Community-Building Forces
For Community Classroom
part 5

REGULAR COLLEGE CLASSROOM//COMMUNITY-CLASSROOM

For the Fall 1979 Generation, ingathering activity will be held every class during the first 15 minutes. The purpose of this instructional activity is to create a suitable field of observation for the students. Its more narrow goal is to create a collective learning atmosphere as a frame for the lecture.

The word "in-gathering" usually refers to the initial phase of social exchange in an intentional gathering or assembly of people in a community. Examples that are familiar include: welcoming exchanges at Honolulu airport; opening prayer at State Legislature or Court House; enthusiastic applause and cheers when a popular performer hero appears on stage; family or school reunions; and many others.

In all situations of ingathering, a particular collective function is being sought and achieved. This is to act and feel individually free while bound up with each other.

Examine this assertion (italicized immediately above) in the light of your own experience; that is, examine it empirically. Is it true or false? Is it accurate and valid to say that when you're cheering in a crowd you're acting freely as self-expression and yet you're bound up with the others as an organic whole: is it a fact? Then go on examining it to see if it holds in other situations of ingathering: common prayer; reunion; welcoming visitors; getting ready to watch the evening news or the president's special message to the nation; celebrating the Bows' victory; and so on.

Ingathering in this course has two instructional functions. First, to provide students with a performative instrument for creating social psychological conditions during the ingathering activity. This is explained below. Second, to provide students with an observation field for comprehending social dynamics.

Ingathering is a collective performative instrument. This means that every individual performs in synchrony with a collective act (as in: applause; cheers; joint prayer; national mourning; family celebration; band; dance company; chorus; etc.; etc.). This is such an important and ubiquitous social psychological phenomenon that it deserves special attention in the study of social psychology, i.e., in the study of sociodynamics of behavior in social settings. By engaging in an ingathering activity during the initial phase of every class, students acquire ingathering skills cumulatively. In this lies its value as an instructional activity: the cumulative acquisition of ingathering skills provides the empirical facts to be observed by the student of sociodynamics (namely you!).

To help you adopt an objective observation focus on the ingathering activity, the Class Feedback Form has a section which prompts you to report particular features (see p. 56 ).

POINTS, GRADES AND THE COLLECTIVE POOL SYSTEM

This is the name for the point system used in community-classroom. By going through the process of earning an "A," you are exposing yourself directly to the community-building forces of social management. Thus, you are the subject and the experimenter; you are at once citizen and scientist.

As student-citizen, you try to adapt to the point system economics; you try to maximize your earnings. As student-scientist, you observe the forces of psycho-economic laws of reward; the very forces that operate on you throughout the semester. This double-status position offers you the educational opportunity of an actual field laboratory.

The collective pool system works as follows: Points are earned when a student reaches the mastery level attainment on a task. This means earning an 80 percent score for the task. The student may repeat the task until it is mastered, and the 80 percent level is attained. This feature enriches learning opportunity and causes more students to earn an "A." Since an "A" is based on accumulated points, and since points are given only for demonstrated competence (80 percent level), it follows that the more "A's" are earned, the more students have learned, and vice versa. The Fall 1978 Generation of Community-Classroom had a record of 78 percent A's. We hope the Fall 1979 Generation (namely you!) may beat this. We (Jakobovits and Nahl) hope it will be 85 percent A's! We place our expectation in the fact that considerable improvements have been achieved since we profited from the work of the Fall 1978 Generation. The following features of the collective pool system will be in effect for the Fall 1979 Generation:

1) Multiple Sources for Earning Points. Four categories of tasks will be practiced by students: individual tasks, dyadic tasks, team tasks, and collective tasks. A maximum of 100 points may be earned for individual, dyadic, and team tasks. Points earned for these after the 100 maximum has been reached automatically go into the collective pool. The collective pool has no maximum. Points may be added to the collective pool through two means: (i) directly, through collective tasks; and (ii) indirectly, through overflow points from individual, dyadic, and team earnings.

2) Criterion for Earning Points. A variety of tasks have been prepared by Jakobovits and Gordon. Each task chosen passed two criteria: that it conform to principles of performative learning ("double status" student), and that it be a concrete experience of one of the community-building forces specified in the glossary chart.

Every task earns points when the student demonstrates mastery over the task. Demonstration of mastery is performed on "DRA Forms" (see p.126 ).

These Forms contain (a) instructions on how to accomplish the task, and (b) "prompts" (questions and hints) that help you focus on particular observations. You are guided to write up a typed report that conforms to professional standards of natural history field methodology. One of our primary objectives in this course, is to teach you how to be an objective reporter of our own life in community.

You get a written evaluation of your report within one week of the day of submission. You are told whether you reached mastery level, or not; why; and what you need to do to try again. Peer help, joint effort, and collective work have all been introduced as means of helping every student reach maximal learning productivity (see p. 50).

3) The Collective Pool. Points accrue to the collective pool in two ways: direct and indirect. Direct points are earned when 80 percent collective mastery has been attained on a collective task. Collective tasks are student-run science projects in which every student participates and is carried out at the same time, though independently (see p.128. Indirect points are earned through overflow of points earned for individual, dyadic, and team tasks. After the maximum points allowable in each of these three categories, students continue to earn points for the collective pool by doing individual tasks, dyadic tasks, and team tasks.

