Hi TBL’ers,
Here at UAlbany we recommend communicating time limits AND having a visible tracker on every team task.
For example, we recommend using the Powerpoint automatic timer/countdown function for the RATS or any 4-S activity. PPT can be set up to count down graphically
(7 mins; 6.5 minutes; 6 minutes; 5.5 minutes; etc.—see attachment). This way students self-manage. Make it clear that items will be collected or reports will begin as soon as the timer runs out. We notice that, when a team is too slow, one of the members will
typically notice the timer and rally the group to speed up.
I’m attaching a set of the slides we use. You can copy and paste them into your own ppt presentations.
It’s important to undershoot in your estimate of how much time students will need. It’s easy to add a minute at the end, if a team is struggling to finish,
but it does not work if 3 of 6 teams are waiting because you’ve allowed too much time on the counter.
Bill Roberson
University at Albany
From: Team-Based Learning [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Meghan Gillette
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2012 9:22 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: TEAMLEARNING-L Digest - 28 Aug 2012 to 29 Aug 2012 (#2012-126)
Hello-
Here are a few options to consider:
1. As Sarah suggested, move the appeals out of the classroom. If they want to appeal, they have to let you know by the end of the class period. Then they have 48 hours to complete the appeal in a Word document and email it to you.
2. For the iRATs, the students know they have a maximum of 15 minutes, but they will only have 5 minutes to finish once the fastest person on the slowest team is done. When they are done, they just raise their hand to let me know they
are done and then I keep track in my mind of which teams are done. When the last team has a person who signals they are done, I announce to the class that they have 5 more minutes. Nobody ever uses the full extra 5 minutes. I do the same with tRATs and Application
Exercises (with different lengths of time).
Hope this helps!
Meghan Gillette
Doctoral Candidate
Human Development and Family Studies
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50010
USA
On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 6:51 AM, Sarah Leupen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi Noam,
This is a common issue. Many of us use "sponge activities" to sponge up the extra time while the other teams finish the tRAT. I teach anatomy, so I have the teams start anatomy labeling games online or on worksheets during this time, and
then we move on to the applications when everyone is done. It's also a good time to check in with teams (the ones that are done) and get to know the individuals in them a bit better.
It's also possible to move the appeals process outside of class time, if that ends up being the part that takes up a lot of time.
Sarah Leupen
On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 3:00 AM, TEAMLEARNING-L automatic digest system <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
There is 1 message totalling 30 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. idle time during RAPs
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Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:45:06 -0700
From: Noam Perry <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: idle time during RAPs
This semester is my first attempt at TBL, and I just had my first RAP
with my class, Human Rights and Justice. It went great, and I am
looking forward to see how this semester progresses.
One thing that I noticed was that some teams were a lot faster than
the other. The fastest team completed the tRAT first, and had nothing
to appeal because they got everything right (it was very easy). The
slowest team took the longest time taking the tRAT, and then had a lot
it could potentially appeal. So the fastest teams had some 15 minutes
of waiting time while other teams were doing appeals. Since it was the
first RAP I encouraged them to use this time to get to know each other
better, but I was wondering if anyone has something productive the
fastest teams can do in this time.
Thanks,
Noam
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Noam Perry
Lecturer
Department of Justice Studies
San Jose State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192
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End of TEAMLEARNING-L Digest - 28 Aug 2012 to 29 Aug 2012 (#2012-126)
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