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Getting there

 

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

 
This is the third time we are doing a jigsaw and I still feel some people are at sea!

Basically as people came in I grabbed the homework so that there was no last minute copying, and made sure there were no threesomes for vocab checking. Trains were late so I got some papers thrust into my hand, not quite sure who for, I have asked for names on the back, but....

At 9:32 I called everyone to order and said I had assumed they had done the homework and thank you, and we would build on that. Basically they were to get into four investment teams of nine people each, with one group covering as President of the Bank, and I would give them an investment plan to research. Researching all criteria yourself will take too much time, so I'd like you to split up the criteria, go research one investment criteria in the computer room, and be back in 50 minutes to pool your criteria research results with your team, and give me also a named copy of your research results, so you'll need ten copies of your results in all. Okay, so here are the four countries.

There was little movement towards the CEO team, so I started calling on the most fluent people by name, and got a team together, reminding them that there was a support paper in the Day Four Leadership Skills worksheet.

OH and I will be here marking the homework, I said, and I was, as they organized who would research what and went off to the library or the computer room. Regathering was a bit of a prob, as some came to say they hadn't understood at the end of the day rather than clarifying before they left! and others handed in reams of info, not having focused in on their criteria, oh i thought more was better, well, you made a mistake this time, eh?, and many had not provided data for their team. In the end it was quite chaotic, ok, I said, feed the info at the beginning of next class if you have to, but we're going into discussion with other countries next week, so take a look at all your info and decide whether you want to make the investment or not. Also please make a handout for the discussion...

One student hadn't got his data together (mixed up reliability of partners with reliability of country) but carefully collected all emails from his team to send the info on asap later. That's an A student attitude!

I'm thinking I'll set up a discussion scaffold and post it in the Yahoo group so that things are perhaps a little clearer...after class ( we were late out, the next teacher already began writing on the board to let me know to get out double quick) I sat in the corridor to explain again to one student what was going on....took about ten minutes to get things straight, ho hum, hoping more people think on their feet and get the idea, or next week will be pretty mixed up!

BUT on the good side, I've been looking at the homework, and the justifications for finding criteria valuable, and as usual good ideas abound, and some of the computer room research was focused and excellent, and with copies for the team. Come to think of it! OHGHHHHdddddddd! I should have booked the computer room right from the start, that way we could have spared the time to move back and forth!!! (Wonder if there's free printing available in the puter room? Could I work the facilities?Switch on the internet connection?) I still don't feel comfy with the uni, one of the drawbacks of being an in-out cheerio part-time teacher, getting to know things takes more time, and I'm just getting to know the new building. Ho hUm, I duffed up for sure! I shall go and find out how to book a room on Thursday, it will be too late for this part of the course, but it should be valid for the second term, and next year.

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