Over the course of this semester thus far, we have analyzed the effectiveness of managing group work activities in order to cultivate a student lead learning environment. While this is an effective means of encouraging topic discussion and teaching independent thinking skills, maintaining a focused group during this time is essential to the learning process. As instructors, it is our job to manage discussion and ensure that group work remains oriented to the task at hand. During my visit to Rockbridge County High School, students were tasked with answering questions based on the storyline of the assigned reading from the book they were reading together as a class. The students were instructed to break into teams of approximately two or three, or if they so desired they could work alone. What I found was that initially, this style of organizing the students worked well, they genuinely wanted to collaborate and figure out the answers to the assigned questions. However, after a few minutes, the students began to start talking about the upcoming trip to Washington D.C. as well as the other “more important” things going on at the time.

The teacher noticed the lack of focus and made the decision to end the small group discussion, and then lead the class as a whole to work through the assigned work. While it is true that in productive group work “good teams show a high degree of social sensitivity” (Boss), combined with a high school environment could lead to an increased risk of misdirection. I believe this problem can be solved in just the way that the teacher handled the situation in my class visit: adaptive teaching. Boss makes the assertion that another way group work is an effective means of instruction is by cultivating an environment of respect among group members. She states that “in PBL classrooms where students know they have a voice and that their ideas will be treated with respect” (Boss), group work was far more effective. After bringing the assignment to a class-level activity, the teacher would call on students who she had heard performing well in group work to help guide the class discussion. By doing this, those who had voiced their opinions during group discussions were given the satisfaction of leading the class and were recognized for staying focused.

I think that by observing this ability to think on your feet as an instructor I will be better prepared for my next class visit, and am very excited to try my hand at leading discussion from the other side of the desk.