Working in a large collaborative group can be daunting. There are so many voices all trying to be heard, or not heard for that matter. It brings out the best in many people: natural leaders tend to migrate to the forefront. But, it also isolates those quiet voices that tend to be muted by the din of extroverts. Even with the challenges, large group collaboration is a skill every student should be presented with. It pushes them to find their voice and their point-of-view.
Participating in such a high-energy, fluid, environment builds camaraderie as well as strengthening confidence and personal identity. It may seem shaky at first, but given time to overcome the hurdles of personality clashes and the inevitable talking over one another, the process will generally lead to some great results. It reinforces mindfulness and respect and forces students to listen one another.
This week my students had to join up as a team of four to research an assigned Endocrine gland and then as a group combined with a different team to co-produce a podcast: They interviewed each other using the personality and persona of the gland they researched. First person point-of-view, personification, listening and speaking skills, all combined into one assignment. It got loud at times and tempers flared, but in the end, every group recorded an awesome podcast.
Interviews Can Be Tricky
During this activity, the research and data collection was the easiest part for my students. They all received an I-pad or laptop and took notes quickly. Writing questions for the interview installment proved more difficult. Questions that are both interesting and informational were challenging for them to come up with. So, I spent fifteen minutes showing them clips of interviews by Barbara Walters, Ryan Seacrest and Bryant Gumble for some inspiration.
It took them longer to write the questions than anything else. They spent two class periods just practicing with each other, rehearsing and then listening to early versions of their pod cast. They re-wrote questions many times before they got the flow of the pod cast the way they wanted.
Once the questions fell into place and they got the hang of it, they hit the ground running and recorded the pod casts with ease in one or two takes. On average they are about 5 minutes long and chalk full of science, humor and personality. These are the first large group podcasts of the year and all n' all, the activity was a success. Our biggest hurdle was getting them to upload to Google Drive.
Pod casting Reinforces Speaking Skills
I had several students tell me this was "Worse than public speaking." I asked them why? "It is recording in front of my peers. I don't want to cause us to have to re-record." It was definitely a test of endurance and will power. Several groups got frustrated and almost gave up, but with the coaxing and reassurance of their 'leader' they continued and finished the assignment on-time.
I didn't expect pod casts to be more stressful than public speaking. In the end, I am happy I had them pod cast as a large group team. Each group was comprised of 6-8 students. Working in large groups is a skill they are not used to and students need to listen and hear how they sound, in order to grow as listeners and public speakers. They will be creating more pod casts in the next unit, but next time they are going to be 1-minute expert pod casts that they record individually.
Large Group Dynamics
Team work can be intimidating and frustrating but it is a necessary skill in life. Organizing, planning and collaborating are all part of the current job market and social world. The larger the group, the more overwhelming this sized collaboration becomes. The more voices competing for jurisdiction and authority. Being submerged in a fluid, dynamic group coerces those who would not speak to make their presence known. Especially if it is a school activity.
This assignment brought me a lot of insight. I discovered that the more hands off I am and the deeper the current of learning I throw my students into, the more they will swim or catch a wave of knowledge independently. They will collaborate and cooperate to reach a common goal. Clear, concise expectations and the freedom of exploration will bring students into a place where they will take risks and innovate.
While some students recorded a basic interview (the assignment), others created a news cast or simple play. They incorporated their personalities even though they were speaking through the 'mind' of an Endocrine gland. They had meaningful conversations, relied on each others strengths and made sure that everyone's voice was heard. It was a great first experience with pod casting in a large group.
I am looking forward to the individuality I will see shine in their next pod casts. I highly recommend trying pod casting with a large group collaboration. It may seem chaotic and dysfunctional and at first it sort of is, however, it becomes stream-lined and focused very quickly. We can't grow to our full potential without setbacks and hurdles. They learn so much through trial and error and with a bit of irritation and elevation through positive feedback, they struggle though and transform into stronger communicators in the process.
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