Teaching and Learning in Small Groups

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Teaching and Learning in Small Groups
Session 4 Basic Teaching Skills Course for
Recently-Appointed Academic Staff
Adapted from an ESF-funded project, entitled The
Initial Professional Development of Newly
Appointed Academic Staff, by Sylvia Huntley-Moore
and John Panter, TCD Staff Development Office,
2001.
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Part One GROUPWORKObjectives

• By the end of this session, you should be able
  to
• Identify a range of purposes for small group
  work,
• Choose group activities appropriate for your
  objectives,
• Develop an effective environment for small group
  learning,
• Manage the various roles required to facilitate
  small groups.

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Before Starting

• Some Key Questions
• WHY are you asking students to get into groups?
• HOW will the groups be formed?
• WHAT will students DO in their groups?
• WHAT OUTCOMES do you expect?

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ACTIVITY Brainstorming

• Can be done with any size of group.
• Keep it short and sweet (no more than 10
  minutes).
• Generate as many ideas as possible.
• Ideas are recorded, initially without discussion.
• Followed up with a Plenary Session for
  clarification and discussion.
• Limited by existing knowledge of group. You may
  need to ask some probing questions if students do
  not generate all the points/issues you are
  looking for.

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TASK Brainstorming

• Form pairs.
• List the reasons that you might use groupwork in
  higher education.
• Time for task - 5 minutes.
• Report back in Plenary Session.

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Skills developed through Groupwork

• Collaborative Skills
• team work
• negotiation
• compromise
• tolerance

• Content-based Skills
• recall
• comprehension
• application
• analysis
• synthesis
• evaluation.

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Skills developed through Groupwork (continued)

• Communication Skills
• listening
• questioning
• responding
• presenting
• persuading

• Organisational Skills
• preparing a case
• leading a discussion
• managing time

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Types of Groups

• Pairs or Triads
• Small Groups (4 - 8 participants)
• Large Groups (up to 25 participants)
• Plenary

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ACTIVITIES for Groupwork

• Brainstorming
• Buzz Sessions
• Structured Discussion
• Case Studies
• Problem-Solving
• Role Plays

• Simulation Exercises
• Fishbowl Exercises
• Debates
• Seminars
• Group Projects
• and many more.

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EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTForming Groups

• Groups may be formed by
• arbitrary mechanisms (e.g. tutorial groupings)
• seating arrangements (e.g. turn to the person
  next to you)
• self-selection
• random selection (e.g. assign numbers)
• predetermined criteria (e.g. gender, ability,
  background, etc.)

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EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTRoom Layouts (to be avoided)

• Disadvantages
• Students cant face one
• another
• Difficult to form small
• groups
• Lecturer appears remote
• and cut off from class.

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EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTRoom Layouts (better, but?)

• Comments
• Improved sight lines -
• everyone can see one
• another
• Still awkward to form
• small groups
• Lecturer still remote
• from class.

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EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTRoom Layout (Preferred)

• Where possible
• avoid fixed seating
• enable students to form
• groups easily.

TIP Get your students to help rearrange
the furniture. It gets the blood moving and
gives them a sense of owning the space.
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EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTRole of the Tutor
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EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTFacilitator Strategies

• Break the ice and make sure participants know a
  bit about each other.
• Explain purpose(s) of groupwork.
• Negotiate ground rules.
• Actively encourage participation.
• Set clear tasks.
• Frame open-ended questions.
• Do NOT lecture.

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TASK Dealing with Problems

• Reform Groups
• Each group assigned one of the following
• a. dominant student
• b. disruptive student
• c. quiet/retiring student
• d. students not prepared
• How would you handle the problem?
• Time for task - 15 minutes
• Report back in plenary session.

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TASK Choosing Activities

• Reform the groups
• What kinds of groupwork activities would you
  consider using in your courses?
• How would you structure the groups (eg. size,
  pairings, etc.)?
• Would you reject any of the options discussed?
• Time for task - 10 minutes
• Report back.

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Part Two GROUP PROJECTSObjectives

• By the end of this session, you should be able
  to
• List characteristics of group projects,
• Identify advantages/disadvantages of working in
  groups,
• Design appropriate group projects,
• Discuss what is needed to maintain an effective
  project group.

