Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

My desks are organized in sets of four to allow for group activities. Within each group, the students have a specific role: resource representative, scribe, manager, presenter. When assigning seats, I use a mixed ability but common interest approach. Since class sizes have been increased to thirty, I do have a group of two that I will use sometimes for higher or lower level learners. By having my students used to sitting in groups, it forms a sense of consistency and a sense of camaraderie among the children. This method makes classroom management much easier because the manager is the discussion facilitator and group mediator while the resource representative is in charge of gathering, returning as well as monitoring the use of any classroom materials. Presenters share with the class the conclusions their group has drawn, and the scribe writes all needed data during labs. The students know what their role is, what is expected of them and how to effectively complete their task.

Our textbook mentions the use of positive interdependence (p. 140) which I use during my labs. Since the scribe is the only one writing down data, the entire group gets the grade from the paper that the scribe turns in. This approach creates less papers for me to grade, as well as a sense of importance for teamwork. Overall, I love my use of group assignments because it promotes accountability, interpersonal skills, and promotive interaction.

In our resources from this week, I found several useful tools in order to integrate technology in my classroom, while still holding true to my group-based class. My favorite tool I discovered is the JASON project (www.jasonproject.org). Since I am a science teacher, this resource is highly useful for allowing students to complete online labs and explore other areas of scientific study.