Chapter 15 page 371
#4 is an interesting task that raises the same philosophical issues as in #2 and thus encourages
some of the same high-level thinking. Although it is not as complex an activity as #2, because fewer
resources are provided for students’ consideration, it does provide students with a rich base of
information to use as they think about what a masterpiece is. #4 lacks a public artifact or presentation
of any kind, but that could easily be added to the activity.Group Investigation. In Group Investigation (Y. Sharan & Sharan, 1992), teachers provide the
class with a broad topic, and student groups select their own subtopics for investigation and decide how to
investigate these subtopics. Figure 15.6 shows the stages of implementation of a typical Group
Investigation.
Figure 15.6: Stages of Group Investigation. These are the stages that students in a group follow when they
engage in a Group Investigation.
Stage I: Class determines subtopics and organizes into research groups.
Students scan sources, propose questions, and sort them into categories. The categories become subtopics.
Students join the group studying the subtopic of their choice.
Stage II: Groups plan their investigations.
Group members plan their investigation cooperatively; they decide what they will investigate, how they will
go about it and how they will divide the work among themselves.
Stage III: Groups carry out their investigations.
Group members gather, organize, and analyze information from several sources. They pool their findings
and form conclusions. Group members discuss their work in progress in order to exchange ideas and
information, and to expand, clarify, and integrate them.
Stage IV: Groups plan their presentations.
Group members determine the main idea of their investigation. They plan how to present their findings.
Group representatives meet as a steering committee to coordinate plans for final presentation to class.
Stage V: Groups make their presentations.
Presentations are made to the class in a variety of forms. The audience evaluates the clarity and appeal
of each presentation.
Stage VI: Teacher and students evaluate their projects.
Students share feedback about their investigations and about their affective experiences. Teachers and
students collaborate to evaluate individual, group, and classwide learning. Evaluation includes
assessment of higher level thinking skills. (Table from Y. Sharan & Sharan, 1992, p. 72)