Stephanie Schöllkopf
Overview
After the first few days and weeks of a new academic year, it becomes apparent that many vocational college classes are filled with students of different ages from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, with very different academic careers, language levels, and lifestyles. Typically, a vocational college class brings together students ranging in age from 15 to around 28 years old with a wide variety of competencies and that almost all possible educational backgrounds are represented in one class, from high school level to university level. This creates a challenging situation in the classroom, both for the students and for the teachers. The students do not always perceive this heterogeneity and the different requirements associated with it as an enrichment, but rather often bristle at the differences between their fellow students.
A careful introductory phase such as the “Foundation Days” introduced at the Robert Bosch College in Ulm, which focus on team building, getting to know each other, and establishing and practicing shared class rules, is therefore indispensable. This enables the students to experience and practice tolerance, appreciation, and constructive cooperation both inside and outside of class.
Despite the limited time available, even after a carefully conducted introductory phase, students should be given repeated opportunities throughout the academic year to build on and expand their social and communication skills (which are also required under the educational curriculum) through learning projects and the use of METALOG training tools.
Topic: “Alone we are strong, together we are unbeatable”
The learning project was designed to focus on the realization that a group thrives on diversity among its members and that the group is enriched by the complementary competencies of its members. The students should also gain hands-on experience of the fact that tolerance and appreciation of different points of view and perspectives are essential for respectful cooperation. In addition, they are required to align with the educational curriculum for general college disciplines. For example, in the subject of German (Module 1), the students are required to create communicative situations in different contexts, to deal with their own speaking behavior and to experience the different roles as listener or speaker.
Staging
a. Preparation
In the middle of the classroom, I push together two double tables to create a large “action area” on which I set up the 36 different components of FutureCity. I make sure to leave enough space around the action area. I push the chairs and excess tables aside or remove them from the classroom in advance.
Before starting, I define the roles (“Doers” and “Visionaries”) within the FutureCity learning project. The roles are assigned randomly or specifically. Specific assignments are particularly useful in classes with a high proportion of students with a low language level (A1). In this way, tandems can be formed that complement and support each other linguistically, so that people with lower language skills can also participate in the learning project.
The rules that apply to the learning project should also be communicated and discussed in advance. It is helpful to write down the rules on a flip chart and to place the flip chart within easy reach and view for everyone in the classroom during the learning project:
Rules:
• Use all building blocks.
The Visionaries:
• …are not allowed to touch the building blocks.
• …are only allowed to pass on their information orally.
• …are not allowed to show their picture cards.
The Doers:
• …are allowed to take a seat at the table.
• …are allowed to touch the building blocks.
• …build the city on the basis of the information provided by the Visionaries.
b. Performance
In one learning project I conducted, the students first took their places at or around the table depending on their roles. I then handed out the picture cards to the Visionaries. The learning project started when I stated the task: “Build the FutureCity exactly according to the plans you’ve been given and in compliance with the stipulated rules.” I gave them a time limit to increase the tension and the pressure on the class to perform.
The Visionaries were tasked with passing on their information on the construction of the city to the Doers through oral communication only, and were not allowed to “co-build” the city themselves, while the Doers had the task of building the FutureCity on the basis of the information provided by the Visionaries. The building process that then commenced was fraught with misunderstandings, mistakes, and confusion because of information being communicated that was helpful or less helpful, depending on the individual point of view or angle of vision. Without the Visionaries agreeing on how to purposefully coordinate information sharing, misunderstandings among the Doers were inevitable.
Transfer to the real World
| Elements in the learning project | Elements in the real world |
|---|---|
| Doer | A team member ... who picks up the thing completes tasks specifically and practically needs instructions |
| Visionary | A team member ... who has the overview sees the big picture |
| Construction of the FutureCity according to the building plan | Overall project successfully completed through complementing team members’ competencies |
c. Finish
After around 35 minutes, the learning project ended. (If the class doesn’t manage to build the FutureCity according to the instructions within the allotted time, I still bring the performance phase of the learning project to an end. In both cases, evaluation and reflection are essential.)
Reflection
In the evaluation phase following the learning project, the students had the opportunity to talk about what they had just experienced and to describe how they saw things. Both the group of Doers and the group of Visionaries expressed their widely differing experiences of their respective roles and of the associated rules and competencies. This enabled the students to also develop a collective understanding of which competencies contributed to the successful completion of the learning project.
The students were able to derive the following insights from the learning project:
• It is not always possible to choose roles/tasks in projects.
• It is important for each participant to share his or her point of view.
• It is necessary to coordinate dialog in the group.
• Appreciative communication and cooperation are prerequisites for successful collaboration.
• Each individual can contribute to the success of the project.
• Different perspectives and skills are necessary for a project/task.
• No one should take themselves too seriously.
• Reciprocal blame is not conducive to the successful completion of a project.
Conclusion
The learning project FutureCity presents a real challenge for almost every class while at the same time providing plenty of potential for experiencing success. As they carry out the project, the students learn that each one of them contributes to the success of the project as a whole, but that none of them should take themselves too seriously. In this way, it becomes increasingly clear that one person’s point of view does not necessarily reflect the other person’s point of view. Only by accepting and sharing the perspective of a particular role can success be achieved.
It is also necessary to coordinate how the class interacts with each other and who gives instructions so that the Doers can apply the Visionaries’ knowledge and the information from the overview cards. Experience has shown that students refer to the set of rules established at the beginning of the school year and also draw on experiences from previous learning projects, which are, in the process, further reinforced and consolidated.
Whether Doer or Visionary, no one can successfully complete their task without the perspective and competence of the others. This is because different perspectives are required not only in this learning project, but also in everyday life in the classroom. Project success or classroom harmony can only be achieved when all are involved.