Group Performance

Learning experiences are enhanced when they are shared with others. Flexible grouping is an integral part of the differentiated classroom. Flexible grouping allows the teacher to blend whole-class, individual, and small group work as a way to offer different experiences with different outcomes. Groups are formed and dissolved as needs change to allow for maximum flexibility (Ford, 2005).

Teachers can use one of the following strategies for flexible grouping to demonstrate learning:

• Simulation activities
• Role-playing activities
• Debating activities
• Group composition of music, poetry, and dance

These strategies allow students to demonstrate learning in various ways. The strategy used will depend on the material being covered and the individual abilities of the students.

As discussed in the previous course in this series, grouping can be based upon several criteria. According to Wormelli (2003), there are three general ways that students can be effectively grouped:

1. According to readiness for a particular kind of skill (current point of progress)
2. According to interests (personal relevance)
3. Based upon learning profiles (including learning styles, multiple intelligences, personality types, and similar attributes that form learning readiness, as well as the special culture or life experiences in their backgrounds)

For groups to be successful, students must clearly understand what is required, and have the skills to maintain the appropriate working environment.

Once students have participated in setting group norms, the teacher reinforces what positive behavior looks like in group work. This ensures the following strategies can be implemented to maximum effect.

Simulation Activities

Simulation activities allow students to adopt a new persona to investigate an issue or experience a real life situation. These activities help students develop empathy and create a deeper understanding of complex situations. Simulation allows students to change the values of the parameters and see what happens. Students develop a feel for which variables are important and the significance of changing parameters.

Simulations provide an effective way to address issues of cultural differences, bias, and environmental challenges.

1. Describe a situation to the class.
2. Have students select a character and decide on their character’s perspective.
3. Students then act out their roles to identify the issues and the attitudes of their character.

When using simulation, employ multiple sources of knowledge and provide students with the ability to visualize and model a concept or event. Many students will be familiar with simulations from video games and other entertainment at home.

Here’s an example of one such simulation activity:

Learning objective: students use critical thinking and teamwork to ‘survive’ on a remote island (this simulation can be used in conjunction with reading Robinson Crusoe).

Use pictures or a slide show to depict a remote island with a large and shallow bay and coconut trees. Explain that their cruise ship has sunk, they have made it to shore in life rafts, and they must wait for a passing ship or airplane to spot them and begin a rescue operation. Divide students into groups of 5 or 6 and instruct them to design a survival plan in which they can gather enough food and drink, and build a shelter to house them until they are rescued. Tell them they must work cooperatively to divide up the tasks into individual or smaller group activities. For example, two of the students may set to work gathering wood and palm leaves to build a structure while two students may scavenge for rocks and sticks to use as tools, and the other student or students can figure out a way to gather coconuts from the trees or fish in the bay. Observe how they divide the tasks. For example, is someone assigned to gather coconuts because he or she is taller or stronger and can climb or shake the tree? Discuss how they can stay safe (working in groups, staying in sight of each other, etc.). Provide suggestions but not solutions. Tell the students that once they have ensured their survival, they must come up with a plan to create something that can be seen from far away by a passing ship or plane so that they can be rescued. You can provide a list of items the students can have with them on the raft at the time they came ashore. Keep it small and simple (e.g., blankets, a magnifying glass, a canteen, a pocket knife, etc.). Provide time (approximately 10 minutes) for students to make decisions and write down their plan. When time is up, conduct a debrief, having a representative from each group discuss their survival plan, starting with what they prioritized and how they divided tasks up based on immediate needs versus long-term survival.

For students in higher grades, you might substitute a simulation of urban planning and land use. In this scenario, a suburban area (select a neighborhood near the school) is planning a large shopping mall. Have student groups take on roles of the various stakeholders: developers, environmentalists, home owners, and business owners. Have each group prepare a presentation for a town meeting to discuss the proposed development.

Role-playing Activities

Role playing is designed to help students understand the pressures involved in interactions they have not yet experienced, but may in the future. It gives them an opportunity to “walk through it” so they are better prepared for a similar, real-life situation.

Role playing also provides an excellent opportunity to investigate other cultures and lifestyles. It can be used as a precursor to:

• a discussion of people’s reaction to problems.
• a starting activity to a creative writing exercise.
• a celebration of a successful experience.

Here’s an example of a role-playing activity that deals with bullying and respect:

Situation: A new student enters the lunchroom and looks for a place to sit. He or she finds an empty chair next to a group of 3 other students, but the chair is taken away and one of the students puts a backpack on it, saying there is no more room. Two other students sit nearby.

The Roles:

• The bully (or bullies)
• The student who is denied a place to sit
• The bystanders

You can arrange the desks or chairs in the class to accommodate this activity. After the role play, ask the students how they felt when assuming the roles of their characters. This role play may be repeated by having students change groups and take on different roles.

Debating Activities

While debating is generally more appropriate for older students, K-6 students can debate issues that are relevant to them. Situations that are taken from their immediate surroundings provide a good basis for debate.

Students can learn to support their own opinions and refute those of others with respect. By preparing well-thought-out arguments and identifying weaknesses in statements, students are clarifying their thinking in ways that will help them to behave more rationally in daily life.

Example:

Healthy eating is a major concern in North America and schools are being urged to promote better nutrition. Create two groups and have each take a position on the “great cupcake debate”. The question is whether birthday treats (cupcakes, cake, or cookies) should be allowed in the school. One side argues for them to be allowed, while the other opposes them. Have each side prepare their arguments and select three students to speak, providing different information about their position. While the actual debate includes only a few of the students, the groups are involved in researching and developing arguments. Debrief students after the debate about how they feel, having heard the arguments of both sides. Ask them what they learned that they did not know before the debate.

Group Composition of Music, Poetry, and Dance

Group composition is a social activity as well as a creative one. Students must negotiate, compromise, and support each other’s ideas. The presentation is less threatening because it is a shared effort. Students do not have to take individual responsibility; they share it with their co-authors.

This activity can be used in a variety of subject areas. For example:

• Language Arts – students can write group poems (couplets and limericks are easy for younger students).
• Physical Education – students can combine dance or gymnastic movements.
• Music – students can put together short pieces of music using the Orff method (a way of introducing and teaching children about music on a level that they can easily comprehend).

Choose a poem or a story to read in class. Ask students to participate by choosing instruments to represent a character or a word in the story or poem. These should be limited to instruments the students are familiar with and can easily use, such as recorders, xylophones, bells, triangles, cymbals, drums, or maracas.

Read the story or poem again, having students add sound effects by playing the instruments they selected. As the lesson progresses, allow students to switch instruments or add other instruments. For students who do not have an instrument, instruct them to act out the story in improvisational dance moves or gestures.

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Assignment:

Click on the resource link to download and complete the Group Composition Activities assignment.

Create a document in MS Word format (.doc or .docx) and indicate which activity you chose, providing your responses to the questions on the worksheet. Use the tool provided below to upload a copy of your completed work.