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Using Structured Reading Groups to Facilitate Deep Learning
Abstract
Two significant challenges in teaching college courses are getting students to complete the readings and, beyond that, having them engage in deep reading. We have developed a specific group work format within our courses to facilitate both deep reading and active discussion of course material. Early in the semester, students are assigned to their small groups and a set of rotating group roles: discussion leader, passage master, devil's advocate, creative connector, and reporter. Students meet with their group regularly in class throughout the semester. Before each group meeting, they are to complete a set of readings and a reading preparation sheet for their given reading group role. In this article, we outline how to implement these groups, the benefits of them, and variations to the standard format. We also present quantitative and qualitative student evaluations of this group work format demonstrating the success of this teaching technique.
... Roberts and Roberts (2008) point out that Sociology lecturers take the ability to read challenging texts for granted in their students, and expect them to read efficiently. Parrott and Cherry (2011) provide role-play activities that require students to support their claims with evidence. For example, they suggest that students take on roles such as reporter, connector and devil's advocate in discussion groups. ...
... Strategies such as using contextual clues for unknown words, distinguishing between main ideas and supporting details, and applying background knowledge to texts, should form part of the intervention programme. Explicit strategy instruction in areas such as accessing prior knowledge, making and revising predictions, making inferences, asking questions, creating mental images, monitoring and repairing comprehension, providing mental or written summaries, are to be taught and practised using Sociology or relevant texts (Brenner, 2015, p. 6;Parrott & Cherry, 2011). Parrott and Cherry's (2011) role-play techniques, which utilises characters such as 'discussion leader', 'creative connector', 'passionate reporter' would help to reinforce reading strategies. ...
... Explicit strategy instruction in areas such as accessing prior knowledge, making and revising predictions, making inferences, asking questions, creating mental images, monitoring and repairing comprehension, providing mental or written summaries, are to be taught and practised using Sociology or relevant texts (Brenner, 2015, p. 6;Parrott & Cherry, 2011). Parrott and Cherry's (2011) role-play techniques, which utilises characters such as 'discussion leader', 'creative connector', 'passionate reporter' would help to reinforce reading strategies. The regression analysis showed that students' strategy use predicted their self-efficacy and showed a significant correlation between the two factors. ...
There have been a number of studies on reading interventions to improve students’ reading proficiency, yet the majority of these interventions are undertaken with the assumption that students’ reading challenges are obvious and generic in nature. The interventions do not take into consideration the diversity in students’ reading backgrounds and the specific nature of the challenges. Thus interventions may not address students’ specific reading needs. This paper reports on a study that explored students’ reading profiles as a needs analysis for an intervention programme to improve the reading proficiency of first-year Sociology students. The aim was to investigate the students’ reading backgrounds to determine their specific reading needs. A Likert scale questionnaire with an open-ended section was used to explore the students’ reading profiles. The Likert scale questions were analysed quantitatively, while the open-ended questions were analysed qualitatively. In addition, a regression analysis was conducted to determine the correlation between students’ use of strategies and their self-efficacy levels. The findings show that a number of students have little reading experience, use inappropriate reading strategies, and have low self-efficacy and poor reading habits. In addition, students identified comprehension, language, vocabulary, length and density of Sociology texts as factors compounding their reading challenges. This paper discusses the implications of these findings in designing an appropriate reading intervention programme for this cohort.
... These teachers, it could be hypothesised, have enrolled because they are seeking ways to change and are already the actors arranging their own learning processes in ways that Kwakman (2003) valourises (2003). Parrott and Cherry's (2011) study suggests approaches to academic reading that can provide the support Le Fevre contends is necessary. Parrott and Cherry sought ways to engage learners with deep reading (requiring both individual and collaborative settings). ...
... A critical factor in structured reading groups such as Parrott and Cherry (2011) described is the interdependence of group members. In 1990, Little discussed strong and weak forms of teacher collegial interdependence contending that, in joint work, teachers were most dependent on each other. ...
... The teachers preferred the tightly structured reading groups (Parrott & Cherry, 2011). In the responses to the open-ended questions, twice as many of the teachers chose this academic reading structure compared with the other two choices combined (summarise and present a reading to a small group once a semester; weekly independent reading). ...
