Group Worthy Tasks

What did I learn?

I learned why some of my group projects have been more successful than others. After reading "Group-Worthy Tasks" by Rachel Lotan I began to reflect on the many group projects I've been involved in over the past year. My experiences, for the most part, have been good, but a project in particular, in an art class (an academic breadth requirement) seemed to go exceptionally well. The assignment was to choose a creation story (a story detailing how a particular culture believed the world began) and create a visual narrative to portray it. My group chose to report on ancient Egypt. Our completed project was truly a collaborative effort - with each member contributing his or her unique talents. I believe we, as a group, were able to produce a higher quality finished product, by working together, than any one of us could have produced, if we had worked individually. The factors that lead to the sucess of this group were many. First, the instructor gave us an early deadline to report back to her regarding the artwork we planned to produce. She wanted to know, specifically, what each member was going to do to contribute to this project. This ensured that we had a clear vision of our project and that we had divided the work among us. Second, she asked us each to write up a group assessment that detailed our group process which included our specific contribution as well as our perception of the contribution of each group member. Thirdly, although no one explicitly took on the roles of facilitator, resource monitor, product monitor and equity manager, various members of my group stepped up to do these tasks.

What do I have questions about?

I have questions about the assessment process for group projects/tasks. Should the teacher assign only a group grade or should there be an individual component to it? My art teacher gave a group grade, but she also allotted a certain number of points for our individual contribution. When we were assigned this project we were told that we would be asked to write an assessment of our own performance as well as an assessment for our peers. This, I believe, was an effetive method of keeping us "on track" and accountable for our contributions to the project.

What are the implications for classroom practice?

The implications for classroom practice are clear. A teacher that assigns group work in math or any other subject must, "deliberately and carefully craft learning tasks that are group-worthy" (Lotan) and that takes effort. It is also important that students are given clear evaluation criteria. Ensuring that each member of a group assumes a particular role; facilitator, resource monitor, product monitor, equity monitor, is also critical for success.