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What is a Group Project?

• Should not be confused with other types of
  groupwork (eg. labs, tutorials, etc.)
• GROUP PROJECTS should be
• Group-based,
• Student-led,
• Complex project task,
• Approximate real life situations,
• Assessable product.

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TASK FishbowlAdvantages/Disadvantages

• Split participants into two equal groups.
• Ask Group A to leave the room.
• Explain observation task to Group B.
• Ask Group A to return and assign the following
  task
• List possible advantages disadvantages of group
  projects.
• Time for task - 10 minutes.

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TASK FishbowlObserved Interaction

• Form pairs - one from Group A, the other from
  Group B.
• Share observations about interaction in group
  during previous exercise.
• Process general issues/comments in plenary
  session.

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GROUP PROJECTSAdvantages Disadvantages

• Improve student performance,
• improve support for students,
• improve generic and job-specific skills,
• resource savings,
• less risky for individual students.

• Good students dragged down,
• loss of individual choice,
• not all components covered by each student,
• difficulty ensuring fair assessment.

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TASK Fishbowl 2Coping with the Disadvantages

• Reform Groups.
• Ask Group B to leave room.
• Explain observation task to Group A.
• Ask Group B to return and assign the following
  task
• List ways in which the disadvantages of small
  group projects might be overcome.
• Time for task - 10 minutes.

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GROUP PROJECTSTask Needs of a Group

• initiating discussion
• asking for information
• giving information
• asking for opinions
• explaining
• summing up

• checking for agreement
• analysing the problem
• making creative suggestions
• proposing a process for decision-making
• evaluating group process.

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GROUP PROJECTSMaintaining Good Relationships

• ensuring acceptance and appreciation
• giving everyone a chance to speak
• asking how people feel
• supporting quiet members
• resolving disagreements

• encouraging creativity
• sharing responsibilities
• developing members confidence
• setting standards
• diagnosing difficulties
• relieving tension

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Designing Group Projects - TIMING CO-ORDINATION

• TIMING
• Should project be at the beginning or at the end
  of a course?
• e.g. setting the scene or culmination of learning?

• CO-ORDINATION
• progressive develop-ment of skills over
  multi-year programme,
• co-ordinated approach by school,
• increasing complexity of tasks.

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Designing Group Projects - OBJECTIVES

• Be clear about your purpose.
• Types of learning objectives
• Type A - Group Skills
• At the end of this project the group should be
  able to . . .
• Type B - Individual Skills
• At the end of this project each group member
  should be able to . . . .

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Designing Group Projects - SAMPLE OBJECTIVES

• GROUP should be able to
• design and administer a questionnaire
• design handbook.

• INDIVIDUAL should be able to
• use a word-processing applications software
• make an oral report on a section of the project
• reflect in writing on the process
• be an effective team member.

TASK Design a handbook for first-year students
based on a needs analysis questionnaire.
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Designing Group Projects - TOPICS

• Single or several topics?
• Negotiated or set topics?
• Can the objectives be achieved in the time
  available?
• NOTE Whatever topic is chosen, it must require
  co-operation among group members.

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TASK Designing a Group Project

• Stage One
• Work individually,
• Formulate an appropriate topic, objectives
  timeframe for a group project in your discipline.
• Time for task - 10 minutes.

• Stage Two
• Form triads,
• Explain your project designs to each other.
• Time for task - 10 minutes.
• Stage Three
• Groups report on issues in Plenary.

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FEEDBACKReviewing Session Objectives

• GROUPWORK
• Identify a range of purposes for small group
  work,
• Choose group activities appropriate for your
  objectives,
• Develop an effective environment for small group
  learning,
• Manage the various roles required to facilitate
  small groups.

• GROUP PROJECTS
• List characteristics of group projects,
• Identify advantages/disadvantages of working in
  groups,
• Design appropriate group projects,
• Discuss what is needed to maintain an effective
  project group.

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TASK Feedback on Session

• Work individually.
• Write down four important points that you have
  learned from this module.
• Write down three things you liked.
• Write down three things that need improvement.
• Are there any essential topics that werent
  covered.