4 Smart Ways to Make End-of-School-Year Group Work Actually Work [Episode 255]

Heidi 0:00
This is episode 253 of Teacher Approved.

Heidi 0:00
This is episode 255 of Teacher Approved.

Heidi 0:06
You’re listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I’m Heidi.

Emily 0:13
And I’m Emily. We’re the creators behind Second Story Window, where we give research-based and teacher-approved strategies that make teaching less stressful and more effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from each episode at secondstorywindow.net.

Emily 0:28
We’re so glad you’re tuning in today. Let’s get to the show.

Emily 0:35
Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today’s episode, we are talking about how to make group work actually work at the end of the school year, and we’re sharing a teacher approved tip for building up your students’ stamina for collaboration.

Heidi 0:50
But let’s start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick one that you can try in your classroom right away. Emily, what’s our suggestion for this week?

Emily 0:58
Okay, if you’re giving directions before students start a partner activity or group work, instead of asking, Do you have any questions, have students explain the directions to their partners before you turn them loose. So say, tell your partner what you’re going to do, and then your partner will repeat what you said.

Heidi 1:17
And then you got to have the partners switch roles so you know, they both get a turn to listen and talk.

Emily 1:21
Yep.

Heidi 1:22
That way they will have heard the directions at least three times before they had to try it on their own.

Emily 1:27
Yes, and I just love anything that can cut down on my least favorite question, which is, what are we doing? What are we supposed to do? So if you like this idea too, or anything else, we share here on the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star rating on Apple podcasts or your podcast listening app?

Heidi 1:47
So we are deep into that weird late April energy right now. Have you felt that?

Emily 1:54
Yeah, I’m gonna bet that you have, talking to the teachers at my kids’ school. It’s, it’s in the air right now, because it’s like, somehow your class has just forgotten how to walk into line, but they can recite every single lyric to whatever song is trending this week.

Heidi 2:09
It’s all about priorities.

Emily 2:12
And at this time of year, you know, the instinct, or at least mine, was kind of just like, I give up. It’s almost the end of the year anyway, right? And then I would let the little stuff build up until it became big stuff, and then I just would panic and crack down.

Heidi 2:28
Yeah, nobody’s doing their best work right now, especially the kids. I think they’re as done as the grown ups.

Emily 2:34
Yeah, everybody, everybody is so done. I don’t think anyone craves summer break as much as a teacher, though, but the kids are probably a close second.

Heidi 2:44
Yeah, they are so full of energy, but the last thing they are willing to do is invest it in class work.

Emily 2:50
So instead of fighting that impulse, what if we worked with it? That’s what today’s episode is about. The end of the year is actually a great time for group work, collaborative projects, learning games, partner challenges. You’re wrapping up your curriculum, the kids have energy to burn, so hey, let’s channel that.

Heidi 3:07
But, and this is important, group work at the end of the year can go from productive to chaos in about 90 seconds flat if you have not thought it through. Schools need those signs like they have in the mountains. Maybe, if you don’t live in the mountains, you don’t know this, but they put up big put up big signs that tell you the fire danger. So they’ll say, like, no campfires today, the danger of wildfire is high.

Emily 3:29
Yeah, and because everyone is teetering on the edge right now in your classroom, all it takes is the tiniest spark to ignite a meltdown, and you do not want to be dealing with that when you are already so tired.

Heidi 3:42
And you already have a mile-long to do list before summer starts. So today, we are walking through four categories for making collaborative work run smoothly so we avert any wildfire risks. We will show you how to build groups, how to prep kids for success, how to structure a meaningful activity, and how you close it out so it goes even better the next time.

Emily 4:03
Our first category is about assigning groups. The key, and we cannot stress this enough, is that teacher assigned partners and groups need to be the default right now.

Heidi 4:15
Oh, do we sound mean?

Emily 4:17
Well, we are mean.

Heidi 4:18
Well of course kids love choosing their own partners, and there’s a time and a place for that, especially at the end of the year, maybe as a little treat.

