Teaching and Learning in Small Groups

1. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

2. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

3. 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? DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

4. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

5. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

6. Collaborative Skills team work negotiation compromise tolerance Content-based Skills recall comprehension application analysis synthesis evaluation. Skills developed through Groupwork DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

7. Communication Skills listening questioning responding presenting persuading Organisational Skills preparing a case leading a discussion managing time Skills developed through Groupwork (continued) DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

8. Types of Groups • Pairs or Triads • Small Groups (4 - 8 participants) • Large Groups (up to 25 participants) • Plenary DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

9. Brainstorming Buzz Sessions Structured Discussion Case Studies Problem-Solving Role Plays Simulation Exercises Fishbowl Exercises Debates Seminars Group Projects and many more. ACTIVITIES for Groupwork DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

10. 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.) DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

11. EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTRoom Layouts (to be avoided) • Disadvantages: • Students can’t face one • another; • Difficult to form small • groups; • Lecturer appears remote • and cut off from class. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

12. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

13. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

14. EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTRole of the Tutor DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

15. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

16. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

17. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

18. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

19. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

20. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

21. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

22. 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. GROUP PROJECTSAdvantages & Disadvantages DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

23. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

24. 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. GROUP PROJECTSTask Needs of a Group DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

25. 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 GROUP PROJECTSMaintaining Good Relationships DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

26. 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. Designing Group Projects - TIMING & CO-ORDINATION DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

27. 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 . . . . DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

28. 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. Designing Group Projects - SAMPLE OBJECTIVES TASK Design a handbook for first-year students based on a needs analysis questionnaire. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

29. 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. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

30. 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. TASK: Designing a Group Project DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

31. 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. FEEDBACKReviewing Session Objectives DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning

32. 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 weren’t covered. DCU - Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning