Overview
This task invites students to engage in collaborative critical discussions based on complementary or conflicting readings, such as historical documents, philosophical essays, or theoretical perspectives. It is ideal for theoretical and interpretive courses (e.g., in History, Philosophy, or Education), where students are asked to construct interpretations of an event or concept using both primary and secondary sources.
Task Design
The professor selects a set of texts, some complementary, others contradictory, drawn from the course materials.
Students work in small groups to analyze the texts and produce a reasoned collective conclusion that integrates evidence from the readings.
The task outcome may be an interpretation, a structured summary, or a shared presentation articulating the group’s conclusions, based on a question discussed in class.
Each group is asked to formulate a clear, evidence-based collective conclusion, referring to all given sources and demonstrate understanding of both supportive and opposing viewpoints, by making sure every member contributes to the discussion and reasoning process.
Facilitation of the Assessment Session
During the session, instructors monitor:
- Active participation of all group members.
- Quality of discourse, ensuring that course materials are referenced across groups.
- Time management and the flow of discussion, make usre all groups understand and follow the instructions.
Evaluation Criteria
A few interesting insights emerged:
- Use of Sources: Frequency and depth of reference to course materials, primary and secondary texts and evidence.
- Dialectical Reasoning: Identification of argumentation patterns such as objection, refutation, elaboration, and justification.
- Participation Metrics: Balance and depth of each student’s contribution.
- Resolution of Contradictions: How effectively the group addresses and reconciles opposing viewpoints.
- Conclusion Quality: The coherence, plausibility, and collaborative nature of the group’s final interpretation.