Teaching Small Groups

1. Teaching Small Groups r.lawson 3589

2. What constitutes a small group? • Use small groups to your advantage • Do not: • LECTURE TO LESS • FEEL OBLIGED TO GIVE ALL THE ANSWERS

3. What methods do you use at the moment?

4. What are the pros?

5. What problems have you come across so far?

6. Problems • Silence – whole group, individuals • Discussion strays • Unprepared • Dominant students

7. Seminars/Group Tutorials • Tutor Perspective: • Facilitate • Get student involved • Challenge students • Provide a “safe” environment • Are flexible • Anticipate problems • Provide variation and practice

8. Seminars/Group Tutorials • Facilitating: • Pose open questions • Play devil’s advocate • Controlling talking/silences – pay to say, talking stick • Allow time for thinking/reading • Control for individual comfort/challenge

9. Seminars/Group Tutorials • Facilitating: • Ask for relationships between factors • Get and give feedback • Answering questions • Bring back to subject matter • Use brainstorming to start discussions • Give examples • Summarise paper/message • Critique paper

10. Seminars/Group Tutorials • Questioning: • Use open ended questions • Make questions interesting • Do not start too advanced – warm up • Ask one question at a time • Get students to construct questions • Look for relationships/abstract rather than description • Give time for thinking • DO NOT get caught in the trap of answering all the questions yourself

11. Seminars/Group Tutorials • Variation & Practice: • Read and discuss • Write questions • Introduce problems • Give/think of examples • List pros & cons • Read notes and summarise • Student led seminars

12. Seminars/Group Tutorials • Student Perspective: • Feeling part of the group • Acknowledged as an individual • Contributions welcomed • Not “put down” • Tutor is interested • Tutor is prepared • Aim is clear and achievable • Everyone has chance to participate • Learnt something – i.e. worthwhile

13. Seminars/Group Tutorials • The first session: • Give student s a chance to get to know each other (safe environment) and you (icebreakers) • Explain rules of sessions (no put downs, all expected to participate, student led) • Explain expectations of sessions (and learning outcomes) (room layout) • Practice skills needed in session • Set the culture for the sessions

14. Needs Analysis

15. Model of Awareness - Raiman Perceived Competence Competent Unconscious Competent Conscious Incompetent Unconscious Incompetent Conscious Time

16. Goal Setting

17. GISAR Model • G oals • I ideas • S election • A action • R eview

18. TYPES OF GOAL • OUTCOME/PRODUCT GOALS, results, often in the control of other people. • LEARNING/PROCESS GOALS, improvement goals, developing the skills of learning to perform activities better.

19. SMARTER GOALS • S - SPECIFIC • M - MEASURABLE • A – ACCEPTABLE/AGREED • R - REALISTIC • T - TIMED • E – EXCITING/ENJOYABLE • R – REVIEWED/RECORDED

20. Seating Arrangements

21. Methods • Seminars/ Group Tutorials – tutor/student led • Fishbowl • Pyramiding • Brainstorming • Buzz groups • Rotation • PBL • Debate • Peer Tutoring • Group Projects • Role Playing

22. Problem Based Learning

23. How to run PBL • P roblem – pose a problem • I nformation/ Ideas – establish what is already known • R esearch – get information to solve problem • S olution – come to the best solution possible