A second means of obtaining indirect points for the collective pool is to meet a weekly work productivity quota. Some instances: (i) if 80 percent of the registered students hand in at least one assignment or DRA Form, XX points are automatically deposited to the collective pool; (ii) if 80 percent of the teams reach mastery level accomplishment on a team task, YY points are automatically deposited to the collective pool; (iii) If 80 percent of the students present earn mastery level on a class quiz, ZZ points will be deposited to the collective pool.

It is clear from this system of "distributive justice" that a collective mastery criterion serves to spur on individual effort. Under these "psycho-socio-economic conditions of reinforcement," the intent is to bring about real social forces in community-classroom. Only then can it serve as a real, student-run, self-determinative field laboratory for the study of community-building forces.

4) Motivational Dynamics in Community-Classroom. In order to obtain an "A" you need enough points in each of the four categories: individual, dyadic, team, and collective. Individual, dyadic, and team tasks earn points each task. This means, therefore, that you must (i) do 5 individual tasks, 5 dyadic tasks, and 5 team tasks, and (ii) attain 80 percent mastery level on each, before you have points in each of these three categories. After that, you continue to carry out tasks in any of these three categories, earning points for the collective pool.

The above schedule of individual, dyadic, and team tasks works out to less than one task per week, since team tasks are done in class. Also, many dyadic tasks may be done over the phone.

In addition to the above, several collective tasks will be carried out jointly, but the total number of tasks in all categories, including reading assignments and quizzes, will not exceed the number of weeks in the semester. The intent here is to encourage small but steady learning acts.

Note that in order to obtain an "A" two things must happen. First, you must complete successfully a series of individual, dyadic, team, and collective tasks. This is well within your own control system! You can thus insure that you obtain the 100 points in the first three categories. Second, you must obtain 100 points from the collective pool. This is not under your direct control! Since the pool is split collectively and equally, students will want to make sure that there are enough points to get everyone 100!

For example, if there are 200 registered students, the class will need (200 x 100), or 20,000 points. The number of points in the collective pool will be announced by the instructor during Ingathering at every lecture. The purpose of the 15-minute Ingathering segment at the beginning of each lecture is to build bonding forces through collective discussion and monitoring of the point earning flow.

POINT ECONOMICS

The point economics in this course is organized to direct and guide students' work. It is designed to mirror the activities of community-classroom. It functions as an "X-ray vision" or "visible index" of what is being accomplished by the collective efforts of the class-as-a-whole. It is an essential guiding and reflecting device, objectively indicating the learning activities acquired.

All the ways in which it is possible for you to earn points is explicitly indicated on p. 126.

You earn points for demonstration of competence. The knowledge or skills to be demonstrated are specified in advance, and earn a predetermined number of points. The more advanced you get in the skills, the more you accumulate points. The more points you have, the higher your grade, and the more you've contributed to the collective activity of community-classroom.

As well, the more you excel individually, the more you become a hero to the class community, because a certain number of points are added to the collective account each time an individual excels on a course objective or task. Hero Stars will be announced and given during special ingathering ceremonies in class.

Every student can earn a maximum number of points in each of 4 categories, as shown on the following page:

As the semester evolves you will become increasingly appreciative (we hope!) of the value and function of this point economics. In your attempt to deal with it, to understand it, and to perform it, you are provided with a laboratory for observing the dynamics of group management. This is most important, and we feel it is the central issue in the study of social psychology.

Through careful self-observation and keeping-track of your own steps in managing this point-system, you are given a laboratory for observing social dynamics: what pulls you ahead, what pushes you away, what affects your pace, enthusiasm, etc. Through careful observation and keeping track of the steps of others in this collective learning environment, you are given an opportunity to acquire objectivity, since "objectivity" lies in being able to see ourselves as others see us.

POINT-SYSTEM

The student's grade is based on the total number of points accumulate by the student throughout the semester. Points are earned for prescribed activities and are based on evidence that the student has mastered the skill in each activity.

Points are earned in each of four categories up to a maximum in each category, according to a scale determined by the collective decision of community-classroom.

For example:

This table shows the four categories of activities each student can engage in. Line (1) specifies the range within which the class may decide upon for each category. Two examples are given. Line (A) shows the possibility where the class decided to emphasize collective work by giving 80 percent of all points to collective or team points. In contrast, Line (B) shows the possibility where the class decided to emphasize individual or dyadic work as much as the course allows (80 percent).

The class will decide by consensus vote of those present.

POINTS INFORMATION

In order to insure accurate bookkeeping both students and instructor maintain a bookkeeping sheet. Whenever possible, your work will be graded within one week of the time you hand it in--at least, that is the explicit wish of the instructor and staff!! Your points are then inscribed in "the book." The book may be consulted at the DRA.

Current university regulations require masking of identities when posting educational records. Hence, each student will be given a random ID number on the first day of class. Thereafter, you may find your points in the book under your ID number. Students who wish to change their ID number, or who do not wish their points in "the book" even with an ID number, should request the instructor to remove the entry.