Engaging school teachers with academic reading is challenging for all teacher trainers, yet if teachers’ knowledge base is to be up-to-date the input of new research information is essential. Within the field of teacher professional development, few research studies focus primarily on teacher academic reading. On the Auckland New Zealand TESOL diploma course reported on here, academic readings are key. They theorise the weekly lecture topics and provide practical strategies that embed the theory. Three approaches to academic reading are used. These three approaches are the focus of the study reported here, exploring the attitudes of the 49 elementary and secondary school teachers over the two years of the part-time course. Quantitative questionnaire findings and relevant qualitative interview data which explicate the quantitative findings are reported on. The key finding was that, on average, the entire sample exhibited a large and statistically significant increase in engagement in academic reading over the two-year period. A majority of the teachers favoured the third approach to academic reading, being tightly structured, supportive reading groups rather than independent reading or reading presentation to a group. They valued the interdependence and reciprocity of the tightly structured reading groups.
... Instructors should first detail their requirements for how to participate in the forums and provide rubrics for how students will be assessed (Clark-Ibáñez and Scott 2008;Martin et al. 2019). Then, they should develop structured-rather than open-ended or free-response-prompts that tend to promote higher-level thinking; instructors could assign roles to students (Parrott and Cherry 2011), such as a starter who explains his or her key takeaway from the reading and a responder who answers questions raised by the starter (Persell 2004), or they might write prompts asking students to connect concepts to their own experiences (Andreson 2009;Clark-Ibáñez and Scott 2008). An instructor considering a synchronous requirement to foster critical thinking-such as having groups of three to four students meet via Zoom to discuss course contentmay want to provide groups flexibility to schedule their own meeting times (Hsiao 2010). ...
... To maintain interactions, I created Project that requires any photos, as long as properly cited Two-to three-page paper that should use three concepts or resources from class Used same forum approach for duration of semester structured discussion forums using the groups that students had been assigned prior to remote instruction. For each class, students were either a discussion starter or a responder, reflecting the recommended practice of assigning roles for forum discussions, and prompts generally required students to write their own discussion questions, role play, and/or analyze data I provided (Parrott and Cherry 2011;Persell 2004). I held virtual drop-in office hours during our regularly scheduled class time to connect with students, and I met with nearly half of my students at least once. ...
The COVID-19 pandemic forced all face-to-face college courses to transition to remote instruction. This article explores instructional techniques used in the transition, student perceptions of effectiveness/enjoyment/accessibility of those techniques, barriers that students faced due to the transition, and race/class/gender inequality in experiencing those barriers. We used surveys in introductory courses by two instructors (the authors) to compare students’ reactions to our transitions and the transitions in their other courses. We found that which instructional technique instructors use is less important than how well they implement it for student learning. Although there is a tradeoff between enjoyment and accessibility, instructors can use techniques to increase accessibility of interactive formats. Internet and technology barriers were extremely common, even for students who did not anticipate problems. Most students experienced barriers to their learning due to the pandemic, including distractions, increased anxiety, and feeling less motivated, especially for nonwhite, female, and first-generation college students.
... Text group discussion has been deeply analyzed. For example, the interactions established among the reading participants enhance their communication skills (Finke & Edwards, 1997;Flood et al., 1994;Fredricks, 2012;Parrott & Cherry, 2011). In the established dialogues, participants share their interpretations of the text and discuss them and, consequently, there is a more in-depth learning of the content worked from the text (Chocarro de Luis, 2013;Hamouda & Tarlochan, 2015;Tynjälä, 1998). ...
... On the other hand, students emphasize the importance of the interactions with group peers (Flood et al., 1994;Finke & Edwards, 1997;Jarvis, 2000;Parrott & Cherry, 2011;Fredricks, 2012). The improvement of the comprehension of the text lies in the possibility of sharing with the classmates their first interpretation of the text, the resolution of doubts and the formulation of questions to the classmates, as well as the ability to clarify their interpretation of the text from the contributions of colleagues. ...
Reading is a core competency in learning processes of higher education as a tool for accessing discipline-specific knowledge. The aim of this case study is to analyse the impact of text group discussions on the academic skills of students at the Universitat d’Andorra (UdA). Qualitative techniques -non-participant observation, interviews and discussion groups- were applied to UdA students and faculty. Five student groups belonging to the Bachelor of Teaching and Learning (BTL), Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) were studied. After processing the data with Atlas.ti, the first results were obtained. Evidences of a positive impact on the academic skills are identified. Firstly, both students and faculty indicated an improvement of the text comprehension mainly because of the peer interactions. Improvement of the critical and analitycal attitude, the own speech as well as the metacognitive learning are also highlighted as areas on which dialogic reading has positive impact.
