Hello, Everybody,
Here are several situations I've experienced in my team learning format
courses. I'd appreciate comments and suggestions.
1. Team size and Team Evaluation Multipliers
Last semester in my small advanced biology course (Biology of
Invertebrates) two teams were quite small at the end of the semester. In
one, there were two students. Therefore, their TMEs were each 10. There
was no opportunity for shadings of evaluation. (My understanding is that
all of the points available to a person must be used; none can be withheld.)
The other team had four members. One was an unbelievable learning
machine who is one of the most--two or three--sophisticated learners I
have experienced in my career, including his ability to engage in
science reasoning and hypothesizing about organisms. Two students were
mediocre learners who did or didn't show up for class on time--or at
all--as the spirit moved them (so it seemed). The fourth was a person
who was out of class much of the semester, although not at the end, and
rarely knew anything for her RATs, or was able to contrihbute to her
team's work.
We did the ratings at the final exam. Only two students in this team
showed up for the final, the excellent learner and one of the so-so
learners. That meant that the excellent learner was rated by one person
(who justly rated him very highly). Moreover, he had to apportion his
extra points (not given to the the worst learner) to people who in my
view (and his!) didn't deserve the points. (Again, I've been assuming
all points must be given away.) The result was that one person received
one letter grade higher than I believe she should have.
So, has anyone got some insight into and creative ways of dealing with
these types of situations?
2. Time limits on RATs
Does anyone place time limits on IRATs? I haven't, and because many
students don't typically know much when they take their RAT, especially
at the start of the semester, they sometmes labor forever over their
RATs. I use the 5-minute limit on TRATs after the first team finishes.
3. No decision on grading
Here's something that occurred for the first time this semester after
years of using CL methods and team learning specifically. We set up nine
teams, and the first team activity was to apportion grades for the
semester. I handed out the grading scheme with three areas where I
offered some choice: % contribution to the final grade of IRATs, TRATs,
and ApExs. As teams made their decisions they posted them on the
blackboard for all to see. Eight teams opted for the identical
percentages, which gave team components as heavy weight as possible. One
team did the complete opposite.
The main reason for this seemed to be that they did not trust each other
and wanted as much control over their grades as possible. They were
absolute, resolute, and refused all logic, reason, and entreaties of the
other teams. We spent more time on this waiting for the negotiations
than we could afford. Finally, I suggested we go thru the whole RAT
process, which was scheduled anyway, and then revisit the decision after
the RAT and a 10-min break. Same result. No movement. I made the
decision then, because we were out of time (and I was out of patience
with them, altho I tried not to show this), to go with the majority.
What would you have done and why?
Thanks.
Lion Gardiner
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Lion F. Gardiner, Ph.D.
Department of Biological Sciences "We can't solve problems by using
134 Boyden Hall the same kind of thinking we used
Rutgers University when we created them."
Newark, New Jersey 07102-1811
(973) 353-5450 (voice), -5518 (fax) Albert Einstein
Department office: -5347 (voice)
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