The following is a study of cooperative learning in a group of eighth grade students in orchestra class. The class of 42 students was observed using two different grouping methods. The first method is as follows:
Method One: Teacher Assigned Mixed-Ability Grouping
Objectives: Students will be given one class period to work together to create the best possible performance of a selection of music. They are to use prior knowledge and skills, apply vocabulary and technique, and work together to create an acceptable performance.
Materials: Students will work on the selection, Yuletide Rag by Richard Meyer.
Time: Students will have one class period of 45 minutes to prepare the piece in a small group.
Method: Students are to convene in a small group consisting of 10-11 students in a group (a class of 41 students, 4 groups). They will be split into groups according to mixed ability: a mix of high, middle, and lower ability students. This will be assigned to them as well as a balance of instrumentation. The plan is for each instrumental section to have at least one stronger musician and a weaker musician as well.
Assessment: Students will be assessed in two formats:
First, I will travel to each of the four groups and listen to the work and discussion that is being done. Students should be working cooperatively together, asking and answering questions, dissecting sections of the music, improving parts that need work. This will earn them up to ten points for team effort and participation.
Second, students will perform the final product for the class the next day. The overall performance will be assessed. The class performance must display students who know their parts, are aware of how their part fits into the overall piece, and the details of the performance such as dynamics (louds and softs), articulations and bowings.
5-G Analysis of Lesson Plan
Group:
This plan is intended for the top group in the middle school, eighth grade orchestra. The students average three-six years of playing experience and are grouped heterogeneously. The students have class and rehearse every day. A handful of these students currently study privately outside the orchestra program and are also involved in additional orchestras outside of the public schools system.
This activity is targeted for older and experienced musicians that have acquired the knowledge and understanding of what is expected and how to get there. The students can analyze what they are hearing and know what to do to fix it. Younger groups may work on something similar, but may require more assistance and a smaller, more simplified goal. By using the eighth grade, students know what is expected and skills are refined enough to achieve the required goals.
The challenge with this group will be working well with a variety of students. These students tend to have their own social groupings that are characterized by ability level on their instrument.
Goals:
The expectation of this assignment is for the whole group to reach an acceptable level that meets the basic levels of achievement for the orchestra. Many students have done this individually. The challenge is to bring up some of the lower achieving students and to create an acceptable performance. Playing an instrument is a very individual task, but the goal of the orchestra is to work as a team.
The goals for the groupings are to hear vocabulary being used, listening, assessing, diagnosing, and fixing any issues they might hear. Everyone contributing is also something that tends to be a challenge for some of these students.
In the performance, all students must demonstrate that they know the basic part. In addition, they should perform the basic dynamics, bowings and articulations.
Getting there:
The students will all receive the following information on a handout. This clearly outlines what is supposed to be learned and how to go about working in the group. Although these students have a great deal of group experience, this is the first time guidelines and clear expectations have been set to monitor the process. Hopefully this can steer them in the right direction.
Yuletide Rag: Group Assignment
You have been placed in a performance group. You will have one class period to work together to prepare this piece to the best of your combined abilities. Although you have not had this piece for a long amount of time, by now the basics should be mastered.
You will have one class period to prepare this piece for tomorrow’s class performance.
You are expected to work on the following in priority order:
As you rehearse today, I will walk around and observe your teamwork. This does not mean that one person runs the rehearsal the entire time. It is a combined group effort, just as your performance will be. Everyone is expected to contribute in the short amount of time you are given.
Points: You will be graded twice. First, you will be graded based on the discussion and rehearsal time. Your effort, concern, input, opinions, focus-will all be accounted for.
Second, your overall class performance tomorrow will be the second part of your grade.
Does this mean everyone has to get along? YES. You must be RESPECTFUL of one another and each other’s opinions. Please think of ways to describe or discuss issues, perhaps use suggestions or use the following: “I feel”, “To me it sounds as though”, etc…Remember, compliments go a long way!! Try starting with a positive, and then adding the improvement piece. Example:
“Violas! I loved how steady and in tune your eighth notes were! Can you maybe just check the note in measure 42, it sounded a bit low to me”.
I only ask for your best. Good luck!!!
Guiding the process:
Students have worked on this piece in the classroom setting with my guidance for two weeks. They have a great basic understanding of the music and have listened to recordings as well. The style of the piece is a challenge because it requires them to really stretch their knowledge and skills. The material is not something students cannot master in a short amount of time. It is material that needs to be practiced individually (which, at this point should be completed) and then applied within the context of the orchestra setting.
By teaming students with mixed abilities, the strong players should act as leaders and teachers, guiding the others to reach the goals as a team. The teaming should be like a small orchestra itself, the only thing really missing is a teacher to start and stop them and the support of numbers within the instrumental sections.
Possibly concerns are students who have not out the time in individually. Two students have recently returned to orchestra after a year away. They may be a bit behind in the mastery process, but should still be able to make significant progress during this process.
