difficult works and provide other ways of thinking about certain writings.
From some of the responses here, I get the impression that a lot of people took "lead a 50 minute class" to mean "lecture for 50 minutes." Far from it! In fact, even if your group has a lot of material and members who love public speaking, I'd caution you against taking that approach.
Your classmates will get a lot more out of your presentation if you draw them into it through some form of discussion. Depending on your topic, your group may need to provide some background information on key concepts, authors, or historical context, but I'd encourage you to limit such exposition to 5-10 minutes. Three five-minute bursts interspersed with class discussion of your readings will be more effective than one 15-minute lecture followed by "And what do you guys think?"
I really don’t mind working in groups. As an Advertising major (with an English minor), group work has become second nature to me since every single one of my advertising classes has at least one group project component to it. I actually enjoy group work since it gives you the opportunity to bounce back ideas off of one another and allows you to learn from your peers rather than just from an instructor. Not to mention that you get to meet awesome new people that you wouldn’t have met otherwise! However, like most people, I too am always concerned with having a group member who slacks off and doesn’t put as much effort into the project as everyone else. That is my major concern, but out of the dozens of group projects I’ve done as an undergrad I’ve experienced that misfortune only once. All of my other experiences were fairly positive.
Also, as far as leading the class for 50 minutes, it sounds worse than it is. I did a similar project to this in one of my previous English classes, and to keep the class engaged we passed out worksheets that they could fill out during the discussion. Another group split the class into two teams giving the discussion a more competitive feel, but I don’t know how well that would work with analyzing poetry. And I agree with Kirstin, the groups that I was able to effectively learn from were the ones that did not focus on having long speaking points but rather when there was an ongoing discussion.
I really don't enjoy group projects; I guess for me the biggest deterrent is having the bulk of your grade rely on the work ethic of others, so I usually end up volunteering for most of the work because I can trust myself to try to do the best work possible. As an undergrad, I've had mixed results with group projects; some of the time I'll end up with a great group that has similar goals as myself, but a couple of times I have been left responsible for a large amount of the work, and that can be really frustrating.
However, I think that when done the right way, group work can be a great learning experience. As an English major, one of my favorite aspects of literature is the fact that two or three people can read the same thing and come up with a completely different analysis, and so group work/discussion is a great way to learn and get multiple perspectives.
The group project for this class seems like it might go fairly smoothly just because a lot of the work can be divided up among the individual members so that not a lot of work falls just on one person. As my group presents first, I feel kind of stressed out because it doesn't feel like we have a whole lot of time to prepare, but hopefully things will go smoothly.
My perspective of group projects mirrors closely to that of the opinion offered by KMS. I will agree there definitely are some distinct advantages to group work. Participating in a project requiring contributions from several individuals in order for that project to be a success can be quite the educational experience. It fosters a need to develop solid communication between group members and forces those individuals on the team to cooperate and coordinate their energy towards an objective larger than themselves (if done properly, of course).
The lack of enthusiasm I do have for group projects stems from (what else) several not-so-good experiences in the past. A common problem with the failure of a group is the neglect some of the members of this group have for the responsibilities associated with their role within the group. But a more concerning problem (at least in my experience) is not suffering due to the lack of participation from the other members, but having to push those individuals towards completing the requirements necessary in order to earn a satisfactory mark for the project. Essentially, more effort and energy from me is required without much return reflected in the grade. Though I would be happy to be convinced otherwise.
Despite these reservations, I think the success of the group depends largely on the composition of the members of that group and of how they relate to one another as a whole. I think it may have to do less with the grade given or the role assigned within the group than the chemistry and interaction between the members.
Post a Comment