... Professors can teach the skills needed to read and decipher difficult texts by providing scaffolding, learning tools, and regular assessments (Pugh et al., 2000). Multiple authors advise structured reading techniques that encourage students to slow down to ask and answer particular questions of the text they are engaged with (Keller, 2008;Macpherson Parrott & Cherry, 2011;Rautman, 2014;Roberts & Roberts, 2008;Williams, 2005). For example, regularly assigned small writing assignments that ask students to identify the thesis statement and supporting evidence in assigned texts promotes reading comprehension, critical reading, and student writing because students learn to model this style (Van Camp & Van Camp, 2013). ...
... Because of the challenges of difficult readings it is important as one instructor in our sample asserted, to "design assignments that assure reading and comprehension" and another advised to "assess students early and often." Describing assignments in detail is outside the scope of this paper, however the works cited includes numerous published examples of assignments that promote critical reading (Keller, 2008;Macpherson Parrott & Cherry, 2011;Roberts & Roberts, 2008;Van Camp & Van Camp, 2013;Williams, 2005). ...
This study of sociology faculty in twelve private colleges and universities compares teaching with textbooks and alternative texts in undergraduate classes. Faculty explain that textbooks provide a breadth of material that is organized and streamlined in a way that promotes consistency across instructors, facilitates content delivery to students with a range of abilities, and reduces course preparation time. Despite these benefits, faculty have a strong preference for alternative texts. Faculty argue that readings, like monographs and journal articles, develop students’ critical reading and thinking skills. Additionally, when instructors design courses with alternative readings they use their own critical reading and critical thinking, as they critique and synthesize the literature in their discipline in order to curate texts for the syllabus and work with them in the classroom. We argue that teaching courses with alternative readings creates course experiences where students and faculty engage with a discipline together.
... At the end, each group of three reports back to the entire class. Two roles, Discussion Leader and Devil's Advocate were adopted from the literature to facilitate group discussions and to critique the paper, respectively (13). A third role, Data Master, was developed by colleagues at Cornell University to help students focus on methodology and statistics. ...
Today’s undergraduates are tomorrow’s decision makers. Many of these decisions in biological sciences can influence whether the vaccines for the next pandemic will be effective, whether the mitigation efforts will have any impact on climate change, or whether we can produce enough food for the rapidly increasing human population while fighting the next pest outbreak. These informed decisions will need to be made by scientifically literate humans, including health professionals, politicians, and media personalities, who are currently undergraduates in our courses. Students in introductory biology classes can build a strong science literacy foundation by learning how to find, evaluate, read, discuss, and cite scientific evidence. An interconnected, multistep framework that uses library guides, active learning methods, group discussions, and collaborative learning is being used for nearly a decade in Investigative Biology and has been shown to significantly improve students’ perceived science literacy and science communication skills. In this article, we share basic guidelines about how to implement this framework in one long laboratory session or in consecutive lectures. The flow of the proposed exercises has been tested and adjusted based on students’ feedback and the authors’ experiences, and a wide variety of resources are being shared to help the successful implementation of this framework in courses that would like to train the next generation of science-literate biologists.
... As a result, they are weak in constructing arguments, questioning and in providing written responses. Previous research on student learning shows that collaborative learning through reading groups is a strategy that can enhance active learning and deep reading among students (Parrott & Cherry, 2011;Pedersen, 2010;Snow, 2002). ...
tudents’ perception and preference towards selected student-centered teaching learning activities: A preliminary study
Abstract
Student-centred learning is recognised as one of the best ways of improving deep learning and understanding in students. However, most students entering tertiary education have practiced spoon-fed learning approaches during primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka. Thus, the study was designed to assess students’ perception and preference on selected teaching-learning methods with the research question “which student-centred learning methods are preferred by students?”. The second-year students reading for the Medical Laboratory Science degree programme at the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna were selected for the study. Students were taught different sub-topics in Biochemistry during the semester by conducting a lecture, using the active reading method, the active writing method, the Jigsaw method, and tutorial-based teaching method. At the end of the term, feedback was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The students’ preference was rated (0-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61- 80, 81-100 percent) for each teaching methodology and extra space was provided in the questionnaire to collect any other comments and perceptions on each method. Out of 23 students in the batch majority (91%, n=21) rated conducting merely a lecture as an ineffective way to enhance deep learning and understanding. Engaging students in active reading of recommended texts, and to make them present their learning, in groups of three, was rated as an interesting way of learning (96%, n=22). This gave them the opportunity to construct knowledge together and present it to their peers. Among teaching-learning activities given, learners preferred the Jigsaw Technique 72% (n=18), since could comprehend the given task during the time period. 20 students (87%) preferred leaning by problem-solving activities and tutorials to build confidence to face the Final Examination. The Active Writing Method which required students to produce a report on their learning was not rated as a popular activity. Many have expressed that giving time to prepare for special sub-topics and presenting their findings to peers helped improve their presentation skills, self-confidence and deep understanding of the concepts.
