The Marvels of Group Work

The first activity planned for this first day of training was something that was meant to help the participants, and us the trainers, understand what basic skills would be needed and where they all fell within that spectrum of competency. Broken up into two groups, each group was asked to create a Word document that presented its members, all the while following a list of Microsoft Word manipulations, from “minimize a window” to “remove the border of a photo.” Incredibly illustrating the power of group work, each team had decided to let the weakest member sit at the computer (attached to a projector so the others could follow along) and try to accomplish each task. Through their coaching and pointing, each member with a different ICT background and a slightly different suggestion, they worked through the construction of the document, and the necessary accompanying skills together.

Once back in the general group, the teachers showed a bit of fatigue – “that’s a lot to learn!”. While discussing the activity, though, it was clear that the main underlying message had sunk in.

“I had no idea that group work could be so beneficial to all its members!” said M. Fall. “They knew what I didn’t, and were able to help me along. And I, too, could tell them what I knew to contribute to the skills of the group, while learning from the others!”

This message was carried over en force in the rest of the day’s activities, which focused on the basic aspects of setting up and using the interactive whiteboard. After having seen the IWB set up in their classrooms for beta testing, they were all eager to know exactly how this magic worked. We started by asking the teams to assemble the PVC pipe screen, without further direction or hints, relying on their problem-solving ability and their attention to detail when the facilitator’s screen had been set up on the first day. Both teams took off running, again praising the glories of the power of group work, and minutes later they had their screens up.

Next, they took copious notes while our “magician” and pedagogical consultant Saliou began by introducing them to the technology involved, naming and describing the function of each component, from the Wiimote to the tripod to the connector cables. Then, as the energy grew weak and the day grew long, we ended this first day with an evaluation before sending our tired teachers home to rest. They had eagerly stayed until past 6:00pm, just to make sure that they completely understood the IWB set-up. They left for home in small groups, exhausted but talkative, and definitely ready to learn more.