Working in groups and collaborating are not skills that we are born with. We must learn to work together and identify skills that help us to work in collaborative settings. Before we began a group activity, we discussed our prior group work experiences. We could all identify and describe a time when a group activity or project did not go well.
We took that conversation and turned it into a set of norms that we were all going to strive to achieve when we do group work in math class. Here is the list that was generated.
- Be inclusive (work to include others in your group)
- Everybody tries to do an equal part of the work
- Sharing ideas is helpful
- Look at both sides what a person has to share
- Treat your group members respectfully.
- Everyone is a leader
- Balancing stepping up and stepping back
- Everyone must participate
We acknowledged that these were things we would try to do, knowing that there will be days/times when it is hard for each of us.
