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In
the Workshop Model, students who have done well in the class become guides
and mentors, Workshop Leaders, to small groups of six to eight students.
These peer-led groups, which meet weekly to work on carefully structured
problems, provide a supportive environment that helps each student build
understanding of science and other disciplines.
The "critical components" are a set of benchmarks that
have been arrived at through the project evaluation.
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- The
Workshop is a regular course component which all students
are expected to attend.
- The
faculty teaching the course are closely involved with the
workshops and the workshop leaders.
- The
Workshop leaders are well trained and closely supervised,
with attention to content knowledge and teaching and
learning techniques.
- The
Workshop Materials are challenging and encourage
collaborative problem solving.
- Organizational
arrangements are optimized to promote learning.
- There
is appropriate institutional support for innovative
teaching.
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| A
summary of key features of each of the components (Table 1)
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| Critical
Components |
|
|
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1.
Integrated with the Course
|
Students
view workshop as important to learning |
Leaders
are aware of lecture approach |
Lecturer
refers to workshops |
| 2.
Professor’s Involvement |
Preview
of problems with peer leaders |
Preparation
and review of materials |
Available
to students and student leaders |
| 3.
Leaders |
Skilled
with groups; facilitator rather than teacher |
Training
and supervision |
Discipline
knowledge and problem-solving skills |
| 4.
Materials |
Fit
with course; relate to tests |
Engaging
and appropriately challenging |
Suitable
for group activity |
| 5.
Organizational Arrangements |
Time |
Space |
Group
size Attendance |
| 6.
Evidence of Support and Growth |
Disciplines
and courses |
Support |
Support |
Table
I - Critical
Component Evaluation Matrix for PLTL.
This table summarizes the essentials for each critical component. It is
useful only in connection with the explanatory materials. Group size, for
example, refers to the accepted norm, based on considerable experience,
that peer led team learning will work effectively with groups of about six
to eight students.
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