As an instructor in an online class, I am not sure that I would be comfortable allowing a student to work alone on a project. I think that collaboration is a very important part of the learning process and in any subject area a student will have to have access to a skill set of collaborative work skills for a job in that field. I would explain to the student that there are students that struggle with test taking and we still make them take tests.
I work primarily in the world of collaborative learning in Drama and I do not allow my students to work alone in class when there is group work to be done, especially because that is the student that has the most to learn from this type of work. The assessment of collaborative learning should always be on an individual basis. There are many outcomes that a project can have and with all different levels of learner participation but it is important that each student realize that they are each a part of the process and together they make a successful product. It is possible for a great product to come from a process in which not everyone was participating and that is why students need to be assessed based only on their work.
The way that I perceive knowledge and assessment is a bit different in Drama then in other subject areas. First off, in many cases what I am assessing is subjective and although I have had a lot of training in what I do, there are times where another Drama teacher might feel differently about a specific performance. I try to use rubrics as much as possible to make sure that the student understands and meets the needs of the criteria, to avoid the subjectivity issue. Secondly, my students all come to class at different talent levels, I view them in that way and watch each one excel from their own starting point. I think in any class that is the job of a teacher...to propel a student forward is what we should deem as a successful accomplishment.
Kat...
ReplyDeleteUsing rubrics is always the way to go in education to have the greatest success. Allowing the students to know what they will be assessed on prior to an assignment also gives the students the best opportunity for success.
One method I have been trying to utilize is having the students be a part of the rubric creation process. this ensures that the rubric is equitable because the students chose the requirements.
Kat,
ReplyDeleteI agree that individual assessment of collaborative activities is definitely important. But what about the overall product produced by the group? Do you think that the end result should just be ignored or not counted? Everyone in the group could work their hardest and all get terrific individual grades, but what if the product is lousy or not even what was asked for? Doesn’t the end product deserve some recognition?
In drama, you can have the best leading actors available, have them each do a spectacular job, and the play can still bomb.
I’m not saying the end product determines one’s grade, but should it not be somehow considered? I can work my hardest (at least make it appear so) all semester and then bomb the final. If the final doesn’t have any effect on my grade, then where’s my motivation to do well on it? Same would apply in group work. If the group doesn’t see the end product being of any type of value, then where is the motivation for them to try to work together? If they know they will be graded individually and the end product is of no consequence, then they will work only for themselves and not collaboratively with the group.
-Christine
Christine...
ReplyDeleteGreat connection between individual vs. group work in a play. You can have the best actors but if they don't have chemistry (usually formed by working together) then the play will not be the best it could be.