Thinking Interdependently
"Students reference their teacher’s guidance in organization, study habits, character traits and values (like persistence, striving for accuracy, etc.). They have internalized these traits beyond just talking about them which has led to personal growth on the part of the student." (Johns Hopkins, n.d.).
Table of Contents
Introduction
In life it is necessary to have collaborative skills and be able to interact and work with others. This is no different in my class. Since we are learning a language, I make sure to pair and group students every day. There is no other way to really acquire a language. Traditional modes of teaching foreign languages often push for vocabulary recitation and grammar drills, paired with book work. However, this method of teaching has become obsolete in many ways. Currently, schools and language departments are stressing acquisition through immersion more and more. That means that the teachers replicate first language acquisition — which creates a classroom that is taught mostly in the target language, replacing the recitations, drills and book work. When we learn our first language as babies, we do it through as much exposure to the language as possible, picking up frequently-used words and learning through context and application. Because of this, I have students work together regularly on speaking, listening, reading and writing activities.
In my class, I often witness many of my students unable or unwilling to work in pairs or groups — similar to when Costa and Kallick (2000) mention, "Some students may not have learned to work in groups; they have underdeveloped social skills. They feel isolated, they prefer their solitude. 'Leave me alone — I'll do it by myself'. 'They just don't like me'. 'I want to be alone.' Some students seem unable to contribute to group work either by being a 'job hog' or conversely, letting others do all the work" (p. 11). Since this is such an important skill to have in life, as well as acquire another language, I make sure to teach interpersonal skills and collaboration in class.
Student Habits of Mind Sample
Self-Assessment
Once we addressed the habit, what it entailed, and why it was important, we looked at the students' own use of it. We looked at their answers on the self-assessment under Thinking Interdependently. The statements under the habit were: "I help with tasks that the group needs to perform; I listen to others when working in groups; I am happy to share my ideas with a group; I accept that when working in groups others may not always agree with what I have to say." The students chose between Most of the time, Frequently, Sometimes or Not yet when thinking about their own habits. In this habit, it was very apparent who would choose Most of the time and Frequently or those that would choose Sometimes and Not yet. The more-vocal and extroverted students were much more likely to say that they worked better with groups. On the other side, the students who were more introverted were likely to respond as Sometimes or Not yet. However, just because someone is extroverted does not necessarily mean that he/she works well with groups. Working with groups often requires patience and compromise. In our Spanish classes, working with others is a daily expectation, so this habit is very useful. We further discussed the results and related them to class, and the students saw how thinking interdependently can make learning a language more productive, helping create an immersive environment. Below are four examples of student responses.
Student Self-Assessment Responses
Applying the Habit
In order to explicitly teach students to think interdependently, I gave them a set of paper shapes. Their task was to collaborate and put the shapes together to make four squares (all the same size with no extra pieces). As an incentive, I gave prizes to those that were able to correctly put the four squares back together. Once a team finished, I made sure that no other team saw their results.
Activity Prompt
The students work together on the group activity.
The pieces of the group activity before being put together
Most groups were able to put the pieces back together; however, the duration varied drastically. A few groups finished in minutes, while some groups took 30 minutes. Once they all finished, they would say that they felt accomplished and also had fun. They had to use every member's ideas to put the squares together.
One group's finished activity
Once the groups finished, I had them discuss and answer a few questions. The students responded that they agreed that it was important to be able to work with others. Many of my students admitted that it was intimidating working with others and that they preferred to work alone. They also mentioned that they can learn from each other, and that another student might think of something that they, themselves, did not think of. The group below mentioned that working and thinking interdependently can bring many ideas together. One group member mentioned another time it was helpful to think interdependently was for a dance in which one of the members performed.
Student sample #1
The group below wrote that thinking interdependently was difficult and seemed to prefer working alone. However, they appeared to enjoy the activity. This is a habit that many students need to work on, even though it can be tough or uncomfortable. By working alone, students cannot really work on their speaking skills. They need to be able to practice speaking with others. That is why pair and group work are so powerful in a language classroom.
Student sample #2
Reflection
At the end of the lesson, I had my students reflect on the activity and how it can be used in class and outside of school, as well as in the future. The students discussed how they can contribute more when they work in groups in our class and in others. They mentioned how outside of school, they can work with others in their career, college, sports, and at home.
Student Reflection Questions
The student below wrote that she is not very good at thinking interdependently because she does not like to talk to others. Even though she says that she does like to work with others, she recognizes that she has to use this habit at school to be able to get her work done. She has a job, so she did mention that she has to interact and work with others on a regular basis. This is another reason that it is important to develop interpersonal skills and learn to work with others. After high school, many students will need to use these skills in college and in their careers.
Student Reflection
Further Reinforcement
Since teaching students explicitly to think interdependently, I have students work with partners and groups every class. Below is an activity from a Movie Talk unit that we did in class. The Movie Talk — For the Birds — is a silent Disney short video. I narrated over the video and asked comprehension questions in Spanish. The students then completed numerous scaffolded activities before the activity below. This activity is a story retell. The students worked in groups to retell the story using the six pictures. They benefited from thinking and working together, as members of the group were able to help each other when another member did not know how to say a particular word/phrase in Spanish. This was a student-centered activity that tested the students' Spanish abilities, while having them work and think together.
Story Retell for Movie Talk For the Birds
More Examples
Below is a picture of students working together on a Mini Whiteboard activity. This activity allowed the students to practice the language together, learning off each other and holding their partners accountable. The students made sure their partners were speaking Spanish and completing their work. In class, we do many activities that require the students to work together. These activities include role playing, skits, speed interviewing other students, group readings, among others. As the year progresses, the students continue to get more comfortable around each other. It gives me the opportunity to implement pair and group activities more often.
The students work together on Mini Whiteboard Activity
References:
ACTFL. (n.d.). USE OF TARGET LANGUAGE IN LANGUAGE LEARNING. Retrieved October 27, 2019, from https://www.actfl.org/guiding-principles/use-target-language-language-learning.
Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B. (2000). Describing 16 habits of mind. Retrieved from http://www.habitsofmind.org/sites/default/files/16HOM2.pdf