Description: When given a group-work task, students are assigned individual "roles" as appropriate.
Sample Roles (choose a subset appropriate to the task at-hand):
The Facilitator helps to manage group talk and helps the group to stay on task.
The Time-Keeper notes the time and reminds the group how much work there is left to do in the time allotted.
The Recorder writes the group's ideas on a whiteboard or poster in a clear, succinct and legible manner.
The Reporter prepares to share the group's ideas out to the whole class.
The Critic helps the group to notice problems with the ideas or product and challenges the group to improve the final product.
Rationale: Assigning "roles" to each student in a work group can improve student participation and engagement. Rotating roles allows students to expand their skills--leadership, listening to and paraphrasing other students' ideas, evaluating and critiquing group ideas--and to see a task from varied perspectives. Toward the beginning of the year you might choose to assign roles that match student comfort or perceived strengths. Some roles, for example, may be more appropriate for English Language Learners at the start of the year or may be useful for engaging students with differing neuro-behavioral traits. As the year progresses, consider challenging students with roles that may be less comfortable.