... Reading retreats were adapted from 'Structured Reading Groups' (Macpherson-Parrott and Cherry, 2011) and aim at engaging students with critical reading of academic journals, developing their depth of understanding and helping students to participate in active discussions about read materials, through critically analysing and summarising gathered information. Within the workshops, students take on various roles within the reading process: ...
... This led to the majority of students reporting better understanding of texts and concepts. Robert and Robert (2008) and Parrott and Cherry (2011) found that when given reading responsibilities for group discussions, students did their reading in order not to disappoint the group. In addition, because of the discussions that ensued in the groups, more meaning and insights were given with regard to the texts by various students in the group, resulting in the majority of students understanding the texts better. ...
Background: Student reading challenges have been reported worldwide. In many classrooms around the world, teaching students appropriate strategy-use has been a technique used to improve comprehension and improve reading proficiency. However, strategy-use instruction per se may not produce holistic results.
Objectives: This article reports on an extended strategy-use instruction to improve students’ reading proficiency in a particular subject area. The technique of role-play, as well as an integration of affective strategies, was used to improve the cohort of first-year students’ reading of subject-specific texts.
Method: The intervention was conducted by way of tutorials. A questionnaire was used to elicit students’ views and opinions after the intervention. The responses were analysed using content analysis of emerging themes.
Results: Students reported benefiting from the intervention with respect to reading their assigned texts, as well as increased motivation.
Conclusion: It is recommended that strategy-use instruction include other innovative techniques such as role-play to improve students’ reading proficiency in a specific subject.
... These discussions took place in person and/or via virtual discussion forums. In all cases, instructors assigned guided reading questions in advance, since previous research suggests that reflection questions or prompts help students engage in deep reading (Parrott and Cherry 2011). As discussed in the following, students surveyed about the book clubs said that the guided reading questions were essential to the success of the book clubs. ...
Previous research has examined the use of nontraditional readings, particularly fiction, as a tool for teaching sociological concepts. Few studies have specifically looked at nonfiction monographs and ethnographies. This paper extends prior research by exploring how in-person and online book clubs using nonfiction texts can be used as a tool to engage and introduce students to sociological ideas. Book clubs were implemented in eight different sections across three courses. The structure and format of the book clubs varied considerably. We identify best practices for incorporating book clubs into sociology courses. Drawing on data from instructor-designed surveys, institutional course evaluations, and course exams, we also examine how book clubs influence student attitudes and learning outcomes. We conclude that book clubs can be adapted to fit a variety of courses and across different types of institutions.
... Where relevant we are relating stories from these readings in order to aid reading motivation. In year two of the TESOL course we have adopted Parrott and Cherry's (2012) recommendations for structuring reading in groups in order to encourage deep reading. Parrot and Cherry suggest assigning specific and weekly rotating roles for each group member's participation (passage master, creative connector, devil's advocate and reporter). ...
Professional reading is a core source of input in teacher professional development. This article describes 47 primary school teachers' reports of their professional reading both in their schools and during the first year of a university TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other languages) in-service qualification. One third of these teachers are bilingual. Both motivation and engagement are explored and vignettes of two bilingual teachers illustrate these factors. The findings show the frequency of participation in professional learning through professional readings is beneficial but low, however teacher professional reading attitudes are dynamic, the variables being relevancy and agency.
... Values of adopting group work in teaching are also discussed from psychological, culture, humanistic and democratic perspectives [7] [8] . In particular, Parrott & Cherry [9] prove the success of using reading groups to facilitate both deep reading and active discussion. ...
