Collaborating in Groups

Collaborating in Groups

Open Ended

What is something you find helpful or enjoyable about groupwork?

Open Ended

What makes groupwork challenging or unproductive?

Working in groups

• Is something you have already had success with during distance learning.

• Is a skill that needs to be practiced, especially on Zoom.

• Is important for success in high school. You will be expected to listen & build on your classmates' thinking.

Multiple Choice

Scenario #1:

You are in a breakout room and your partner’s camera is off. They are not responding. You...

• Silently celebrate. Yes! Now I can do this assignment alone and my teacher will never know.

• Say their name multiple times as if you’re screaming into a black hole with no response. Then start the assignment, hoping you can do it alone.

• Leave the breakout room and join the main room. You give your teacher a heads up so they can help solve the problem without casting blame.

Poll

How does it feel to be in a breakout room where no one else is responding?

• Awkward

• Isolating

• Frustrating

• It's fine, I guess

• I like it

Tips

• Say hi to the others in your group and ask them how they are doing to break the ice before getting started

• Do not automatically turn off your camera once you’re in the room. (Wifi issues excused)

• Turning off all cameras is a domino effect, puts the person with their camera on in an awkward position and makes talking more difficult.

Tips:

• Use the camera to communicate you are done & ready to share.

• If you want to turn your camera off during independent writing or reading sections of the lesson that is fine.

• Once you finish responding to the questions in that section, turn your camera back on to tell your groupmate you are ready to share when they finish.

Multiple Select

Scenario #2:

You and your partner are both working on the same inquiry, which you both love. You find yourself flying through the inquiry and short answer questions. You ask your partner if they are ready to discuss the answers, only to find out that they are half way through. What is something you could have done to collaborate with your partner over the course of the assignment?

• Turn on your camera after each section to tell your partner you are ready to discuss.

• Verbally checked-in with your partner after the first section.

• Checked-in with your partner and returned to your answers above to double check they answer the prompt fully.

Tips:

• People need different amounts of time to process and answer questions. It is normal to work at different paces.

• Working at a different pace does not make it impossible to work together.

Tips: If you finish early...

• Check-in with your partner. If they need more time, return to your answers above.

• Make sure you have: 1. Answered the prompt 2. Deepened your response by including specific examples or evidence.

• Write down any questions you have to push your thinking and ask your partner or the teacher.

Tips: If you are still working...

• Give yourself the time needed to fully answer each question. Deeper, specific answers are better than simple and short answers.

• Communicate with your partner that you need a few more minutes before discussing the answers.

• Understand that everyone works at a different pace. You should not have to compromise your learning by speeding up when you need more time.

Multiple Select

Scenario #3: Your group discussed the question the teacher posed but you still have a lot of time left to discuss. You...

• Join the main room minutes ahead of time.

• Come up with a related question to discuss & bring up in whole group.

• Bring in current events to make a real-world connection.

• Use provided sentence frames to share more of your thoughts & build on others' thinking.

Open Ended

Great work! What's one thing you will do differently during groupwork next time?