Heidi: This is episode 255 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Heidi.
Window, where we give research-based and
teacher-approved strategies that make teaching less stressful and
We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to the show.
more effective. You can check out the show notes and resources
from each episode at secondstorywindow.net.
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: 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: 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: And then you got to have the partners switch roles so you
know, they both get a turn to listen and talk.
Emily: Yep.
Heidi: That way they will have heard the directions at least
three times before they had to try it on their own.
Emily: 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: So we are deep into that weird late April energy right
now. Have you felt that?
Emily: 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: It's all about priorities.
Emily: 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: Yeah, nobody's doing their best work right now,
especially the kids. I think they're as done as the grown
ups.
Emily: 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: Yeah, they are so full of energy, but the last thing they
are willing to do is invest it in class work.
Emily: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Oh, do we sound mean?
Emily: Well, we are mean.
Heidi: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Exactly. And everybody's needs are accounted for, but the
kids are still getting some variety.
Emily: 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: 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: And the answer is, no, no, they do not have it down.
Heidi: 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: Yeah, it's very remarkable. So just assume
nothing and teach the social skill.
Heidi: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Absolutely. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the
good.
Heidi: I feel like I have to learn that lesson all the time.
Emily: 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: Okay, so that's the behavior piece. Now the activity
steps are different, and those actually do need to be written
down.
Emily: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: So teach the social skill and write out the activity
steps, two different things, but both are necessary.
Now our third category is how you structure the activity
itself. This one starts with the question, Does this work
actually merit collaboration?
Emily: 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: 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: 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: Yeah, probably because it is more interesting.
Emily: 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: 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: And my standard for this was always two big steps. You
had to be two big steps away from any other group.
Heidi: Oh, that rule saved me so many times, and I loved how
serious the kids would get about measuring their two big steps.
Emily: These, you know, ginormous steps.
Heidi: Yes, like, one, two.
Emily: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Oh yeah, they would love a prop.
Emily: Oh, for sure.
Heidi: 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: 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: Yeah, do what we gotta to survive.
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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: It's amazing what a little peer pressure will do.
Emily: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: I'm giving extra credit to the Nod Pod. Have you seen
these before, Heidi?
Heidi: I have no idea what this is.
Emily: 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: Okay.
Emily: So, I mean, just imagine, like a long strip of like minky
sort of fabric, so soft.
Heidi: Okay.
Emily: 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.
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: What does it do?
Emily: 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
Okay, I will take your word for that.
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.
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: Okay, well, that's that's a good one to try out.
Emily: 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: There you go.
Emily: Okay, what are you giving extra credit to Heidi?
Heidi: I am giving extra credit to the TV show, Jury Duty:
Company Retreat.
Emily: Oh, I haven't watched it yet. Is it good?
Heidi: Yes. So like, gosh, it's been a few years now, like 2021,
2022, something like that.
Emily: Yeah.
Heidi: I think they filmed it before the pandemic, so it would
have been like 2021.
Emily: Really? Oh my gosh.
Heidi: 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: Yes, which I feel like, makes a big difference in
something like this.
Heidi: So it was so funny. I think it's like five or six
episodes. It was hilarious.
Emily: It was a hoot.
Heidi: 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: 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: 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: Skipper.
Heidi: 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: Oh I'm so excited to watch it.
Heidi: 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.
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm Heidi.
Emily: 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: 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: Bye.