Making Group Work Productive

Making Group Work

Productive

Making Group Work

Productive

PowerPoints available at www.fisherandfrey.comClick on “Resources”

Quick Draw– Reflect on the concept of Productive Group Work

by creating a visual that represents it.– Take a minute to write a description of your idea.

– Find a partner in the room who does NOT teach:• In your school, content area, or grade level• Share your ideas and discuss how PGW

connects to today’s understanding:

Immersing oneself in reflection and learning, leads to personal growth, positive effects on others and can

be enhanced by high levels of collaboration.

Today’s Work• Explore more PGW

– Purpose– Accountable Conversations– Strategies– #diffaea9

• Time to work on planning for PGW or differentiated instruction

**Next steps- Managing PGW and Making it Purposeful

Students work together to solve problems, discover information, and complete projects

Students use the “language of the lesson”

Purposes of Productive Group Work

It is not:•Ability grouping

•For introducing new information or new skills

The Keys to PGWStudents must be taught how to talk with one another.Teachers need to know how to move them. Know what you’re looking and listening for.Make tasks engaging and interactive.

Accountable Talk

Describes high levels of engagement and critical thinking among learners

• Accountability that discussions are on the topic• Accountability to use accurate information• Accountability to think deeply about what is

being saidAccountable talk focuses on something rigorous and relevant- what does this look like in your classroom?

Promoting Accountable Talk• Press for clarification and explanation:

Could you describe what you mean?• Require justification of proposals and challenges:

Where did you find that information?• Recognize and challenge misconception:

I don’t agree because ... • Demand evidence for claims and arguments:

Can you give me an example?• Interpret and use each other’s statements:

David suggested … Institute for Learning, University of Pittsburgh

Students in Action

Listen for direct quotes that show:•ways the students justify their arguments•how the students press for clarification and explanation

Accountable Talk Video

Iowa Core Connection• How does this aspect of PGW fit with the Iowa Core

Essential Concepts and Skills?

• In your grade spans, dig into the Employability Skills content- note the following:– What are the concepts and skills for your grade span?– What do those concepts and skills look like?– Do you currently teach these skills or is it something that

is expected of your students? How does this differ throughout the classrooms of your school?

– What might it look like to teach your students these skills?

Planning for Accountability

• Read through the section of the article entitled Spotlight on Respectful Discourse.

• Keeping your Employability Concepts and Skills in mind, how could these activities be adapted/used to fit your students needs?

The Keys to PGWStudents must be taught how to talk with one another.Teachers need to know how to move them. Know what you’re looking and listening for.Make tasks engaging and interactive.

Collaborative Problem Solving

Engaging and interactive tasks that have students working together to resolve problems.

What are your favorite ways to encourage collaboration between students? What are the benefits

and challenges?

• Students are consolidating their understanding

• Negotiating understanding with peers

• Engaging in inquiry• Applying knowledge to

novel situations

Consider the following to kick it up a notch…

Productive Group Instructional StrategiesProductive Group Instructional Strategies

Expert Strategy Share• At your tables, discuss the following for

each strategy listed:– what it is, – examples for its use, and – considerations for use

• Please list strategies with which no one in your group is familiar on a post-it note

Reading• Literature Circles• Collaborative

Strategic Reading• Reciprocal Teaching• Partner reading• Jigsaw

Sample Instructional RoutinesSample Instructional Routines

Writing• Progressive Writing• Paired Writing• Peer response• GIST writing• Collaborative poster



Oral Language• Think-Pair-Square• Numbered Heads Together• Socratic Seminar• Walking Review• Novel Ideas Only

Free powerpoints at http://www.worldofteaching.com

Treasure Hunt

• Post questions around the room

• Distribute one answer sheet per student

• After returning to home base, groups submit a rationale for how they solved each sequence using conversational roundtable

How have you helped today?

Did you offer help?

Did you ask for help?

Did you accept help?

Did you nicely decline help so

you could try it yourself?

Considerations for Use• Not for new material, use as a review• Follow-up conversations are critical• No duplicate answers• Flap vs. no flap• Safety considerations for creative hiding• PGW during hunt vs. PGW after hunt• Importance of the organizer• Always design with the Iowa Core Content and

Characteristics of Effective Instruction in mind

Mathematical Treasure-hunt: Sequences

15

?

Mathematical Treasure-hunt: Sequences

47

?

3, 6, 9, 12, …

What is the next term in the

linear sequence above? 6, 10, 14, 18,

…

The linear sequence below is generated by the term 4n + ?. What

is the extra number ?

Your Turn

• Create a PGW activity for content you will teach some time between now and May.

• Make sure this fits with a KUD- if you don’t have one, write one.

• Make sure it is warranted- if you don’t have data to support the need for it, find a better place for it.

• Write a formative assessment question that could accompany this treasure hunt.

• Share with your content alike group- get feedback and allow others to steal.

Preparation for May

• Chance to observe Productive Group Work in your classroom

• A look at student data that came from your PGW lesson during the follow-up conversation

• This means potentially 2 coaching visits between now and May session

Documents

Making Group Work Productive