Teaching and Learning With Groups
Keys to Success


An Online Graduate Course

Table of Contents

Course Description

Teaching and Learning with Groups: Keys to Success presents proven methods for teaching students through group projects. Based on research and years of practice, this model helps teachers avoid the pitfalls and capitalize on the many benefits of cooperative learning. The skills and procedures taught in this course and practiced in applied assignments will enable educators to motivate students to develop important life skills for working in teams while learning subject matter more completely.

Course Objectives

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Time Requirements

This course will be offered over a period of 13 weeks. Modules 1 through 8 will be completed one per week. Modules 9 and 10 will be completed over a five-week period so students will have time to revise and complete the final integration project.

Skill and Hardware Requirements

Students are expected to have a very basic knowledge of how to use an Internet browser such as Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or America Online (AOL). Students should also be familiar with e-mail and have an active e-mail account and Internet access. In addition, students should possess basic word processing skills.

Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 95 or higher. Teachers may use either Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, or the latest version of AOL as their browser. Teachers may download Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer at no cost.

Course Materials

The required textbook for this course is Circles of Learning: Cooperation in the Classroom, 4th ed. David W. Johnson, Roger T. Johnson, & Edythe Johnson Holubec, Interaction Book Co., 1993. A variety of readings will be referenced throughout the course. Other supplemental readings will be provided.

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Course Outline

Module I
Overview of Issues About Group Learning
Module II
Cooperative, Competitive & Individualistic Approaches
Content:
  1. Recall Past Experiences With Group Learning
  2. Identify Concerns About Assigning Group Projects
  3. Brainstorm Issues Needing to be Addressed Before Assigning Group Work
  4. Identify Types of Cooperative Learning Groups
  5. Examine School Wide Issues Related to Group Work
  6. Understand Faculty Dynamics Which Support Group Action
 Content:
  1. Compare and Contrast 3 Approaches to Learning
  2. Identify Strengths and Weakness of Each Approach
  3. Identify Outcomes Best Achieved by Each Method
  4. Examine Research Findings Regarding Social Inter-Dependence
  5. Master 5 Essential Components of Successful Group Projects
  6. Discover 6 Teacher Benefits of Group Projects
Module III
Benefits and Needs for Team Skills
Module IV
Maximizing Individual Differences in Groups
Content:
  1. Examine The Needs of Employers For Team Players
  2. Identify Interpersonal and Group Skills Needed by Students and Citizens
  3. Examine Benefits of Group Work to Students and Teachers
  4. Understand Effective Learning Research Regarding Different Forms of Teaching and Learning
  5. Understand Research on Achievement and Competitiveness
  6. Survey Psychological and Educational Roots of Cooperative Learning and Social Interdependence
  7. Survey History of Practical Implementation of Cooperative Learning
  8. Identify 7 Positive Outcomes of Cooperation
 Content:
  1. Understand Challenges and Benefits of Different Personality Strengths in Groups
  2. Apply Learning Styles Research to Group Process and Lesson Design
  3. Teach Students to Appreciate and Utilize Member Differences
Module V
Skills Needed by Students for Group Work
Module VI
Insuring Fair Participation & Grading of Group Projects
Content:
  1. The 12 Inch Voice
  2. Listening and Accepting Differing Opinions and Ideas
  3. Negotiating Project Approaches and Tasks
  4. Keeping Focused and On-Task
  5. Constructive Confrontation and Conflict Resolution
  6. Learning 9 Needed Group Roles
  7. Roles of the Teacher as Facilitator and Supervisor
 Content:
  1. Identify 9 Forces Hindering Group Performance
  2. Ways to Structure Positive Interdependence
  3. Ways to Divide Group Work Roles Equally
  4. Grading Methods Which Tie Reward to Effort and Performance
  5. Survey Many Types of Assessments Including Performance-Based, Authentic, Total Quality Learning, Peer Assessment, Self-Rating
  6. Teaching Students How to Handle Problems Which Arise
  7. Group Processing Skills for Students and Teachers
  8. Group Celebrations as a Culminating Activity
Module VII
Many Structures, Many Outcomes
Module VIII
Teacher Competencies To Facilitate Group Learning
Content:
  1. Ways Groups Can be Used to Achieve Learning Outcomes
  2. Deciding Group Size, Student Assignments, Room Arrangement, and Group Roles
  3. Structuring Tasks, Outcomes, and Creating Common Goals
  4. Specifying Individual and Group Behaviors
  5. Identify Different Types of Cooperative Lessons
 Content:
  1. From "Sage On The Stage" to "Guide On The Side"
  2. Teacher Skills and Behaviors: Teaching vs. Facilitating
  3. Monitoring and Intervening
  4. 8 Guidelines for Teacher Monitoring
  5. Providing Task Assistance and Social Skills
  6. Processing and Providing Closure
  7. "If You're Working Too Hard You're Not Letting The Students Learn It!" - Facilitating - Learning by Doing
  8. Ways to Make Cooperative Group Work Motivating
  9. Reasons Cooperative Learning is Worth the Effort
Module IX
Options, Functions & Types of Groups in All Subjects
Module X
Planning, Implementation & Obtaining Support
Content:
  1. Learn Informal and Formal Group Structures
  2. Examine 5 Long-Term Benefits of Group Work
  3. Integrating Types of Cooperative Learning in a Lesson or Unit
  4. 3 Essential Group Roles
  5. 4 Levels of Cooperative Skills
  6. 5 Steps in Teaching Cooperative Skills
  7. Examine Cooperative Learning Lessons for Various Subject Areas
  8. Learn Guidelines for Creating Lessons and Projects
  9. Ways of Sharing Products and Outcomes
 Content:
  1. Designing Lessons and Projects for Implementation
  2. Methods for Obtaining Professional Support and Assistance
  3. Selling the Program to Parents and Administrators
  4. 3 Key Activities of a Teaching Team
  5. 3 Steps for Creating a Cooperative School
  6. 7 Characteristics of a Cooperative School
  7. 5 Steps for Refining Cooperative Learning
  8. 5 Leadership Actions for School Improvement
  9. Start Small and Build on Successes

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Grading Criteria

Assignment
Points
Forum Participation 30
Reading Assignments 20
Final Integration Project 30
Final Exam 20
Total Points 100

Grading Scale
93 - 100A
85 - 92B
77 - 84C

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Student Requirements

  1. Actively participate in all Forum activities.

  2. Complete all reading assignments. Keep a word-processed journal, reflecting upon the major ideas in the assigned readings and the application of those ideas in your school and classroom. This journal should have a minimum of five entries of 200-300 words in length.

  3. Complete the Final Integration Project. Review research and literature on group-centered learning and identify several major findings or themes. Based on these key research themes, design a unit of study for your students. This unit should consist of five group-centered lessons, each containing a list of objectives and a description of activities and content.

  4. Pass a final exam.

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