Emily 4:27
Yeah, letting them pick once in a while feels like a reward, but has a rule, you want to be the one assigning. And it isn’t because we’re mean, even though we are mean, but it’s not because of this that we’re mean. No, but really, it’s because, as the teacher, you know things that the kids don’t. You know who amps each other up the second they sit down together. You know who’s strong in math and who’s going to benefit from being paired with a kid that’s strong in math, and you know which of your quieter students has a secret leadership streak when they’re with the right partner.

Heidi 5:02
But since we know that kids don’t love having their partners assigned, the only way to keep it fair is to change up those assignments frequently. You don’t want any one kid stuck managing the same tricky classmate for weeks on end. That’s just not fair.

Emily 5:20
Just because a kid is responsible doesn’t mean they should always have tough partners. I think those of us who grew up hearing we were a joy to have in class spent more than our fair share of time helping manage tricky classmates, because our teachers needed the backup.

Heidi 5:36
And you know, sometimes that’s what you got to do to get everyone to that three o’clock bell. But it is also true that responsible kids should get a break from having to be the helpers all the time. So here is what I used to do that made this group arrangement so much more manageable. So as I was heading into the end of the year, I would sit down and I would make four different group lists ahead of time, like list A, B, C and D. Each list had different pairings or different groupings. I might need, you know, I separate them so I have lists for pairs and lists for groups. I found that in my class I really liked groups of three. I thought that was the sweet spot. If I could make that work, I try not to go larger than that.

Emily 6:14
This is so smart because it means that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you want to do a partner activity. If every single collaborative activity requires you to organize a strategically balanced grouping chart from scratch, you’re probably just going to want to hand out a worksheet.

Heidi 6:32
Yeah, you’re never going to want to do it. So I would make all of my lists at once, and then I rotate through them. So maybe on Tuesday, for doing readers theaters, I grab list A, and then for Tuesday afternoon’s math game, list B, Wednesday science partner activities, list C, and then, you know, just rotate through them.

Emily 6:49
And this is great because you’re doing the upfront work once, and then for the rest of the year, or at least for a long stretch, you just pull the list you need and go.

Heidi 6:59
Exactly. And everybody’s needs are accounted for, but the kids are still getting some variety.

Emily 7:04
Okay, so once you’ve got your groups built, the next category is how you prep kids before the activity starts. And there are really two pieces to this. Kids need to know how to behave during the activity, and they need to know what to actually do during the activity. And those are two different things, and you need to address both.

Heidi 7:23
Yeah, and I think sometimes we blur these together, and then we’re surprised when it doesn’t go well. So let’s start with the behavior piece. By the end of the school year, there’s this assumption that kids should just know how to work with a partner. They’ve been in school for eight months. They have done group activities before, shouldn’t they have it down by now?

Emily 7:43
And the answer is, no, no, they do not have it down.

Heidi 7:47
They do not. In fact, at this point in the year, they’ve somehow forgotten everything that they ever knew. It probably should be studied.

Emily 7:56
Yeah, it’s very remarkable. So just assume nothing and teach the social skill.

Heidi 8:01
And we’re not talking about like a character ed lesson. We’re talking about a quick mini lesson on one specific skill that you know your class needs. Think about what’s been going wrong during partner work lately. Maybe it’s figuring out who goes first. Why is that always a battle? Or settling disagreements, active listening, speaking kindly when a partner does something that you don’t love.

Emily 8:22
Pick one per activity and teach it. The mini lesson formula is really simple. Just name the behavior, model what it looks like, explain why it matters, and then state the consequence if it doesn’t happen.

Heidi 8:33
And you can do this a couple of ways depending on what feels right. You can teach the social skill first and then say, Okay, here’s the activity. Remember what we just practiced. Or you can explain the whole activity first, and then, right before you send them off, you say, let’s review how to disagree respectfully. I’m going to be looking for that today.

