This week in the online module of the course a variety of issues relating to mathematics were addressed. Some of these issues included connections in mathematics, reasoning and mathematics, and flexibility with mathematics. However, while I found all of the aforementioned topics to be of interest the subject of this blog will be on the importance of study groups. In one of Jo Boaler's online videos she expounds the advantages of study groups and the benefits they offer students. She argues that evidence indicates that students of mathematics that partake in study groups tend to have significant advantages over students that study independently and that the grades attained by those that engage in study groups exceed those of other students. Boaler points to an experiment done by the mathematician Uri Treisman that supports her argument and helps to demonstrate the value of study groups for students. One advantage of the study group is it provides the ability for students to collaborate with each other. Collaboration allows for students to discuss particular problems and to use their reasoning skills collectively in their attempts to find solutions. Collaboration also allows for multiple approaches to a given problem, this in turn provides a showcase for diverse methodology creating an environment with greater accessibility for student comprehension. In other words, the ability to discuss mathematical problems with peers offers significant advantages over attempting to tackle problems individually in isolation.
In my view, and taking the perspective of an educator, I think forming study groups would be a beneficial facet for strengthening student comprehension. It would also seem that if this is true for mathematics it should also be true of other academic subjects as well. Incorporating study groups in the classroom environment should help engage students in the kinds of collaborative behaviours that Boaler and company argue strongly benefit learning. Therefore, organizing study groups for students should become a natural part of any classroom and for any subject. Significantly, it is the role of the teacher to help organize their students' study groups and to help guide them into effective methods of group collaboration. If successful, teaching students these kinds of collaborative skills should provide them with a tool they can use as they approach higher education and more complex problems.
Hi Corey!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your comment that study groups are important. As we have seen in out Language Arts class, study groups or any type pf group work/collaboration is beneficial in almost any subject. I really do believe that students who work with fellow classmates and discuss mathematics assists students in truly understanding concepts.
As student I always asked my teacher for assistance when I was struggling. My teacher would precede to help me find my answer in a specific way, the way I was showed on the black board. I was not invited to discover new ways of thinking but rather, I feared not being able to memorize the formulas I was given. That parabola formula was the bane of my existence in math class. If I had been allowed to do more group work in math, I may have discovered ways of thinking that made more sense to me.