Teaching Small Groups

1. Teaching Small Groups Dr Sarah Bamforth

2. Overview • What is a small group • Key factors influencing learning in small groups • Practical advice for effective small groups

3. What do we mean by small group teaching? • any teaching and learning occasion with between 2 and 20 participants • where students are encouraged to take responsibility – along with tutors – for their own learning • it can take place online

4. Types of small group work activities • numerous methods for teaching small groups • well known: Tutorials, Laboratories and Problem-Solving Class • Q – What small group teaching do you have experience of?

5. Q – From your own experience (student or tutor), what are the benefits and difficulties of small group teaching?

6. Potential Difficulties • students don’t prepare beforehand • students don’t engage • one person dominates (either student or tutor) • students want to be given the solution rather than discussing the problem • high cost method due to small numbers • where more tutors involved – parity is important • fear of losing control of the classroom

7. Potential Benefits • people have to take part • develop verbal skills / develop key skills • get to know the students and them you / establish closer contact with academic staff • see the way you view problems • don't have to dominate • grasp of topic • take on case study type material that can't really be taken in a large lecture • make students discuss a topic as a group • chance to ask questions • a two-way flow • find out level to pitch lectures • co-operation in learning • level – where they are at • negotiate meanings • express themselves in the language of the subject • students engage as learners and collaborators in their own development

8. Effective small group teaching • does not happen by chance! • Helping to ensure effective small group teaching. • planningthe session • preparing the students for working in groups • agreeing ground rules • significance of the setting • tutor facilitating skills

9. 1. Planning the session • general features of a session plan include: • Intended Learning Outcomes • selection of small group teaching method • selection of learner activity • the plan will also depend upon: • requirements of specific discipline • the culture of the institution • context of programme or module • student learning needs • prior knowledge of students

10. planning the session – 10 key questions • why is group work being used? • what learning outcomes are sought? • what will be the size of the groups? • how are group members to be selected? • what activities will be carried out in groups? • what resources will be needed to support the activities? • will the students need to undertake some supportive activities to enable them to work successfully in groups? • how will group progress be monitored? • will the group/individuals be assessed? how? • how will the effectiveness of group work be evaluated?

11. 2. Preparing the students – why and how why? “lecturers too often assume that the students, know how to work in groups” (Griffiths, p.76) how? provide training on how groups work e.g. group development stages (Tuckman 1965), personality (Myers-Briggs) and roles (Belbin), etc.

12. 3. Agreeing the ground rules why? • remove uncertainty • can be set down by the tutor or agreed in collaboration with the group • ask students for their ideas regarding what makes a good tutorial/seminar – answers usually include: • student preparation and participation, interesting topics, sympathetic tutor, etc.

13. 4. Significance of the setting “physical arrangements have a powerful effect on interaction” (Griffiths, p.77) A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education by Fry, Ketteridge and Marshall

14. Top Tips for Settings • Increase communication by downplaying social level/status differences • encouragenervous students to participate by sitting opposite (and being sympathetic) or sitting them opposite an encouraging peer • quieten a dominating student by sitting next to them • room choice: tutor rooms with paraphernalia of authority and/or a stark room with a rectangular high backed chairs are less conducive to student participation • of 10 students sat around a rectangular table at least 4 have no eye contact with each other thus reducing participation

15. 5. Tutor Facilitating Skills Skills in listening, asking and answering questions, and responding are paramount in small group settings. (paraphrased from Griffiths, p.81) A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education by Fry, Ketteridge and Marshall

16. Tutor Facilitating Skills • What? content • How? tone, feelings • When? time, priority • Where? place, environment • Prepare • Open ended • How • Body language • Body language • Direct response or use group to answer? • Shape rather than reject contributions Listening Questioning Responding

17. Facilitating Skills – Top Tips

19. Encouraging Participation - Task • Akey skill in working with groups is encouraging people to talk; within your groups, take it in turns to assume the following roles: • talker– your task is to talk for 4 minutes about the topic listed below • encourager – your task is to encourage the talker to speak; do not take over the conversation, but do offer appropriate encouragement when the talker needs it • observer(s) – you should watch and listen carefully; in doing so, identify things (take notes if you wish) that the encourager did that helped or hindered the talker, but do not allow yourself to be involved in the discussion • The topic is ONE of the difficult situations. Each talker should choose a different difficult situation. • Timing: • Individually, choose a difficult situation and jot down your ideas (5 minutes) • Talk, encourage and observe (4 minutes x 3) (3 people in each group) • A brief discussion of what things seemed to be encouraging (2 minutes)

20. Task wrap up • What encouragements helped/hindered talkers? • Any issues of interest raised by the difficult situations can be discussed in the Q&A session at the end of the day.

21. Summary • this first part of the session has allowed us to: • identify skills important for successful small group teaching