Emily 8:53
Yeah, both of those work. So just go with whatever fits your flow. If you can make an anchor chart, great. You can refer back to it next week when you need to go over this skill again.

Heidi 9:04
But seriously, don’t let that hold you up. Don’t make an anchor chart, if that is just one more thing to manage. Yeah, anchor charts are nice, but you know, if you don’t do it, a two minute conversation still gets the job done.

Emily 9:15
Absolutely. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Heidi 9:20
I feel like I have to learn that lesson all the time.

Emily 9:22
Yeah, especially at the end of the school year. The skill mini lesson matters way more than whether it’s captured on a piece of chart paper.

Heidi 9:30
Okay, so that’s the behavior piece. Now the activity steps are different, and those actually do need to be written down.

Emily 9:38
Yeah, this one is non negotiable if you want to keep the peace. So list every step students need to remember. Step one, get your material. Step two, read through the instructions with your partner. Step three, start with problem one. Yeah, whatever your steps are, those need to be visible and easy to reference.

Heidi 9:57
The top cause of off task behavior during group work is confusion. A kid who doesn’t know what to do is just gonna find something to do, and it’s not gonna be what you had in mind.

Emily 10:07
Yeah, it’s definitely gonna involve somebody’s eraser and somebody else’s pencil and a whole fiasco about who started what. So let’s avoid that. Post the steps on the board, and this doesn’t have to be an anchor chart either, you can project these on a slide or just write them on the board.

Heidi 10:24
But the best version, the version that will save you the most headaches, is an individual list that each student or each group has with them.

Emily 10:32
Yeah, I’m a big believer in the paper in their hand, because kids forget to look up at the board somehow. The words are six inches tall and they’re just invisible to them, but if the steps are right there next to the paper, they’re much more likely to glance down and check.

Heidi 10:51
So teach the social skill and write out the activity steps, two different things, but both are necessary.

Heidi 10:57
Now our third category is how you structure the activity itself. This one starts with the question, Does this work actually merit collaboration?

Emily 11:06
Oh, this is so important. Because if you’re just having kids sit next to each other and fill out the same worksheet, that is not group work, that’s two kids working near each other, and they are going to get bored and goof around very quickly.

Heidi 11:18
Yeah, if you’re going to the trouble to let students work together, there should be work worth doing. There needs to be a problem to solve, a product to create, or a question to debate, something that genuinely requires more than one brain.

Emily 11:32
Otherwise the kids just sniff it out immediately. And the fun of messing around with our partner is way more interesting than the task at hand.

Heidi 11:41
Yeah, probably because it is more interesting.

Emily 11:43
Well, yeah, it is. So first, make sure the work deserves collaboration. Then plan for the friction points before they happen. Friction points are those little transition moments that can derail the whole thing. Think about materials. If every group needs to grab materials from the back table, what happens if 28 kids get up at once?

Heidi 12:03
Yikes. So send a few groups at a time. Think we talked about that in last week’s episode. Go back and check that out. Or have the materials already distributed. Do what you need to do, just think it through. Then consider where everybody’s going to work. If students are going to spread out around the room instead of staying at their desks, you either need to assign the spots ahead of time, or you need to give them criteria for choosing a good spot.

Emily 12:27
And my standard for this was always two big steps. You had to be two big steps away from any other group.

Heidi 12:33
Oh, that rule saved me so many times, and I loved how serious the kids would get about measuring their two big steps.

Emily 12:40
These, you know, ginormous steps.

Heidi 12:44
Yes, like, one, two.

Emily 12:47
And it does seem silly, but those guidelines, without them, the kids will absolutely try to work right on top of each other. And then, of course, the two groups are talking or fighting instead of working.

Heidi 12:58
Okay, so far, you have assigned strategic groups, prepped the kids for social and academic success, planned a meaningful task, and the next step is to assign roles within groups. Think materials manager, timekeeper, recorder, reporter, whatever makes sense for the task that gives each kid a clear job.

