Over the past week and a half my students have been engaging in group projects. Each group has a different empire in either Africa or the America's to research. Within their groups each person is responsible for researching one of the following areas: geography, social order, politics and culture. So from Monday to Wednesday using a set of questions I created for them related to each topic, the students used the computers to do research about their empires. Originally scheduled to be in the computer lab all week, on Thursday, due to scheduling confusion our class was forced to have class outside the lab at the tables in the library. Unaware that this might happen before class I had decided to go through their group folders and provide each student individual feedback and points for all the work they had done thus far. In going through their work I discovered most people had answered all their research questions and were ready for the summary stage. So students were able to use this class time to summarize their research and answer a set of reflection questions about the project and what they were learning. I know that if the students were in the lab most would have spent their time on twitter or some other irrelevant site. In addition, those who had been disengaged initially were able to see how many points they had at this stage and move forward. I have found that the use of steps and consistent feedback is extremely helpful when scaffolding students for larger projects.
Last week I discussed how upset my students were when I told them we would be working in groups but I have witnessed a complete transformation. Students have become accountable for one another and truly developed a sense of community. Moreover, this day away from the computers, really revealed to me the growth that had taken place.
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