Unit Design Project & Group Work

This is more a blog about the experience of creating a unit versus the unit itself and I think it should count!

I am a huge fan of group work and hope to incorporate the practice into my classroom as much as possible. Looking back on my group work experiences though, I realize that as a student it wasn't always enjoyable. I have a strong personality and I always struggle with creating a balance between my contributions and those of my group members. It is hard work discovering everyone's strengths and applying them to the overall effort of the task at hand.

This time around group work has been quite a challenge for me! We, all four of us, have very strong personalities with a lot to say about what should be done and how we should do it. Our thought processes are different and sometimes it is hard for me to follow along. This is a rare experience for me because I am used to being a leader in the group and more often than not, I am continually telling myself to sit back and listen and not push my ideas on everyone as if there were only one way to do things!

It is also challenging for me to keep in constant communication with everyone. This is not so much because I have a busy schedule, everyone does. It is more a personal habit that I have never taken the time to develop. Even with our tools for instant communication I still find it difficult. I don't know how to fully express my feelings about this...it's like I'm disjointed or out of sync somehow. Maybe I'm just uncomfortable stretching muscles I rarely use! It is definitely a wake up call for me to exercise my communication skills in a more regular manner.

In any case, this group work experience has really opened my eyes to how many of my students may feel about having to work in groups. This won't deter me from employing group work, rather, I feel motivated to really think about ways I can foster greater cohesion among my students so they can realize the potential of working together.

Technological change and its effects in past and present societies...

I think it is an interesting question, how do changes in technology affect changes in society? Our unit plan is going to focus on this question while studying the Industrial Revolution. We want students to understand how a single invention can start a simple social change that eventually sends ripples around the world and reverberates through time.

In order to make that connection more real for students, I would like to create an assignment that urges students to communicate with members in their community. I want students to focus on generation gaps and the effects new technologies, such as computers and the Internet, have on successively older generations. Creating understandings in the present can help students deepen their perspective of the past and allow for a stronger critical analysis of the essential question. How do changes in technology affect changes in society?