Hi everyone,
Like Karla, I also just started team based learning this semester and I
seem to have a similar problem with teams not willing to defend their
answers. For example, last week they completed a case study on
speciation of maggot flies
(http://www.sciencecases.org/maggot_fly/maggot_fly.asp) and each of
the 6 teams wrote their short answers (without explanations) on the
board at the same time. It seemed to me that if 4 of the teams came to
the same answer then the other 2 teams felt they must be wrong. I even
tried to indicate that I thought the minority answers were better but
the teams seemed content and felt they had finished. I am wondering if
this part of the team builiding process and it might just take some
time. However, I still feel I could have done something differently.
Some of my students are also making comments that may be common, but
they do make me feel a little bit uneasy about the team-based learning.
A few have said things like:
I don't like that we are forced to learn this all on our own.
When are you going to lecture, I don't learn anything from the others
in my team.
I don't have any notes and I don't know what to study for the test (
even after I explained that their notes during team discussions were
their notes for the class and they will have open book tests)
Are these common or are they warning signs that I am not doing
something right???
Bill Bromer
"Derek R. Lane" <[log in to unmask]> 02/09/2004 12:59:45 PM >>>
Karla,
The problem may be that you are not having the students simultaneously
reporting. If you have specific choices and each team is required to
make
a choice and report at the same time, you will actually have more
interaction and enthusiasm as the teams "defend" their answers.
Just a thought.
-Derek
At 12:28 PM 2/9/2004, Kubitz, Karla wrote:
>Hello all,
>I'm new to team based learning, having implemented it in my classes
just
>this semester. I've a question that those with more experience might
be
>able to help with. I've come up with team assignments that fit
>Michaelsen's criteria... same problem, make a specific choice,
sharing
>responses at the same time, etc. and they seem to 'work' when the
teams
>are working towards making their choices. For example, I gave the
teams a
>set of handouts about different ways to measure physical activity and
told
>them I was doing a research study and needed them to decide which was
the
>best way. The students seemed interested and involved. However,
things
>seem to fall a bit flat after they report their answers. That is,
there
>seems to be minimal interest in what the other teams have decided or
in
>talking about the differences in the answers and the rationales
behind
>those answers. They seem to be thinking... we're done... time to go.
I
>guess I'm not sure how to facilitate that last bit of the process.
Any
>suggestions? Karla
>
>Karla A. Kubitz, Ph.D., FACSM
>Associate Professor
>Department of Kinesiology
>8000 York Avenue
>Towson University
>Towson, MD 21252
>410-704-3168 (ph)
>410-704-3912 (fax)
*********************************************
Derek R. Lane, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Communication
231 Grehan Building
Lexington, KY 40506-0042
(859) 257-4102 (office)
(859) 257-4103 (fax)
[log in to unmask] (email)
http://www.uky.edu/~drlane (web page)
*********************************************
Bill Bromer a.k.a. bb "Take nothing on its looks;
University of St. Francis take everything on evidence.
500 N. Wilcox There's no better rule."
Joliet, IL 60435 Charles Dickens
Great
Expectations
Phone: (815) 740-3467
Fax: (815) 740-4285
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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