The Last Observation

The last observation I did for my Social Studies Methods course was of a cooperative learning lesson on life in New Spain. Group four had the students form into four different groups are were given a specific topic they were going to present on. But the catch was, these topics were top secret! I thought that this was a very interesting tactic to use. Even though us as the observers didn't know what the students were doing at their tables, the students seemed to enjoy that no other group had a clue what they were presenting. By observing groups around me, I noticed that one group was creating an illustration on a Christian missionary. Students drew a large church as the focus of the poster and different images to help back up their ideas. Students were all given a specific role in their group and got the opportunity to switch roles throughout the lesson. Each group had a their own "captain" which consisted of one of the teachers. The groups definitely needed someone to keep them in line because at times they got too rowdy or would argue over something. Enough time was given for each group to finish their overall project to present but there definitely could have been more dedicated to have the students practice what they were going to say in front of the entire class.

Before the students presented, the teachers reiterated what a proper presentation should be like. They displayed on the smart board that their voices should be clear, they shouldn't be covering their faces and other students should be active listeners while the presentations are going on. Some groups did well with presenting, but others had difficulty remembering what to say when they got to the front of the room. Also, many students started to laugh and skip over important information they were supposed to say because they got nervous. If this happens consistently, than these students need to practice their presentation skills. The purpose of this lesson was to work in groups but to improve themselves, I feel as though the students should present projects on their own before working in a large group. The students shared their topics and what they were presenting as they got to the front of the room which was helpful for all of us listeners. Overall, the idea was very cute and I think that the students enjoyed their tasks. The students definitely do need to improve their presentation skills but I think they did well with their tasks. Group four did a great job and it was a great way to wrap up all of the lessons and to introduce celebration of learning!