The Concept of Roundtable Technique
1. The Definition of Roundtable Technique as Cooperative Learning Technique
According to Knight, Cooperative Learning is learning mediated by students rather than the instructor. Incooperative learning, students work in groups to teach themselves content being covered.Teachers can utilize a variety of learning structures while providing cooperative learning.As a team work, cooperative learning can be used and applied in any types of assignment and skills, because cooperative learning can give many benefits in learning process.
On the other hand, Jon E Pederson states that cooperative is students learn in groups of four or five. They are told to work together in order to achieve a common group goal. Within the group each individual is accountable and has to show that he/she mastered the learning material. In order to cooperat; students have to possess interpersonal and small group skills. Those skill relate to the ability of students to learn together, to discuss, to share ideas, and to prepare as agroup for achieving the common goal.
Moreover, Roundtable Technique is one of cooperative learning technique which led students to work together in a small group by taking turns in a round table.
According to Kagan’s, Roundtable is learning technique where he students take turn generating writen responses, solving problem, or making a contribution to a project. Students take turn in their team. Heartland express that roundtable is Form pairs within team and take turns with a partner sharing ideas back and forth. Afterwards, the team discusses which ideas were common to the pairs and which ideas where unique.
A roundtable technique can be used for brainstorming, reviewing, and practicing while also serving as a team builder. Students take turns responding to a prompt with on or two words written on a paper before passing it on to next student.
Roundtable is most effective when we used in a carefully sequenced series of activities.In Roundtable, the multiple answer encourage creativity and deeper thinking. This activity builds positive interdependence among team members because of the characteristics of an affective leader or the atributes of terrorism before these topics are formally introduced.
2. The Characteristics of Roundtable Technique
According to Kagan states the are some characteristics of Roundtable Technique. They are:
a. Each group consist of 4-6 persons.
b. A paper and a pen or pencil for each group.
c. Each member of group has to write his or her answer in the paper.
3. The Steps of Roundtable Technique
Kagan stated that there are some steps of roundtable, such as:
a. The teacher assign a topic or question and provides think time.
b. All four student respond, simultaneously writing, drawing or building something with manipulative.
c. The teacher signals time, or students place thumbs up when done with the problem.
d. Students pass papers or projects one person clockwise.
e. Students continue, adding to what was already completed.
According to Ken Blanchard there are four step of Roundtable, there are:
a. One person in your group should briefly state an answer to the following question and write it down in abbreviated form on a piece of paper.”What is something an instructor might do on the first day of class to build community?” Refrain from evaluating answer.
b. Pass the paper clockwise and have the next student add an answer.
c. Continou until everyone has had a chance to answer at least once. If time keep going. Students may be allowed to “pass” only once.
d. Randomly choose a group and/ or student to share a favorite group answer.
From the explanation above, there are two opinion from expert about the steps of roundtable technique. The researcher use Kagan’s opinion about steps of roundtable technique.
4. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Roundtable Technique
a. The Advantages of Roundtable Technique
Kagan has the opinion “Roundtable Technique will achieve some advantages in terms of academic and social point of view”.The advantages of Roundtable Technique are:
1) Assessing prior knowledge
2) Practicing skill especially writing skill
3) Recalling information
4) Creating cooperative art
5) Team building, participation of all
From the information above, it can be stated that Roundtable Technique will give many advantages in teaching learning process.
b. The Disadvantages of Roundtable Technique
1) The students are possible to cheat each other.
2) If there is homework and students are supposed to work with team, they have to work together. However, there is student’s house is too far from the others.