BeocatwomanVBHS: Cooperative Learning in the Middle Ages

Austin, Luke, Patricia, and Jerrica
working on a stained glass window
(made from paper!)

My students dislike--intensely dislike--working in groups. Yet recent studies and current employer polls show that companies need workers who can work cooperatively, not competitively. Gone are the uber-employees who can do it all and make all of the money. If those workers exist, they are the entrepreneurs, earning their own money.

Students are not comfortable having their grades dependent on others in the group. Our MAT classes this semester provided some solutions to some of the issues inherent in cooperative learning. However, many of these solutions were presented after my first group effort.

Jennifer and the Lego Castle

My first experiment with group work was something of a moderate success . . . or a moderate failure depending on who you ask! Students had a group project and presentation demonstrating or informing their classmates about some aspect of the Middle Ages. I purposely left the details a bit vague so that students could use their imaginations and creativity.

Although students had a grading Rubric to work with, the grading on my end was still a bit subjective and I had some poor student reactions to the group grade. Students had class time to work, as well, so I graded them on classwork on several occasions. Because many of the groups chose to not use the class time to their advantage, their overall grades were not stellar.

As these photographs show, when students chose to work, they worked well together and produced some interesting projects!