Seabury Students Teach Each Other: Tacoma Neighborhoods Lesson

One of the most important skills that Seabury students learn is how to work in a group. Group work is complicated and difficult for a lot of students: the executive function and social skills required to work productively and equitably with others makes it a challenge for any child. It is a particular challenge for gifted children who have often learned from negative group work experiences that their best work is the work they complete alone.

With that in mind, we approach group work mindfully here at Seabury. We encourage goal setting and meta-cognition related to the skills required to work in a group. Students are asked to take roles. We reflect on group work in advisory and during projects, not just after. The work of the group requires the participation of all group members. They must learn to rely on one another.

While the students do not always enjoy working together, they do learn from the experience and improve as group members. Some learn when to lead and when to follow. Some learn to manage expectations and set reasonable group goals. Some learn how to talk kindly when they disagree.

The task at hand was for students to learn about a Tacoma neighborhood, visit the neighborhood, interview experts about the neighborhood, and then teach a lesson about the neighborhood to their classmates.

All seven groups taught engaging and thoughtfully planned lessons based on their research, expert interviews, and field studies. The students took notes on each other's lessons and are using the information from the lessons for the next round of the mini-project and for a social studies comparison assignment.