This study used a quasi-experimental method using a treatment group and a control group. This study aims to describe: 1) the results of learning English paragraph reading skills through the scaffolding technique using question and answer-based student worksheets in the treatment group; 2) the results of learning English paragraph reading skills through scaffolding techniques using student worksheets without question and answer based in the control group; 3) the results of learning English paragraph reading skills are the same between the treatment group and the control group. This research was conducted at SMA Negeri 5 Jambi City. The research takes place in the even semester of the 2022/2023 academic year. The population of this study were 70 students of XII-IPA class at SMA Negeri 5 Jambi City. This number is divided into 35 students in class XII-IPA.1 and 35 students in class XII-IPA.2. The sample is set as many as 60 students; divided from 30 students of class XII-IPA.1 and 30 students of class XII-IPA.2 who were selected randomly using the no-return technique. This research uses student worksheets which are arranged using scaffolding technique in the context of explaining the material knowledge and skills of reading English paragraphs. To collect data on English paragraph reading skills through scaffolding techniques using question and answer based student worksheets, multiple choice test instruments were used. The test data were processed using parametric inferential statistical procedures, namely a one sample t test to achieve the first and second objectives and independent sample t tests to achieve the third objective. The results showed: 1) the results of learning English paragraph reading skills through the scaffolding technique using question and answer-based student worksheets in the treatment group obtained a mean of 15.341 or 85.23 percent; 2) the results of learning English paragraph reading skills through the scaffolding technique using student worksheets without being based on questions and answers in the control group obtained a mean of 15.133 or 84.07 percent; 3) there is no difference in the learning outcomes of English paragraph reading skills between the treatment group and the control group.
Reading is an indispensable factor in the lives of human beings. A society cannot exist without reading skill. Reading has a long history as a means of communication. The changing trend in the world differentiates between reading and the medium it is perceived. As the world is driven towards the digital medium, the print medium has to compete with the electronic medium. Thus, the clash between print and electronic mediums creates an impact on reading skill. Therefore, the proposed research aims to assess the impact of printed text in deep reading skill. As to assess the impact, the research questions the following: Does printed text lead to deep reading? If so, what are the possibilities of a printed text providing a reader to go deep? Does deep reading allow a reader to obtain cognitive skills? What are the struggles that interrupt in the deep reading process and obtaining cognitive skills when reading online? Subsequently, the research uses the qualitative and quantitative methodology. The information is gathered by observing students' in drama and theatre of Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies. In particular, 30 students from second year second semester were participated based on their reading interest. The analysis will be done based on the observation and students' responses.
Academics should produce quality scholarly research. However, the demands of the marketised, neoliberal higher education institution and the increase in the academic's bureaucratic and administrative tasks do not allow for adequate engagement with the deep work and slow forms of scholarship that are needed to produce cutting-edge and insightful research. Many academics find it challenging to think critically and creatively under such conditions, yet they are unwilling to fill their time with shallow work instead. Thus, they are torn between producing an institutionally-determined number of research outputs, and striving towards producing quality scholarly work that advances knowledge in the academic's discipline. Reading groups serve to rework this tension by providing a communal and scheduled place and mind-space for reading major academic works. Reading takes time and persistence. We find that setting aside time and creating creative spaces for reading groups offer an opportunity for silent revolt against the pressures of the higher education institution. In this (post)qualitative inquiry we diffractively read - "through one another" - two autoethnographical accounts to experiment with our experiences of various reading groups over a period of three years while positioning ourselves in relation to Barad's notion of diffraction. This speculative experimentation entails a myriad of ideas and methods that serve to decentre hegemonic, monolithic knowledge systems through seeking alternative ways of knowing, and recognises the importance of the entanglement of matter and meaning in tracing (and countering) the social relations produced in neoliberalist contexts. Such (re)thinking is thus a vital counterpoint to the neoliberal obsessions of the higher education context, (re)directing the scholar to new non-autonomous and mutable landscapes.
Faculty and students recognize that to succeed in graduate school, the ability to read efficiently and with comprehension is crucial. Students must be able to process information newly presented to them, even when that information seems overwhelming. Comprehending, discussing, and utilizing relevant texts are central to the production of scholars. But what constitutes appropriate techniques of reading, when does one employ various strategies, and for what purposes? In a world in which more is assigned than can reasonably be processed, what constitutes a legitimate practice? In this conversation essay, we discuss the role of skimming, building upon an interview study of 36 social science graduate students in history, economics, and sociology. We ask what students believe about the necessity and appropriateness of skimming, how they honed their skills, and what constitutes normative standards. We treat skimming as a form of “legitimate deviance,” necessary for occupational survival but a strategy that is potentially a challenge to an academic self-image. Students learn techniques that allow them to read rapidly and recall information for later use, but the appropriate use of these techniques is rarely discussed openly in graduate training.