Emily 13:16
Now, if you look up anything about cooperative learning, it will recommend assigning students roles. But Heidi, you had some problems with that, right?

Heidi 13:25
Well, I did, and to be fair, it could have just been that I did not prep my kids well enough. It very likely was that, but I did find that roles were pretty hit or miss. Developmentally, younger kids don’t always understand how their job is different from somebody else’s job. You tell one kid they’re the materials manager and another kid they’re the recorder, they don’t necessarily get the big picture of how those jobs work together to support the group.

Emily 13:51
So if you’re working with younger kids, you might need to simplify, maybe just two roles instead of four, or maybe roles with really visual cues, like the materials manager gets a special badge or lanyard.

Heidi 14:03
Oh yeah, they would love a prop.

Emily 14:05
Oh, for sure.

Heidi 14:06
And this is another place where the individual step list becomes your friend, because you can put the role right on top of that kid’s paper. Now Partner A, you’re the materials manager. Here are your jobs.

Emily 14:16
Or if roles aren’t working for you, it’s okay to skip them. Again we’re not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good, because it is term four.

Heidi 14:25
Yeah, do what we gotta to survive.

Heidi 14:27
Okay, now it’s time to close out the activity, and this is the one that I think teachers skip the most, because by the time you get to the end of a group activity, you just want to get on to the next thing.

Emily 14:38
Which totally makes sense, but a quick debrief at the end is what turns a one time activity into something that actually gets better over the year.

Heidi 14:46
Now, obviously you are probably wrapping up an activity with a discussion about the learning, but this debrief is not about, you know, what they learned about frogs or multiplication. This debrief is about the partnering. How did working together go?

Emily 15:00
If you want to make sure this is something you can stick with, keep it simple. Pick two standard questions that you can use every single time.

Heidi 15:06
Plus, that way the kids get used to the format. Try asking, How is someone in your group a good partner today, and what will you remember to do the next time you work with a partner?

Emily 15:17
I like those two questions because one is looking back at what worked, which helps students recognize the types of behaviors that are helpful. And the other question is helping them see how they’ll put those behaviors into action for themselves.

Heidi 15:30
And this check in should be quick, like two minutes. The kids are as eager as you are to get onto the next thing.

Emily 15:35
And there is a hidden benefit to doing this every time. When kids know that a debrief is coming, they know their behavior might get discussed, not in a scary way, but just in a, I want someone to recognize what I’m doing way. That little bit of social accountability can make kids try a little harder.

Heidi 15:52
It’s amazing what a little peer pressure will do.

Emily 15:56
In the best way. So those are our tips for managing group work. And this is so great for the kids, especially at the end of the year, but there’s no way around it. It is more behind the scenes work for you as the teacher.

Heidi 16:09
Yeah, it is. Building the group list, planning the mini lesson, writing out the step sheets, thinking through the friction points. There’s a ton of work before the kids even know what the activity is going to be.

Emily 16:21
But here is a little end of your payoff you might not recognize. When a group activity is structured well and the kids know what they’re doing and are engaged in meaningful work, it creates this golden moment of time during class where you are not actively teaching.

Heidi 16:37
I love those moments. We call them pockets of prep, and you want as many of these as you can get in May. I used to use that time to catch up on grading or to declutter the spot on my counter that had become a disaster. It’s like a magnet for clutter.

Emily 16:52
Oh, yeah. Or to check something in your avalanche of end of year tasks like report cards, inventory, cleaning out cubbies, organizing files. You know all of that that never ends.

Heidi 17:04
It never ends. So when your group activity is running well, you can sit down at your desk for 15 minutes and actually make a dent in something. And that’s not slacking. That is smart classroom management.

Emily 17:16
The kids are learning, they’re engaged, they’re working together. You are doing your job, even if you’re not actively teaching a lesson. You are also getting something done. And so that is just a win, win in May.

Heidi 17:28
Okay, let’s do a quick recap. Build your groups strategically, change them frequently, and make your ABCD lists ahead of time, so that you’re not starting from scratch.

