The assignment was relatively straight-forward: students were to work with their table groups to complete a kind of a scavenger hunt, searching through a text to find examples of powerful writing. And yet, the classroom was almost silent as I circulated through, clarifying the task, answering questions, and encouraging kids to work together.
"Why aren't you talking?" I asked.
"I'm not done yet," one student answered.
"I know," I said, "the idea is that you work together and talk your ideas through."
"But he's got more answers than I do," the student pointed out. "Wouldn't that be cheating?"
And so it went, most students preferring to complete the analysis on their own instead of collaborating.
"I don't understand it!" I said at last to one class, "It would be so much easier and more productive for you guys to follow my directions and WORK TOGETHER!"
I looked at them. They looked back at me. We were equally bemused.
"What!" I finally asked. "Have you spent the last year and a half learning all by yourself at home?"
Turns out? They had.
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