"Numbered Heads Together": Critical Thinking Edition
Kagan Collaborative Learning structure called “Numbered Heads Together” in which you can transform any activity or worksheet into a collaborative, high-energy, active learning experience. What I’m focusing on in this twist on the strategy is the addition of critical thinking, an aspect some educators note as missing from traditional collaborative learning structures.
As a review, the key to effective collaboration is an acronym called “P.I.E.S.”: positive interdependence, Individual Accountability, Equal Participation, and Simultaneous Interaction.
The basic rules are to: ask a higher-order question, allow adequate individual think-time, set a timer for student groups to stand up, huddle (“heads together”), and collaborate to generate a detailed response. Afterward a number is called at random, and all students with that number must stand and represent their group in orally presenting a response.
Here, I attempted to borrow the troupe of the reality show judge (a la Simon Cowell and Tim Gunn) to critique student responses in real-time. I also focused on the skills of proper presentation and taking feedback with aplomb.
Please let me know your thoughts. Have you tried Numbered Heads in your classroom, and if so, what tips can you provide?
Domenica
