Perhaps Team five clearly sees the benefits of the team approach to learning
and values it over individual work. When I did this activity, I set outside
limits for them to decide within. One way to deal with it is to let each
team decide its own weights, but that might be a bookkeeping nightmare. I
actually did away with this process and assigned roughly 50% team work and
50% individual, but my class in technical writing.
-----Original Message-----
From: Team Learning Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Mary Anne Nelson
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 4:37 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: teams won't reach consensus on percentages for activities -
please help!
Hi,
What I'm going to say may be seen as heretical, but it's worked great in my
junior level genetics class. I love TBL, but didn't want to waste precious
class time letting the groups decide percentages, so I don't give them the
option. As I state in the syllabus, their RAT grades will be 50%
individual, 50% team.
The practice RAT I offer at the beginning of the semester, instead of being
over the syllabus, asks basic genetics questions so I can assess their
backgrounds and deficiencies. This doesn't count in their final grade, but
teaches them how the RATs work and gives me (and
them!) valuable information.
Just my 2 cents, and probably worth no more. But the students love the RATs!
Mary Anne Nelson
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Dr. Mary Anne Nelson
Professor; MARC Program Director
Department of Biology, Room 206A, MSC03 2020 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Phone: (505)277-2629 office
(505)277-1668 lab
(505)277-0304 FAX
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:08:38 -0500
Francine Glazer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm teaching undergraduate genetics (junior-level
>majors) using TBL for
> the second time. My class has gotten stuck at the activity where they
>decide on percentages for individual/team/team maintenance activities.
> Three of the 5 teams seem willing to compromise extensively, a fourth
>team is willing to compromise within reason (i.e. they don't want to
>move too far from their starting position, but are willing to move
>some), and the fifth team... ahh, the fifth team!
>
> The fifth team started with a position dramatically different from the
>other teams (only 15% individual vs. 40, 40, 45, and 55 for the other
> teams) and is absolutely refusing to give. Their delegate was taking
>a 'steamroller' approach and locked heads with team 4's delegate so
>that I sent all the delegates back to their teams and requested that
>they choose someone else.
>
> Now team 5 has a new delegate who at least is letting the other
>delegates have their say, but team 5 is stonewalling the process by
>refusing to compromise - even though it is clear that the rest of the
>class is all in accord.
>
> When we ran out of time, I said we will continue negotiations at our
>next class, but that I'd like the issue to be settled within about 20
>minutes, so we can move on to the first iRAT. I suggested that the
>teams each confer within their private discussion boards on WebCT and
>decide where/how much they are willing to give 'for the good of the
>class.' (Yes, I also spoke individually with each team to that
>effect.)
>
> I see on the discussion board that teams 1-4 are indeed deciding on
>where they can yield. Team 5, on the other hand, remains as
>intractable as ever.
>
> Help! All advice welcomed; I'm not sure what to do if they don't
>reach consensus.
>
> thanks,
>Fran
>
>
> --
>Francine S. Glazer, Ph.D.
> Professor, Biological Sciences
> Kean University
> Union NJ 07083
>
> Ph: 908-737-3661
>Fx: 908-737-3666
> http://www.kean.edu/~fglazer
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