Using Community

Students' social relationships represent one of the most significant factors affecting their success. Where relationships lead students away from serious academic commitments, students' ability to do well in their courses suffers. By the same token, students who are surrounded by supportive peer structures will find that their success increases.

As students reach the end of the semester when they wish workloads and standards would drop, the teacher's greatest strategy is to foster classroom community influences that support efforts to continue to strive to reach high expectations. If you have not been using group work in your class, this may be a good time to introduce some peer activities. It can provide an energizing change of pace. If groups are a part of your class, use the following tips to change pace or re-energize students' work. This tip aims to assist you in strengthening the sense of community that will help your students get through the next few weeks.

Using Pairs

Teachers can devise simple ways to use pairs to create social support for class work. Here are some ideas.

Flashcard Tutoring. Have students make flashcards that review sections of the course or text. Give them time to meet in small groups to review information on cards.

Peer Review. Ask students to prepare a summary of select course material. Arrange students in pairs. Person A reads his or her summary while person B corrects any errors.

Reverse Roles. You can modify this activity by asking students to share and develop analogies or metaphors that make the information memorable.

Paired Annotations. Have students use the right side of a page to write a response to the reading. Have a second student use the other side to respond to these comments. Both should then combine to write joint summary that can be handed in for grading.

Using Teams

The following tips suggest ways to use slightly larger groups to build social support.

Peer Questions. Divide students into groups of 2-4 after a lecture (or a reading). Ask one student to explain the main ideas. The others should then question their peer by drawing from a select list you provide (such a list is available from the CIRT). Joint discussion may follow. Set a time limit according to how the activity fits into your lesson.

Structured Controversy. If your students are ready to try applying course ideas more thoughtfully, design a controversial discussion question, give students a short preparation period, then engage them in discussing various solutions. Ask the CIRT for a reading with specific descriptions for this activity.

Team Learning Quiz. Give a quiz over announced material. After students submit answers, allow them to meet in a team and submit a group response to the same quiz. Finally, announce answers and let students review the material and offer documented appeals.

The above tips are drawn from On Cooperative Learning by Barbara Millis and Philip Cottell. Contact the CIRT for a copy of their detailed descriptions.

Out of Class Groups

Urge students to work together as often as possible outside the classroom. Take care to design these relations so that they are focused productively on the kinds of work that will help them.

Homework Check. Require that students have a classmate check and sign off on homework before it is submitted. Before signing, the classmate should indicate where he/she believes there are questions or disagreements.

Study Buddies. Assign students to pairs. Then design activities (homework, reports, outlines, brief presentations) so that each pair must work together to prepare class assignments. When grading the work, have each student submit individual work.

Chat Rooms. Arrange office hours on the Internet. Schedule times when students can visit a chat room and ask questions.

Final Comments

Individual students may be running low on motivation at the end of the year, but the power of community can come to their aid. Classroom relationships can be energized by designing activities so they draw students into collaborative work. While this is not the time to re-organize a class into a cooperative learning environment, it is a time when one or two group-oriented activities can give students that extra push to keep on target over the next couple weeks. If you would like to find out more about how to use groups effectively throughout the semester, visit the CIRT and look over our cooperative learning materials.

This Teaching Tip was first published by Indiana State University’s, Center for Teaching and Learning on April 5, 1999.