NOTES USEFUL FOR GLOSSARY CHART ANNOTATIONS

Successful actualization of community-classroom ( 1.2), as developed and elaborated by Jakobovits and Gordon at the University of Hawaii, depends on the maintenance in the classroom of a socio-cultural environment that has three essential features: (i) that the members of the course be oriented and motivated towards community-classroom; this feature is named "intentionality" (1.2.a); (ii) that all work of the students be "generational' (1.3.c), in accordance with all natural speech communities (l.l.a.3); (iii) that the members of the large-audience class act as an "organic whole"; we'll call this third feature organicity" (3.2.c).

Jakobovits and Gordon (see Reading Source "I," Series IV, Vol. 2) started out with the positive bias that large-size audience classrooms are potentially an advantage; if only the anonymous "group" could be transformed into an organic "community." Two techniques were chosen, both consonant with community principles of old and new, as seen today in the ideals of contemporary intentional living-communities ("communes," "farm-schools," "settlements," etc.) ( l.l.c.4 ). The first principle is consensus-management (3.2.c.2). This replaces the usual democratic procedure known as "majority rule." The second principle is rendered by the shared slogan (1.2.a.1), "Everyone is essential" (3.1.b). These two principles--management by consensus decision and treating everyone as essential--are the dynamic conditions that maintain the "organicity" (or "organic character") of community-classroom. Without this organic feature, large-audience classrooms create anti-community and anti-sociality conditions--as may be noted in such classrooms (e.g., anonymity, competition, solitary work, anxiety, "being lost in the crowd," discouragement, failure, and so on) ( 3.3.a ). No wonder then, that "small-size" classes are ordinarily preferred by both faculty and students. Organicity insures a quite different classroom learning environment. Collective learning procedures (3.2) are maintained that depend on shared work, mutual assistance, reciprocal dependence, team products, group rewards, and joint solutions. Anonymity is directly attacked through exercises involving exchange of information about each other (e.g., classroom registry and the DRA), the family, the daily living conditions, the aspirations and concerns and disappointments and solutions. These exchanges establish the social identity of the students for one another ( 1.2.b.2), (1.3.c.2), (3.2.c.3 ) and create channels of actual relationship. Within these relationship channels there is much room for enhancing learning capacity ( 1.2.a.2), (1.3.c.3), (2.2.c.4 ).

What has been said thus far about the organic or wholistic atmosphere of the community-classroom audience-group does not, however, sufficiently distinguish it from other "organic groups" such as concert audiences and stadium crowds. Further pedagogic procedures are needed to insure that an organic community-classroom audience is also a learning audience, and in particular, an audience that learns social psychology. To achieve this learning-objective, the organic community-classroom devotes itself to much self-monitoring and to the dispersion of this self-information throughout the classroom-community. We call this principle self-determination ( 3.3.c.2), (1.2.a.3 ). There are four basic types of self-monitoring activities used by Jakobovits and Gordon: Class Feedback Forms, Progress Reports, Discharge Reports, and Project Annotations. These will now be described.

(1) Class Feedback Forms (2.3.a.3): This is a Form we've developed in this course which has undergone several format changes (as may be seen in the DRA for various semesters since 1975). In its current version, the Class Feedback Form or "CFF" contains prompts (1.3.b.2) in three information zones: affective, cognitive, and procedural.

(i) The affective component: these are the occasions for evoking an evaluative sentence (or "assertion"), and recording it (2.3.a). For example, the semantic differential technique (2.3.a.1) was used in the Spring and Fall Generations of 1977 and 1978. Students gave ratings on bi-polar scales ("nice/awful" "interesting/boring" "centered/fidgety" etc.) for such items as "Me, in class today" or "Me, on my daily round today" or "the lecture content today" or "the instructor today" and the like. For the Fall 1979 Generation, we use the CFF shown on p. 8 . The affective component is now relegated to "Messages" and "Doodle Space."

(ii) The cognitive component of the CFF provides prompts that evoke sentences concerning the substantive content of the subject matter of the lecture. For example, "What are three new concepts or ideas you've learned today?" and "How are they useful to you?" For Fall 1979 the cognitive component on the CFF is a formative quiz which helps stamp in new learnings.

(iii) The procedural component of the CFF provides prompts that evoke sentences concerning the student's perception of the teaching interaction: "Do you want an additional presentation on any part of the lecture?" and "Do you have comments or messages to the instructor?" For Fall 1979, an ingathering period (see p. 6 ) (l.l.c) marks the interactional component and students report their observations and comments on the "Ingathering" portion of the CFF.

Class Feedback Forms are read after each class by the instructor and the assisting staff. This keeps the instructional team in a one-to-one-contact relationship with every member of the large-audience class. As well, students read these Forms which are kept at the DRA Center until bound, then they join the DRA Volumes in Sinclair Library. This one-to-one contact is essential for the maintenance of "organicity" or "wholistic unity" of the large-size class; without it, the anti-community forces act against the advantages of a collective learning-environment, neutralizing its specific characteristics.

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