Updated 3/14/00
About a decade ago Richard Light at Harvard undertook a large survey of graduating seniors in which he and his task force interviewed 200 students about their education at Harvard. The goal of this program was to understand better what worked and what didn't, what faculty did that was helpful and what they did that was unhelpful. Among the findings of the Harvard Assessment was the important role of student-student discussions in scientific courses. The students who succeeded in the technical courses they took during their first two years at Harvard were largely those who identified a group of peers with whom they could discuss homework problems and course material.
At the time, this group work was spontaneously organized by (some) students and took place without the professors' knowledge. When Light presented his findings to his colleagues, however, a great many modified the way they treated homework assignments to specifically encourage student collaborations in small groups.
Light's findings at Harvard are not alone. Considerable research in teaching and learning shows that when students work in properly managed groups, they understand material better and retain it longer. (McKeachie 1988, Light 1992) Solving problems together in a group allows students to exchange ideas, learn from one another, and test whether their reasoning is sound. Those of you who have spent some time tutoring others will know what professors learn early on: nothing forces one to understand material quite so well as getting to teach it to someone else.
Each student in Physics 24 will be assigned to a base group of 3 students. Most homework assignments will be done by the entire group, which will hand in a single solution for all members of the group. Each member of the group is responsible for understanding the solution, and must be ready to present a solution in recitation. Each group member receives the same score for the assignment.
Some assignments will be done individually, so that you can monitor your own understanding of the material. Assignments or problems that are meant to be done individually will be clearly indicated on the syllabus or in an e-mail communication.
Light, Richard J., The Harvard assessment seminars: Second report, Harvard University, 1992.
McKeachie, Wilbert, "Teaching thinking," in National Center for Research for the Improvement of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning Update, 1(2), 1988.
|
|
Physics 24 at Harvey Mudd College Updated 3/14/00 |