Chapter 4; Workshops

Ahhhh, if it were only that easy. Workshops are such a brilliant idea in theory, but actually having them function as described in Chapter 4 is a rare occurrence. Collaborative groups work wondefully in the college setting because students are mature enough to stay on topic (and even then, the discussion may sway to current events or other topics). In a high school setting, unless perhaps an honors class or 12th grade level, I find group work to be a great challenge. Our school encouranges group work, in fact, prefers the desks to be in small circles, but when students are put into groups, even with incentives such as homework passes or edible treats, they cannot stay focused. Although at one time, 9th grade classes were supposed to be a ratio of 20 students per 1 teacher, I  have 40 ninth grade students in my class!! So having eight groups of five students gets a bit out of control. The groups stay focused if I am standing directly over them, monitoring them, but shortly after I move over to the next group, I hear discussion about "...that great shot that Kobe made last night" or who just broke up with whom. The work will eventually get done, but with the noise level of group work and the distractions, the students don't really give strong feedback to the work they are editing. Therefore, in theory, I support the idea of collaborative groups, but in reality, I find it a great challenge to actually implement in high school classrooms.