In the last couple of weeks, I have been including more cooperative group work in my daily lesson plans for activities other than project based learning. Since several of my students really do not know how to study and review vocabulary (or chose not to do so outside of class), I thought I'd try a cooperative activity specifically targeting vocabulary.
First of all, as a class, we reviewed specific techniques that help students memorize (thanks to
this article that was passed along to me on Twitter). I split the lesson vocabulary into 4 groups of 8-12 words, organized thematically. I had students self-select groups of 4. They each picked a theme of vocabulary words that they would teach to each other. Next, I reconfigured the groups so that all the kids responsible for teaching theme #1 were working together; all #2 together... and so on. The students brainstormed techniques with a partner (within their "theme" group") to teach their self-selected group that specific vocabulary set. After ten minutes, they met back with their self-selected groups, and each kid had 2-3 minutes to teach their group their theme vocabulary words. To evaluate the activity, I gave an 8 item quiz the same day. If the individual scored 85% or above he/she earned a homework pass. This was designed to motivate the individual. If the group scored 85% or above, the group earned a pop quiz pass. My goal was to motivate the individual student to help the members of his/her group do their best. Although the vocabulary was not used in context, it needed to be produced and not just recognized. There were two versions of the quiz & I did not include cognates. The student was given the English and he/she had to produce the Spanish for me.
I realize that without review and recycling, the students will not retain this vocabulary. I am giving them the opportunity to review vocabulary tonight for homework and take another quiz tomorrow for a second opportunity at a pop quiz pass. We will continue to use this vocabulary when we start working on the grammar in the lesson, and there are several readings, conversations and listening activities to come that will continue to use the vocabulary they learned today.
Some observations:
-Some kids were not able to pick the appropriate technique for the activity. One student came up with a strange diagram, that really had no meaning to him or his group.
-Kids who have extraordinary capabilities to memorize thought that figuring out memorization techniques was hard to do (and did not buy into the activity). It was easier for them to see the word & "just memorize" it.
-I was amazed by how quickly some kids mastered the vocabulary.
-It was difficult to see a handful of kids really buy into this group activity, and still not do well on the quiz.
-Some students that do really well on traditional quizzes, did not quiz well today. I assume they study (a lot) outside of class to retain the vocabulary.
-Some students did very well on the quiz today, and do not usually do well with traditional quizzes. Do they not study outside of class, or do they need the socialization to help/motivate them?
-Most of my students were on task during this activity. A couple who didn't really seem to be as engaged, worked better in the self-selected group, and took pride in doing well on the quiz.
I will repeat this lesson plan early in the upcoming school year, but I will not use it with every unit.
Here are some questions and/or concerns I need to work through:
-How can I get the individual to buy into co-operative help? For some kids, it is easier and quicker to work on their own. How do you help them understand that learning how to work cooperatively will be useful to them?
-The last thing I want to do is to make any of my students feel incompetent, and I'm concerned that if some students don't grasp the material as quickly as others in their group, it will hurt their self-esteem.
-How can I move away from "the quiz"? How can I show my students that the learning is more important than the grade?
As always your ideas and suggestions are appreciated!
