One of my second semester Economics students just asked me to put her on a different team because two of her teammates were on her team last semester in another class. She said the students were lazy and she had to do all the work in order to get a good grade. When I began using teams several years ago this was a familiar refrain. Since I began using teams I have grappled with the question, “How can students receive all the benefits of teaming without being dependent on their teammates for a good grade?” 

The benefits of teaming are great, especially in this blended learning environment. Students get to spend time together. The research, the discussions, the debates, and the problem solving are great vehicles for students to interact with each other. Students also learn much from each other, especially when they see the benefits of working together. What once were freeloaders often become facilitators in the learning process. Everyone benefits when team members decide to work together. One key is the way grading is handled.

Giving team grades does not solve the grading problem. The grading problem is solved by jigsawing and making each student responsible for her own grade. Each student gets a piece of the puzzle to solve. Each student is graded on her piece of the puzzle. This breaks ties of interdependent grading and allows students to sink or swim on their own. Here are a few examples to show how this works.

My Economics students were given the assignment of defining the meaning of the word “economy.” The teammates got together and decided which part of the definition each teammate would take. For example, one member might choose supply and demand. Another might choose opportunity cost. Once every team member had her topic, she wrote a definition and provided an example. With four to six members in each team, we got some pretty robust definitions. With five to six teams, there was some repetition, but that just reinforced the overall definition. To keep everyone listening, each student had to record at least one fact that was not in her team’s definition and one fact the presenting team missed. I graded all the presentations as they were being given and the fact sheets after class. No student was dependent on any other student for a grade. And no student wanted to be embarrassed by not being able to present her part of the presentation.

Projects in my U.S. History class always begin with research. A current research project essential question asks how Japan went from being our friend in 1912, when it gifted the United States over 3000 cherry trees, to being our enemy in 1941, when it bombed Pearl Harbor. Each team was given a piece of the puzzle, events that led to the schism. Each team member had to provide three unique annotated sources to help explain her team’s piece of the puzzle. This gave each team twelve to eighteen shared sources. We then had a full class socratic (Hot Seat) discussion to determine the relative value of each puzzle piece. Students then individually wrote about a puzzle piece presented by another  team explaining where and why that piece found its place in the ranking.

My students love working in teams. Jigsaw lessons both solve the grading problem and give students choice, which they also love. Teaming gives students an opportunity to work together. I am also able to cover more material in less time. With some planning, teaming is awesome.