This article explores practices of othering through formations of normative sameness in discussion-based seminar classrooms. It takes literary scholar Stanley Fish's question, ‘Is there a text in this class, or is it just us?’, back into the classroom to explore the formation of a ‘just us,’ an imagined homogeneous interpretive community which, I argue, has discriminatory effects by normalising some voices and practices. It draws on feminist and anti-oppressive theory to discuss ways to pedagogically trouble the enactment of homogeneous interpretive communities in the Gender Studies classroom. As the Gender Studies teacher, I devised pedagogical practices based on the allocation of specific roles as a way to work towards an anti-discriminatory classroom by de-mystifying academic practice and framing seminar practice as a social genre. The article critically reflects on students' subsequent reluctance to take on roles and their preference for free-flowing discussions, doing what comes naturally, a ‘doing' of academia which, I suggest, is linked to social privilege.
A common source of frustration for college instructors is getting their students to read. Since the 1970s, studies have shown that no more than 30 percent of students complete a reading assignment on any given day. But what can be done? What strategies can instructors use to make certain that their students read? Do pop or announced quizzes work better? Does it help to call on students randomly in class? To date, little systematic evidence exists concerning the relative utility of the many methods instructors use to encourage reading compliance. This study begins to address that lacuna. Specifically, using survey data collected in introductory sociology classes (N = 423), we examine how students evaluate seven commonly used methods ranging from announced quizzes to short writing assignments to being called on randomly in class. We find that students perceive mandatory and/or announced methods to be more effective in motivating them to complete reading assignments than unannounced or optional methods.
A university in the southeastern United States began a computer-based program using MyMathLab for college algebra (MAT 101) and intermediate algebra (MAT 099) in January 2007. Based on student data from fall semester of 2007 to spring semester of 2011, the research determined whether or not the number of hours a student spends in the computer lab is a predictor of final exam scores. This study revealed a significant relationship between the hours students spent in the computer lab (called the Math Zone) and the scores they made on the final exams for six of seven semesters: spring 2008, fall 2008, spring 2009, spring 2010, fall 2010, and spring 2011.
Reading comprehension skill is often assumed by sociology instructors, yet many college students seem to have marginal reading comprehension skills, which may explain why fewer than half of them are actually doing the reading. Sanctions that force students to either read or to pay a price are based on a rational choice model of behavior - a perspective that many students seem to bring with them. However, deep reading-reading for long-term retention of the material and for comprehension at a level that can be perspective-transforming - involves constructing meaning as one reads. Students need help developing reading strategies that enhance this process. Moreover, cost/benefit coercion of reading does not necessarily enhance construction of meaning or deep-learning; indeed, it may reward minimalist or surface reading. This essay is an excursion into theory on deep learning and the implications of that theory for engaging students in reading. An assignment based on multiple intelligences and fostering reading comprehension is suggested and some initial data are provided regarding possible success of this strategy.
In this article I apply principles of group process and development to the classroom situation. I use the literature on small groups to develop 15 principles applicable in the classroom and offer specific suggestions for implementing these principles.
The free-rider problem, also known as social loafing, occurs when one or more members of a group do not do their fair share of the work on a group project. In this article, the authors present a group evaluation instrument characterized by early implementation, multiple evaluation points, and the use of specific evaluative criteria. They tested their assessment method on a sample of 330 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory, crossdisciplinary business course. The results suggest that the use of this instrument can mitigate free-rider problems and improve students' perceptions about groups and group projects.
We show how to use collaborative learning groups (CLGs) during scheduled class periods to facilitate students' learning. First we discuss faculty members' misgivings about CLGs. Some of these may be related to the human relations school, which led managers to believe that they could exploit workers' informal ties to increase productivity. Sociologists criticized the manipulative tendencies of this school, but critics may have turned the discipline away from the nonexploitative use of small groups and even from the study of group dynamics. As a result, most sociologists are unaware of research on how collaborative learning groups can improve students' academic performance, social skills, and ability to take the perspective of others. We present strategies and procedures for using CLGs in college classrooms. Specifically, we show 1) how to keep groups "on task," 2) how to eliminate "free riders," and 3) how to reduce the number of students who are either dominants or isolates in their groups. Next we examine test data, interaction preferences among classmates, and students' written evaluations of the group experience. We find that students do better on test material which was discussed in group sessions, that connections to classmates increase significantly, and that the great majority of students laud the use of CLGs. Because our results are provisional, we close with a problem-solving agenda that will help to answer unresolved questions about the use and effectiveness of collaborative learning.
