Page 17 - Teacher's Guide: My Own SBA Toolkit for CSEC English Examinations

What, who, how, why, and when
Establishing and maintaining groups that produce excellent results require that, as a teacher, you know:
4 what the major objectives of the group engagement are; 4 who are likely to assemble as a group;
4 how to positively influence group membership;
4 why some group members may slack off; and
4 when to check in and keep things working smoothly 1The two major objectives of the SBA as a group project are:
a) what is learned: factual material as well as the process; and
b) what is produced: written papers (Plan of Investigation, Reflection entries,
Written Report), and oral presentation
2Groups are expected to be formed primarily based on shared interest in a general topic Secondary factors may include:
a) existing social groups;
b) the desire to group up with classmates operating at similar levels of achievement; c) the desire to get into a group that can ‘carry’ a student intent on coasting; and
d) other factors
As a teacher, how do you reassure a high achiever that it is okay to form a group with others that are operating at a lower level of achievement?
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Figure 5. Lots of questions to be answered ahead of establishing small groups.
Section 3: Working with Small Groups