221+Agenda+-+10.25.12

Please post questions/issues/comments related to your preparation about Cooperative Learning below. Be sure to sign your post with three user:Anny1. (Note: Everyone should post something.)

With an increasingly strong emphasis on teacher evaluations being standards based, how would a Cooperative Learning enviornment support those criteria? user:Jack4774

This process seems to be a great way for students to be engaged and find deeper ways to understand content. However, before you can do these creative process, there needs to a foundation of knowledge. How do you build this without giving up the process of Cooperative Learning? user:LuciaB2

I think Cooperative Learning is a great way of building student understanding but how do you ensure that all the groups stay on task and get what you expect out of them while discussing topics? How do you evaluate/asses what they learn, or what if they don't gain any new knowledge from cooperative learning? How do we as teachers ensure that they get what we expect them to get out of this if we take a back seat while they step up? user:alanab2

I like this way of learning, I think it really let's kids experiment with other ways getting knowledge and gives them skills that will be very useful outside of a school setting. My issue is with the ability grouping, not an issue, more a grey area...I feel that is a great way to break students up for certain activities, but how to go about it without "leaving out" or "singling out" kids is trickier, or is it? what do you all think? user:eluse

Cooperative learning seems to have just as much merit as individual learning, and that both skills should be fostered in students. How can you balance these two methods of learning in a classroom that supports the students and allows them too develop both skills? user:rachel238

I remember hating group work as a student, even when pared with other students who had similar grades and scholastic aptitude I never liked the idea of having my grade be dependent in any way on the work (or lack thereof) of others and inevitably I ended up doing all the work-even reresearching and rewriting other peoples work. I suspect many students -especially in A.P. or honors classes would do the same today. Is there a way to ensure that all students are doing their own work and is that even desirable- are we just trying to teach them how to collaborate with others? user:timis85

How do we make cooperative learning work for students who are introverts and don't want to share their ideas with others? How do we motivate students to work cooperatively and be productive? user:ellen623

Cooperative learning seems much better suited to differentiation than direct instruction or discussion-based instruction. It allows many different types of learners to find a niche and participate in unique ways. However, I don't imagine any ideal classroom where cooperative learning is a daily norm. What is the best way to find the most effective balance between cooperative learning and other types of instruction? How should the methods be mixed in the classroom? user:cshands5

8:00 - 8:10 - Welcome

8:10 - 8:40 - Introduction to secondary lesson design plan and TPA Key Assessment

8:40 - 10:00 - Stations (Station A: Teacher Center, Station B: Design a Rubric, Station C: Design a CL Lesson


 * 8:40 - 9:00- Rotation 1
 * 9:00 - 9:10 - Break
 * 9:10 - 9:30- Rotation 2
 * 9:35 - 9:55 - Rotation 3

9:55 - 10:30 - Debrief and discuss CL

10:30 - 10:40 - Closure


 * Housekeeping:**
 * **For next class, 11/1**
 * **Teaching Demo? - Jack & Klara**
 * **Read Fried, 10-11 (Be prepared to talk about how these chapters resonate (or don't) with your field experience)**
 * **Field Journal #3**
 * **West-B**
 * **Formal lesson observation scheduled?**