45 min |
Team |
Technique
A team learning strategy, in which each student has a certain task in which he/she needs to become an “expert”. They also have the responsibility to transmit the acquired information to the other colleagues.
The strategy develops the capacity to listen, cooperate, reflect, think creatively and solve problems. This also prevents the phenomenon of “social laziness” (Ringelmann effect), in which some may imagine that their contribution is not important, therefore they do not engage in the task in any way.
The class is divided in groups of 4-5 members, depending on the number of tasks that need to be solved. Each student is assigned a number 1-5 or 1-4, which corresponds to a certain task. Each number 1 will become an expert in issue number 1, each number 2 will become an expert in issue no,2, and so on. At first, each student analyzes the problem independently. Then, the teams of experts are formed – all number one form a new group, all number 2 reunite, and so on. They all analyze the same problem together. After that, the experts get back to the initial teams, to transmit their information to the team. They give a report in the form of short presentation, diagrams, drawings, photos etc.
The teacher establishes the theme and the 4/5 sub-themes to be worked on. The teams are formed. The individual analysis is done. The groups of experts are formed. The issues are discussed separately in the groups of experts. The experts get back to their initial teams and report. Together, they make a synthesis of the 4/5 aspects of the same theme, which have been analysed separately. The groups report the findings to the class. The teacher can address extra questions, can require a report to be done or an essay.
In order to have an effective interaction, the teacher may want to make use of the tips below.
