PLTL and The Workshop Model
The purpose of workshops in chemistry is to provide students with an organized study group to work together on difficult problems. An undergraduate chemistry student will lead the workshop and help the student with the problems. As you are probably aware, a chemistry course includes both numerical (mathematical) and conceptual problems. Goals of the workshop include: (1) developing skills to solve numerical and conceptual problems and (2) learning to work well in a group situation. Workshop leaders commonly generally work together in groups to solve chemistry problems. Group problem solving is important not only in your academic career at Morehouse, but also in the workplace.
Groups should contain 6 (no more than 8) students. Remember, the task of the peer leader is to facilitate the problem solving process for students – never to work out problems for students under any circumstances.
What Happens in a Typical Workshop?
1. Introduction (5-10 minutes). The workshop peer leader will ask if there are questions from the previous workshop. He/she will then briefly summarize the material to be done in the current workshop. You will have the opportunity to ask questions about the material before the workshop.
2. Problem Solving (55-60 minutes). Here the student will work the problems in the workshop materials. The types of learning activities that will be employed are described below.
3. Summary of Material and Discussion of Group Functioning (15 minutes). The
peer leader will briefly summarize the material discussed in the workshop and ask for questions. Also, the group will discuss the quality of the workshop. How did the workshop go? Was the learning activity successful? What can the group do to be more effective next week?
How Do We Have A Successful Workshop?
Once the student understands what the workshop is and the benefits of its success, here are some suggestions for making the workshop successful:
1. Address each member of the group by name.
2. Encourage everyone to participate.
3. Listen to what group members are saying.
4. Check to make sure everyone understands the material and agrees with the answers.
5. Make it clear that students should speak up if they do not understand. It is your responsibility to get the others to help the student with the material.
6. Do not criticize or allow others to criticize people. Instead, criticize ideas.
7. Encourage students not to change their minds unless they are logically persuaded. Students should not be intimidated if their answer is different from other members of the group.
8. Encourage students to be prepared. Make sure that they bring their textbooks and calculators to workshop every week.
The Bottom Line
The workshop is an opportunity for both students and peer leaders to improve their chemistry and communication skills. Lastly, in order to get the most of these activities, students in the group must work together to develop an effective learning situation.
TYPES OF ACTIVITIES
Round Robin Problem Solving. The round-robin method involves each student taking turns solving problems.
Procedure:
1. The workshop leader will assign each group member a number, starting with one and ending with the number of people in the group.
2. Student number one will read the question aloud and do the first step.
3. When the group agrees the first step is correct, student number two will do the second step. When the group agrees that the second step is correct, student number three will do the third step.
4. The student with the lowest number who did not work on the first question will start the next question by reading it aloud and doing the first step. Follow this pattern for all the questions in the workshop.
Paired Problem Solving. The paired problem solving method involves breaking the workshop into student pairs.
Procedure:
1. The workshop leader will break the group into pairs. Students should work with a different person every week.
2. Partners work together to solve the problem.
3. When all of the pairs are finished with the problem, answers should be compared. When the group agrees that the answer is correct, continue with the next problem.
Group Problem Solving. The group problem solving method involves the entire workshop group together.
Procedure:
1. The entire group should brainstorm to solve the problem.
2. When the problem has been solved, make sure everyone agrees that the answer is correct.