Another concern would be students who choose not to cooperate with others, specifically those with a plan an education plan. One student in particular tends to be very defiant when working in small groups and another peer is dictating the plan of action. I am hoping to avoid this by not calling too much attention to it. It is a concern that comes up occasionally, but when it does it can really cause major problems in a small group setting.
Before sending students off to work, we will discuss some ideas of positive small group work as a class. This is important for all students to learn that we are on the same page and what is expected of everyone as far as respect and the overall product are concerned.
Gazing backward, glimpsing ahead:
The lesson was applied and tested. Overall, the transition to the groups went well. A handful of students saw the group list on the board and asked to change or to swap a student out for one of their friends. This is expected when working with a very social group of eighth graders. There was little debate or question on the assignment.
As I walked around the groups, every group got right to work and began playing to assess the status of the piece. From my observations, the very top students jumped in and started running the discussion and rehearsal. This is something that typically happens in the small group work and was as expected despite the guidelines.
In two of the groups that did not have extreme standout players, there was much more silence while dissecting the music and actually more input overall from the rest of the group. These groups tended to share and talk about what was going on more than the standout-musician groups.
It is very challenging to keep everyone happy and learning in such a mixed-ability group of students. The next step is to test out peer based grouping. Typically, the top kids combine in an ensemble together when permitted. At this point, it becomes very interesting to see who fights to become the leader. The other groups tend to become more relaxed and enjoy the process more when there isn’t one head musician.
To improve the lesson as it was given, I would allow more time or give a specific section of the music to work on instead of the entire selection. It is a challenging piece. I feel the students would be more successful with a small section to perfect instead of a little improvement on the entire song.
I feel this was an effective lesson in getting students to work together and to really listen to what they are producing. They tend to rely on me as the director to identify what isn’t sounding good and to tell them how to fix it By going through this process, the students start taking the learning and performing into their own hands.
The following are some observations of students working together in the teacher assigned groups.
Discussion Group
Performing
Group Two: Student Choice Groups
Group: Students were permitted to select one of four groups in which to partake. They were asked to sign up for a group upon entering the classroom. It was clear that they were immediately excited about this plan and began discussing who was going to be in which group.
Three of the groups were fairly large and students were with friends. One group was made up of all the boys in the class except for one. The one student chose to work alone and in previous group work, did not work well with other students.
Goals:
The goals of the group work were the same as above. The idea was to gain as much knowledge and understanding of the music a possible. Students were asked to work with one another and improve individual as well as overall performance.
The following video clips were taken in the choice group setting. As you will see, the students seem to start off working well together.
As the time progresses, the focus start drifting and not as much is getting accomplished:
Finally, towards the end of the choice group session, there is little focus and more fun being had:
Student Response:
Upon completion of the cooperative learning exercises, students were asked to complete a brief questionnaire of their experiences. They were asked to complete the questions on their own and to be completely honest about their thoughts on working with peers. This age group was extremely responsive and completely open about how they felt.
The student response was exactly what I felt as well. Approximately half of the students responded that they enjoyed the choice grouping. Very few of these students felt much work was actually accomplished. They indicated that they felt more comfortable working with friends. A couple replied that they were more likely to contribute and speak up with a group of friends.
The rest of the class indicated that more work was accomplished when placed in a group. They wrote that although working with friends can be enjoyable, they tend to lack focus and are easily distracted. A few of these students wrote that they would like a smaller group with which to work, and it would be suggested that they are able to have at least one or two friends, along with the teacher placement in the smaller group setting.
Gazing backward, glimpsing ahead:
After researching cooperative learning, the groupings applied to this design seemed to me the most applicable. I felt the age group was on target when if came to researching and desirable feedback from the students. They were honest about learning and wanting social time with friends. In the future I would modify the following based on this experiment:
1. Smaller groupings. It is a challenge finding room for a high number of small groups. However, almost every student responded with the desire to work in a group of ten or less.
2. Allow students to choose one friend to start the group. Many students requested this and I feel it is an acceptable compromise. One friend will make the students feel comfortable, yet not distracted by a large group of social connections. This could lead to problems of balance and equality.
3. I felt that ability levels would play a strong part in this. After witnessing the different combinations of students, everyone participated and learned something. It is nice to have a couple of leaders in each group, but even without a pre-assigned leader, a few students would step up. This was perhaps the most pleasant surprise of all.
What I learned:
Cooperative learning can be a very orchestrated event. It can also be as simple as breaking student randomly into peer groups. There are so many ways to apply it to the classroom, with or without a great deal of planning. Overall, all students benefit in one way or another. This is something I feel comfortable modifying and applying at all ability levels. In the orchestra setting, I feel the students would work best if they had some knowledge and experience prior to sending them off into groups. With such large numbers and mixed abilities, it is a challenge to monitor without these prior specifications.
Reference:
Woolfolk Hoy, A., & Tschannen-Moran. M. (1999). Implications of cognitive approaches to peer learningfor teacher education. In A. O'Donnell & A. King (Eds.), Cognitive perspectives on peer learning (pp.257-284). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.