TEAMS-GAMES-TOURNAMENT (TGT) Cooperative Learning and ...

TEAMS-GAMES-TOURNAMENT (TGT)Teams-Games-Tournament is one of the team learning strategies designed by RobertSlavin for review and mastery learning of material. Slavin has found that TGT increased basicskills, students’ achievement, positive interactions between students, acceptance ofmainstreamed classmates and self-esteem.OverviewStudents learn material in class; this can be taught traditionally, in small groups,individually, using activities, etc. The heterogeneous Study Teams review thematerial, then students compete in academically homogeneous Tournament Teams.Students bring from 2-6 points back from their tournament to their Study Teams. Pointsare totalled and normalized (for a group size of 4). It is the Study Team which issuccessful.It should be noted that the Tournament is based on material often for which thereis a specific correct answer.Procedure1. STUDY TEAMS (also called Home Teams)Set-up:The students reinforce, review and study the material cooperatively in these teams.Heterogeneous Teamsa) Generate a ranked class list of all students.The ranking should be academic, by marks.b) Team size: 4 studentsTo make the teams, divide the total number of students by 4.(32 students ÷ 4 = 8)c) Number students, beginning at the top.Reverse the numbering the second time through.e.g. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,1,2,... etc.d) This will generate academically heterogeneous teams of about equalability. Balance the teams for sex, ethnicity, etc. while trying to maintainacademic “equalness”.Purpose: Students may review using a specific format, a review sheet, informally, quizzingeach other, etc.2

2. TOURNAMENTAfter the designated study time, the students then compete in the tournament.Set-up: Homogeneous (Tournament) Teamsa) Use the same ranked student list.b) Form groups of 3 (alternate size is 4).c) Cluster students by 3's, going down the ranked student list. This willresult in the 3 strongest students competing together, the 3 weakesttogether, etc.Format: a) Have a deck of numbered cards (1 - 30) available for each tournamenttable.b) Make up a worksheet of 30 numbered questions.c) Make up a numbered answer sheet.d) Each team picks up an envelope/deck of cards, question sheet andanswer sheet.e) Students draw cards at each table. The highest number goes first.f) The 1st student pulls a card from the envelope and reads out the number.The 2nd student (with the question sheet) reads the question out loud.The 1st student answers the question.The 3rd student (with the answer sheet) tells if the answer is correct.If correct, the 1st student keeps the card. If incorrect, the question(2nd) student may challenge answer. If they get the answer correct,they may keep the card. If still incorrect, the card goes to a “discard”pile.g) The game proceeds clockwise. After each question (whether corrector incorrect) each student changes “jobs”. It continues until the timeis up.3. SCORINGScoring is done for all the tournament tables using Table 1 (attached). Each playerwill take back 2 to 6 points to their Study Team.Study Team points are totalled. They need to be normalized to a group size of 4using Table 2. (Study teams of 5 students will bring back morepoints; teams of 3, fewer points.)4. BUMPINGThe members of tournament tables can be bumped up or down. Each winnermoved to a higher-level table, the “loser” moves to an “easier” table. This ensures that allstudents are playing with same-ability students and are winners about equally often.Meg O’MahonyTGT

TABLE 1: Calculating Tournament PointsFor a 4-Player GamePlayer T I E STopScorerHighMiddleScorerLowMiddleScorerLowScorerNone Top Middle Low 3-way 3-way 4-way Low andfor Top for LowHigh6 points 5 6 6 5 6 4 54 points 5 4 4 5 3 4 53 points 3 4 3 5 3 4 32 points 2 2 3 2 3 4 3For a 3-Player GamePlayer T I E SNo Ties Top Score Low Score 3-way TieTop Scorer 6 points 5 6 4Middle Scorer 4 points 5 3 4Low Scorer 2 points 2 3 4For a 2-Player GamePlayer T I E SNo TiesTiedTop Scorer 6 points 4Low Scorer 2 points 4Meg O’MahonyTGT October 2006