Advice for How to Work with Groups

Many of the following are taken from Seymour Papert’s “Connected Family”.

ü      If it’s not obvious to them, it’s not obvious.

ü      Your goal is not to solve the problem for them.  Your goal is to help them become one notch more capable of solving their problem on their own.

ü      Don’t give them the answers.  For example, if they are trying to make the car turn, don’t just tell them how to do it.  If they need help, use an example that will help them figure it out on their own.

ü      It’s not a race.  The goal is not to have every group working on the hardest task.   If they don’t have a conceptual understanding of the previous task, they shouldn’t go on just yet.

ü      Don’t take the keyboard or mouse.  Let them do the typing even if it’s slower that way, and even if you have to point them to each and every key they need to type. That’s the only way they are going to learn.

ü      Be aware of your language.  For example, “Get into the editor” is abstract and “press this key” is concrete.  Don’t say anything unless you intend for them to understand it.  Keep adjusting your language downward towards concrete units until they start to get it, then slowly adjust back up towards greater abstraction so long as they’re following you.

ü      Try not to tower over them.  If at all possible, squat down so your eyes are just below the level of theirs.  When they’re looking at the computer, look at the computer.  When they’re looking at you, look back at them.

ü      Whenever they start to blame themselves, blame the computer, no matter how many times it takes.  When they get nailed by a false assumption about the computer’s behavior, tell them their assumption was reasonable.  Tell yourself it was reasonable.  It was.

ü      Don’t get stressed out.  Chances are we’ve been in the situation before and it worked out fine. 

ü      Stay with your groups.  It is inevitable that the minute you walk away to help another group, your groups start having problems.  It runs more smoothly if the assistants concentrate on their groups rather than trying to help the entire class.   

ü      Remember they are in class; this is not free time for them.  Everyone is supposed to be actively participating.

ü      If you’re having problems, ask for help.  Wait, give the children a chance to figure it out.  Sometimes the children may know how to fix it even if you don’t.  Then, try to figure it out yourself, but if you can’t, ask for help before you spend too much time on it.   If something goes wrong and isn’t fixed quickly children get frustrated and bored.