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L'A. s'efforce de montrer que l'enseignement de la sociologie doit rompre avec le climat de competition individualiste qui regne au sein de la societe americaine. Il s'interroge sur les moyens de developper la cooperation entre les etudiants. Il souligne que le travail de groupe peut aider considerablement les etudiants dans leur travail et reduire les couts inherents au travail individuel. Il examine les obstacles qui peuvent nuire au travail de groupe. Il preconise la mise en place d'equipes de recherche
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In an effort to improve the retention rate in their entry-level information systems course, the authors of this article integrated a team-learning approach into its instructional format. This article describes the steps taken, including how team learning compares with the traditional approach based on lecture with occasional group exercises, and presents data demonstrating the effectiveness of the team-learning approach in terms of student retention and performance. The authors found that the use of team learning significantly increased student retention but did not significantly change performance levels.
Like their counterparts in other disciplines, accounting educators are gradually moving away from talk-and-chalk lectures to project-based learning, real-world problem solving, and team collaboration. Slower to change are the ways in which the impact of these innovative teaching methods have been assessed, with student reactions and traditional performance indicators overemphasized and core interpersonal attributes of the team setting underemphasized. This article reports on a pilot study in which an accounting professor opted to take full advantage of a technology-enhanced classroom to create a stimulating learning environment that promoted student engagement and unique collaborative opportunities.
For over a decade, a number of employers have been sounding warnings to the higher education sector that a “skills gap” was emerging at the employer/graduate interface. Some graduate recruiters no longer perceived academic competence alone to be sufficient and began calling for higher education to produce graduates with highly developed and recognisable transferable skills. Increasingly the graduates of the late 1990s are being asked to display far more than subject-specific knowledge and are asked to prove that this skills development activity has occurred, usually by demonstrating that they have taken additional responsibility for something or someone during their higher education experience. This work examines what higher education can do to facilitate the development of transferable, and especially managerial, skills amongst the undergraduate population using extra-curricula schemes.
Reading comprehension skill is often assumed by sociology instructors, yet many college students seem to have marginal reading comprehension skills, which may explain why fewer than half of them are actually doing the reading. Sanctions that force students to either read or to pay a price are based on a rational choice model of behavior—a perspective that many students seem to bring with them. However, deep reading—reading for long-term retention of the material and for comprehension at a level that can be perspective-transforming—involves constructing meaning as one reads. Students need help developing reading strategies that enhance this process. Moreover, cost/benefit coercion of reading does not necessarily enhance construction of meaning or deep-learning; indeed, it may reward minimalist or surface reading. This essay is an excursion into theory on deep learning and the implications of that theory for engaging students in reading. An assignment based on multiple intelligences and fostering reading comprehension is suggested and some initial data are provided regarding possible success of this strategy.
In this paper, we discuss ways collaborative research groups can be used and what students appear to learn about social science reasoning and quantitative literacy from such groups. Data are from field observations, pre- and post-semester surveys in both collaborative and traditional courses, end of the semester student comments, and student work on semester-long group-based projects. The findings illuminate teaching and learning processes, cognitive and personal learning outcomes, and remaining challenges. Students resist having to work in groups, while simultaneously becoming attached to their group and acknowledging its importance. In the end, many students see the importance of both social science reasoning and quantitative skills and demonstrate the ability to articulate key components of both. Challenges that remain include more specific measures of particular skills, potential group conflicts, and active learning within a culture of consumerism and entitlement.
Cooperative learning is viable yet generally underutilized method of instruction at the college level (Paulsen and Faust, 2008). This paper highlights the work of teacher edu-cator Dr. Paul J. Vermette in his implementation of cooperative learning based practices in a graduate level Multicultural education course. In analyzing the 'Five Pillars' of cooperative learning as outlined by Johnson, Johnson & Smith (1991), this article will highlight Vermette's implementation of cooperative learning structures to this theoreti-cal framework. Through narratives of Vermette's actual teaching, the authors will pro-vide suggestions for implementing cooperative learning in the college classroom.
Small Group Communication in Organization
- H Goodall
- Lloyd
Goodall, H. Lloyd. 1990. Small Group Communication in Organization. Dubuque, IA: Brown.