Emily 17:39
Consider how you prep kids before they start. Teach the social skill with a quick mini lesson and post the activity steps in writing. Make sure your activity actually merits collaboration. Plan for friction points and assign clear roles. And wrap up intentionally so good choices carry over to the next activity.

Heidi 17:58
If you want to put some of this into practice in the last stretch of the year, in the Teacher Approved Club in May, we are discussing how to close out the year strong. You can find a link to join us in the show notes.

Emily 18:10
Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the Week, where we share an actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and simplify the rest. This week’s teacher approved tip is build group work stamina. So tell us how to do this, Heidi.

Heidi 18:22
So this tip is for the teacher who’s listening to this episode and maybe feeling a little panicked because they haven’t done a ton of group work this year. It’s okay. We’ve got you. It’s true that if your class hasn’t done much collaborative work all year, you cannot walk in tomorrow and ask them to tackle a 45 minute stem challenge with assigned roles and three stages of work. You need to scale your expectations to match what your kids could actually handle right now. So remember that group work is like any other skill. It takes stamina. So if you want to build in group work for the last stretch of the year, just start really small. My go-to are always partner games. Start with five or 10 minutes and keep things very low stakes, something like a quick math fact game with a partner, or like a partner read of a passage.

Emily 19:12
And then you can build up to short partner tasks with a clear finish line, something that takes maybe 15 minutes and has a defined end point so the kids know what they’re working toward.

Heidi 19:23
And then if and only if, you still have the energy, you can work up to the bigger collaborative projects, the ones with multiple roles and longer time frames and bigger outcomes. You’re just building that muscle gradually.

Emily 19:39
Yeah, and you’ve got several weeks left. That is enough time to build real stamina, if you start where your kids actually are. And even if all you get in are just three or four short partner experiences, your students are still getting the benefits of working with a peer, and that will completely change how the end of the year feels.

Heidi 19:58
All right. To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we’re giving extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?

Emily 20:03
I’m giving extra credit to the Nod Pod. Have you seen these before, Heidi?

Heidi 20:07
I have no idea what this is.

Emily 20:08
Okay. So this is a sleeping mask. And I feel like masks should sort of be in quotes, because its goal is not to block out light, although it does do that. But what it is, is basically a weighted blanket for your eyes.

Heidi 20:25
Okay.

Emily 20:27
So, I mean, just imagine, like a long strip of like minky sort of fabric, so soft.

Heidi 20:33
Okay.

Emily 20:34
And it’s got like four little bean bags in it. Basically, it kind of reminds me of like a pea pod. And so if you sleep on your back, then you would just put the two middle pods over your eyes, and then I just covered my face while I’m talking into the microphone, because I have to demonstrate putting it over your eyes. So you put those two pods over your eyes, and then the other two are just kind of to the side of your head. And so it’s just like, it’s a lot more comfortable way to have a mat, a sleeping mask on because it doesn’t have to be wrapped around your head, although it can be. It does have, like, a little loop. So you can do that if you want to.

Emily 21:14
But I sleep on my side, so I thought this wouldn’t work for me. But then somebody I follow was like, no, no, you you can. And so if you’re sleeping on your side, you have it where you do two of the the little pods that are on the edge of the four, and then the other two just go over the side of your head that’s face up, basically. And so it just kind of like holds it in place. It’s so hard to describe this thing or why it would be appealing.

Heidi 21:41
What does it do?

Emily 21:43
It’s so comfortable. Like, it’s just the softest, most gentle pressure on your eyes. But, like, not in a way that hurts. It’s just so like, I feel like I’m getting to sleep so fast, like I get into bed now and I’m like, Ooh, I get to put on my Nod Pod. It always takes me a minute to, like, get situated. I do think it is harder to use as a side sleeper, but it still works. And, I mean, I wouldn’t even necessarily say I keep it on the whole night. Sometimes I wake up and it’s still on. A lot of times I wake up and it’s not, but I think it’s main benefits is for helping you fall asleep. Like a weight, you know, it’s just like a weighted blanket, but for your eyes.

