NUTSHELL NOTES "Teaching tips in a nutshell" - The University of Colorado at Denver's One-page Newsletter for Teaching Excellence

A number of universities have now documented that students who study together in teams usually outperform those who try to study solo, especially in a difficult course. The ability to focus on a task through using interpersonal skills and teamwork also ranks very high in the list of skills which employers want today. "Cooperative Learning," a highly sophisticated method of teaching that relies more on classroom management skills than lecture oratory skills, has been developed over a period of about 25 years by the Johnson brothers at the University of Minnesota. Their methods develop teamwork, and the Johnsons summarize the concept with an often-repeated statement: "We sink or swim together." Making a directory helps students form study groups.

Even if you have not been trained in cooperative learning techniques, you will find that students who study together for your course have an advantage, and even if you never make group assignments, you will be doing your students a favor if you help them to organize their own study groups. This is particularly true at a commuter campus like CU - Denver. The presence of computers with spreadsheets in faculty offices makes creating a class directory and forming teams a snap. Outcome is worth the effort.

Pass out 3 x 5 note cards early in the term and ask the students to print their full name, telephone number, and home zip code. Collect these and type them into your spreadsheet in columns as shown below.

FULL NAME	LAST NAME	PHONE NUMBER	ZIP	GROUP NUMBER
FULL NAME	LAST NAME	PHONE NUMBER	ZIP	GROUP NUMBER

Save this file. Then, use the "SORT" option in your program and arrange the whole file by zip code. This allows a reasonable chance of putting students together in groups from the same area of the city. Then assign group numbers starting with "1," making groups the size you wish (5 students is usually good). Once completed, save the file again under a new name (for backup safety) and then SORT it again alphabetically by last name. Then print out three columns of your spreadsheet: Full Name, Phone Number and Group Number. Reproduce the list for the class. If possible, give your class 5 or 10 minutes at the end to gather and meet their group partners. If students want to trade groups, allow this, but mandate that they give you in writing their name and new group number. Be sure no one is left alone as result of shifting.

How does this help students? They now have a directory of their class, and they can call one another for help. If they are new to campus, you've just given them the opportunity to make 4 friends. If you harp a bit on the benefits of group study, they might even consider how helpful study groups can be to them.

How does this help you? For one, you now have a complete spreadsheet set up with which to do your grades for the rest of the term. You can announce to the class that if a student misses a lecture, that they can call one of their group for their notes; if they know they are going to miss a class, then they should contact a group member to pick up any handouts, notes or assignments. This keeps you from being placed on a hundred students' schedules, and allows you to focus on giving the kind of help to individuals which they cannot easily get from student peers. If you do assign group work, you've just set up your groups with a few strokes on the keyboard.