Suppl_eMINTS

Five Things: Processing

Maybe the most important but most forgotten component of cooperative learning and/or community-building activities is the processing of what was learned. We’re all guilty of wanting to move on to the next activity or topic without sufficiently processing the previous content. Sometimes, we try to process the information quickly, hoping our students will just throw out the important ideas. This approach (or lack of) often leads to less reflective responses and students not listening to their peers.

Just like anything else we do in our classrooms, we need strategies to insure that proper processing occurs. If there’s a lesson worth learning, we have to plan structures to insure it’s actually reflected upon. So, here are five things you can do to insure valuable processing at the conclusion of your cooperative and/or community-building activities.

1. Write it down.
Sometimes the best way to get quiet, introspective reflection from your students is to have them write their thoughts on paper or typed on a computer. This sort of writing could be as open-ended as a journal entry with no guidelines or highly structured. “Two Stars and a Wish” is one format that asks students to list two great things they learned or experienced plus a wish for making the experience better. Students could use the strategy known as PMI, or Plus-Minus-Interesting, where they list a positive, a negative, and something interesting. The key is to collect all the writing in order to hold students accountable and to demonstrate the importance of such reflection. I’d suggest that sharing aloud with the group be optional since the words we write are often more personal than what we speak.

2. The Talking Stick
The “Talking Stick” (or ball or Teddy Bear or whatever) is a physical signal for the students to know who is speaking and to whom they should listen. As the teacher or facilitator, you can require the Talking Stick to pass through you or allow students to pass the stick to a peer with a raised hand. This strategy insures that only one person is talking at a time and that students keep their attention on that speaker. Foam balls, stuffed animals, or bean bags also make great Talking Sticks.

3. Think-Pair-Share
Sometimes the biggest problem with group processing is that everyone wants to share…or that no one is wants to share. “Think-Pair-Share” is a cooperative learning strategy that works well in solving both issues. First, the students are given time (~one minute) to think up a response to a question posed to the group. Second, they turn to a partner and discuss their thinking. Third, students are called on to share with the group. Teachers can ask for volunteers or call on whomever since every student has had time to think up and discuss a possible response. Also, even those who really wanted to share at least had a chance to share with her partner.

4. Concept Mapping
Typically, we use concept mapping to access background knowledge before covering a topic, but when used after an activity, concept maps or webs are great ways to organize student thinking. Concept maps can be drawn on white boards, chart paper, or interactive white boards for the whole class. Alternatively, individuals or small groups could create their own to turn in and/or share with the class. There are a few free online concept-mapping sites out there including bubbl.us, MindMeister, and Mindomo. Also, there is offline software that can make concept-mapping easier such as FreeMind, SMART Ideas ($), and Inspiration ($).

5. Sentence Stems
There are times when a classroom discussion goes nowhere because the students don’t know where to start and so the teacher must take over the conversation, leaving little room for students to think for themselves or internalize the meaning of the activity. A great strategy is to give the students a few sentence stems to use in their discussion. Teachers should then refrain from participating in the discussion. Three is a good number of stems to provide. A few examples are…

• I understand what (name) is saying, but I wonder…
• Here’s my thought(s) on that question…what do you think?
• That’s an interesting perspective…I wonder…

Whether one uses these strategies or not, it’s important to remember a few additional points. Setting norms for discussion don’t just have to happen at the beginning of the school year. Ask your students what should be expected from them during a class discussion in regards to participation and listening. Make these the norms for the reflection. Above all, the most important rule should be that all involved should listen and take turns speaking. Seating or positioning your students in a circle or “U” shape is the best configuration for them to interact as a whole group, . As facilitator, resist the urge to ask simple, lower-level, yes-no questions. Take your class’s discussion to a higher level. And finally, have a little fun. Learning about each other and collaborating can be the best part of being a part of a classroom community. Don’t forget that!

Image Source