Emily 22:20
Okay, I will take your word for that.

Emily 22:22
You should try it out. And I did find it on sale. I will say that, because it is a little bit pricey. But keep an eye out for it, listeners as well, if you’re interested, like, keep an eye out for a deal. Like, I frequently see at least some discount on it, so don’t buy it at full price. And I actually saw it at Ulta for, like, 50% off for like a daily deal. So keep an eye out.

Heidi 22:44
Okay, well, that’s that’s a good one to try out.

Emily 22:47
And yet again, I’m giving extra credit to something that’s impossible to describe, like on a podcast, like you need to see what I’m talking about. I’ll have to post a picture in stories or something.

Heidi 22:58
There you go.

Emily 22:59
Okay, what are you giving extra credit to Heidi?

Heidi 23:01
I am giving extra credit to the TV show, Jury Duty: Company Retreat.

Emily 23:07
Oh, I haven’t watched it yet. Is it good?

Heidi 23:09
Yes. So like, gosh, it’s been a few years now, like 2021, 2022, something like that.

Emily 23:16
Yeah.

Heidi 23:17
I think they filmed it before the pandemic, so it would have been like 2021.

Emily 23:20
Really? Oh my gosh.

Heidi 23:21
Yeah, they came out with this TV show called Jury Duty, and it’s on Freevee. And the premise is they’re filming a documentary about jury duty and all this crazy stuff is going on. But that’s because everyone in the show is an actor, except for one guy who has no clue what is going on. It was so funny. And it wasn’t mean spirited, like it’s not like a giant prank show, because the guy is always set up to be the hero, like they refer to him as the hero. He’s the one that’s solving the problems. He’s the one that’s helping everybody, so he’s never the butt of the joke.

Emily 23:59
Yes, which I feel like, makes a big difference in something like this.

Heidi 24:02
So it was so funny. I think it’s like five or six episodes. It was hilarious.

Emily 24:06
It was a hoot.

Heidi 24:07
And it was just like, well, they, that’s sad they can never do that again. But they did it. They came back this year with a similar thing. It’s Company Retreat. So the documentary crew is filming this family hot sauce company as the longtime owner is handing over the reins to his loser son. And they’re on this company retreat in the mountains and all of this crazy drama and this poor guy’s attempt, he just got hired specifically for this retreat to be like an assistant for this retreat. He’s, like, just trying to do his best. And it’s, it’s just like, heartwarming chaos.

Emily 24:49
And I heard something, even though I haven’t watched it yet, I heard something about how the reason this worked was this guy was, like, just inherently not curious about any of these people. He didn’t go home and Google anybody. You know, like with jury duty, they were sequestered, but with this like he still had access to his phone, and apparently they had made, like fake social media accounts for everyone in case he tried to look anyone up, but he never did. So it just helps that they picked someone who was a nice guy, it sounds like, but also just an inherently not very curious guy.

Heidi 25:21
And like, he is such a team player. Because, like, he gets up there and like the guy he’s an assistant to, like, the manager he’s helping is, like, just total goofball. And he’s like, I’m Captain Fun, and you’re my, you’re, oh, not my captain, but like…

Emily 25:37
Skipper.

Heidi 25:37
Yes, like, so he like, takes and he runs with it. He doesn’t know any of these people, but he’s game, and so it’s just really enjoyable to watch and the situations they come up with. So yeah.

Emily 25:51
Oh I’m so excited to watch it.

Heidi 25:55
Well, that is it for today’s episode. Try out our four-category framework for managing group work at the end of the year, and don’t forget to build that collaboration stamina before you plan anything too ambitious.

Heidi 26:08
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I’m Heidi.

Emily 26:11
And I’m Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

Heidi 26:18
You can connect with us and other teachers in the Teacher Approved Facebook group. We’ll see you here next week. Bye for now.

Emily 26:25
Bye.