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