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Chapter 3 |
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Having students work in cooperative groups to solve problems is a natural way for them to study social studies. It also is a natural way for teachers to assess students or for students to assess themselves (Johnson & Johnson, 1991). Group assessment is a necessary part of cooperative group learning. Students become more active members of a group when they are involved in interdependent tasks and are provided feedback through assessment of group experiences. Providing feedback for students in cooperative settings increases the value they place on working in such settings.
Teachers make sure students are always involved in some part of the process. Self evaluation is an important experience enabling students to develop an awareness of their own performance and behavior. It is a necessary element for the successful functioning of cooperative learning groups. Students' self evaluation can involve assessing their planning, monitoring their own behavior, and evaluating the results of their actions. Students can use a checklist and group discussion to evaluate work periods, group cooperation, data sources, study skills, and information gathering activities as well as the progress of their plan.
Peer evaluation can be one part of a student's grade on cooperative tasks. Peer evaluation examines the ideas contributed, the information or data collected, the organization of the data, and the reporting of the results. The ideas contributed are assessed by the number of comments made and by the relevance of the ideas to the problem at hand. The data collected are assessed by examining each student's involvement in setting up the materials needed, the number of measurements made, the drawings made, the models constructed, and the number of pieces of information recorded. The organization of the data collected is assessed through the construction of a table of the information, rewriting the data in a more usable form, the number of points plotted on graphs, and the suggestions made about patterns discovered in the information. Reporting of results is assessed by the number of sentences written by the secretary, the number of sentences suggested for the secretary to write down, offering a plan for completing the report, word processing the report, making graphs and artwork that are part of the report, and the level of participation in the presentation of the report. Students rate each other on the extent of their participation in each of these basic areas.
An average score for each student in the group is computed from the individual ratings. The groups can be asked to evaluate each other on just one of these four areas during a particular task. Or, they can assess each student's contribution to all of the tasks. This is done by having each student independently rate the other students' contribution in the specific role or task area. Over time, each student's contribution is a record of the amount of effort expended. This assessment data is reported as part of a group discussion on how well the group is performing. It can be used as part of individual student grades or a cooperative group grade. A discussion about individual participation may help group members realize that it is not necessary for everyone to do all tasks equally well. Some members may contribute more to one phase of a project or activity than to others. It points out to them that different social studies tasks may require different types of skills. All members do not have to contribute equally in each area. Learning in cooperative groups requires students to develop and use the same social skills that are necessary in everyday life. Social skills are essential in an effective cooperative learning group (Johnson & Johnson, 1991). With appropriate information and feedback, students self-correct their social behaviors.
What social skills are assessed? How are student social skills assessed in the context of cooperative learning? Social skills can be divided into three areas.
First, skills enabling students to form successful groups: how to move into the group setting quickly, take on assigned roles, and, with little transition time begin academic tasks.
Second, skills helping a group achieve academic goals or successfully carry out academic tasks. These skills help a group manage the steps for completing a task. They facilitate learning and understanding of the social studies content or inquiry skills involved in the lesson.
Third, skills facilitating positive interaction between group members (they like each other during and after a task). These skills help group members feel better about themselves and each other and lead to group stability.
Social skills are assessed within the context of cooperative learning. Focus on one social skill at a time. You can determine the focus skill by observing the groups and noting the behaviors hindering group action. When beginning the next cooperative group task, explain, model, and describe examples of the appropriate behavior for the focus skill. This establishes an acceptable level of behavior in the area. Tell students you will be watching their performance and will provide information on how well they did during the lesson. Assessment of the skill is accomplished in two different ways. To provide feedback for older students, develop a scale with a score of "5" indicating that every time the group was observed their target social skills were appropriate. A "4" indicates that at least one time the target social skill was not appropriately displayed during the lesson. Additional inappropriate displays produce lower ratings of "1", "2", or "3". It is important to set a lower limit whereby some action from outside the group will occur. This may be at a rating of "2" or "1". For very young students this process is made more concrete by placing a chip on a group's table when they are monitored and found to be demonstrating appropriate behavior. A maximum of five chips and five observations might be set. A certain level of chips at the end of the social studies lesson week can determine a reward such as free reading time in the classroom or school library.
One strategy for involving the students in group evaluation is to provide the class with a series of questions that are generalizations related to the unit. Each group of students in a classroom decides on a question the group will investigate. They develop a hypothesis and a means to answer the question. Next, a written report and an oral presentation of the project are developed and finalized by all group members. Guidelines each of the groups use in carrying out the activities and assessing the written and oral reports are used to assess all students in the group. Guidelines for the minds-on and hands-on activities include honesty in reporting data gathered and use of project time. Points are given for each section of the written project report: introduction, hypothesis, procedure, results, conclusions, and further questions. Each section is given equal weight. The sections are assessed on completeness of information, organization, clarity of language, clear representation of the data, and accuracy. The oral presentation is assessed using seven criteria: (1) appropriate length of the report, (2) interest generated in the audience, (3) creativity, (4) quality of visual aids and props, (5) completeness, (6) honesty in reporting the data, (7) use of voice and body expression, and 8) participation by all group members. Each group member receives a grade for carrying out the activities, the written report, and the oral report. Each of these assessments could carry different weights. For instance, the written report might be worth 50% of the project grade while the activity guidelines could be 20% and the oral presentation, 30%.
Teachers can provide sets of questions to guide a group in evaluating itself or to guide the individual student as she evaluates her own and the group's work. The teacher encourages students to summarize, and, as appropriate, review planned strategies and the timeline for carrying out work. As students identify things they have done well and the problems they come up against, they are encouraged to suggest and record ways of correcting their problems. These are discussed with the teacher. Recommendations are listed and saved. The next time the class works on a similar project, the teacher reviews these points to remind the students of the desired behaviors they need to use to continue being successful or to improve upon their skills.
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