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| "Mental Arithmetic. In the Public School of S.Rachinsky" by Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky, (1895) |
In what ways do schools and classroom instruction practices encourage cohesion and cooperation and in what ways do they encourage teachers and students to function as "an unconnected set of individuals"? What are the challenges of both approaches? Are there situations in which more learning takes place in groups that are organized as "an unconnected set of individuals"?
While working in groups, you have the opportunity to gain new ideas and multiple view points on one topic, but you also have the chance to run into cooperation problems. Some people want to be in charge. Some people think they are always right and refuse to listen. Some people just won’t say anything at all. However, you run into similar problems while working alone. Working alone, you have to push yourself harder to look for answers, but they will reflect more on your strengths. However if it's a question or assignment that isn't one of your strong points, working in a group would give you the benefit of many different strengths and ideas working together and therefore having a broader intelligence to work with. One of my favorite parts of my AP english class was discussion. We would sit down and talk about a certain book or poem and discuss what we thought the author meant. Each of us had different strong points and different ideas that when put together, created some incredible opinions. I believe discussion groups like that are becoming more common in schools because they aren't the typical "dreaded group project". There isn't one person in charge, and it's focused more on the individuals rather than the group as a whole. When students are allowed more freedom like that, they are more likely to cooperate and listen to one another.
ReplyDeleteMiranda, my AP English class was likewise discussion based; however, I never viewed it as a group project. Perhaps this was because, as you mentioned, it was not the norm. Being something we do every day with the individuals we encounter, conversing comes easily. It is painless to depend on your counterpart to continue the conversation, unlike the “dreaded project” that requires trusting your grade or your reputation in someone else. It is likewise easy to speak and listen in a discussion-based class, because debate and discussion are part of how we function. Just as you mentioned that students are more likely to listen to one another, discussion as a group project can inspire trust and camaraderie rather than distrust and tension. Discussion-based classes are the perfect group project since they blend a multitude of opinions, viewpoints, and strengths and weaknesses, while still encouraging a positive experience.
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