1. Small Group Teaching Key Educational Skills Faculty Development Workshop December 9, 2014 Katherine M. Hyland, PhD Marieke Kruidering-Hall, PhD

2. Small Group Teaching: Agenda 1.Welcome, Introductions, Overview, Rationale 2.Small Group Facilitation: How and Why – Brainstorm Advantages, Challenges, Rationale – Observe & Discuss video clips – Generate list of Best Practices 3.Break out session: Small Groups in Action – Facilitated discussion of challenges of SG & solutions – Observe group dynamics & facilitation techniques 4.Large Group Discussion and Summary – Report back – Wrap up, Evaluation

3. Introductions Name/Department Type of SG teaching you’re involved with What you’d like to get out of this workshop

4. Active Learning in Small Groups helps students progress through stages of learning Knows Knows How Shows How Does Cognition Behavior Liz Armstrong, Harvard Medical International, & Crossley J, Humphries G, Jolly B. “Assessing Health Professionals” Med Educ 2002; 36:800-804. Miller’s Pyramid

5. Rationale behind SG instruction: Connecting research of learning to instructional practices Theories of Learning Cognitive Behavioral Social Additive to our understanding of process learning See handout & Irby DM, Acad. Med. 70: 898-931, 1995

6. Cognitive model Learning: requires active reconstruction of meaning and organization of knowledge in memory occurs by building new concepts on old and developing self- monitoring strategies Recommendations for teaching Address learner conceptions: compare and contrast Stimulate active learner construction of meaning around cases Provide opportunities for reflection & self-monitoring Facilitate learning cycle: Exploration, Concept invention or Formation, and Application

7. Behavioral model Includes behavioral change Occurs by linking stimulus and response by reinforcing appropriate behavior Recommendations for teaching Define clear objectives Provided guided and independent practice Frequent feedback and testing

8. Sociocultural model Includes social construction of meaning within a knowledge community allowing complex knowledge construction Occurs by internalizing the language and actions of community and emulating role models Recommendations for teaching Orient learners to role and culture Stimulate use of professional language Observe and provide feedback Provide opportunities for reflection & collaborative learning

9. Expert-Novice Research A.The organization of knowledge in long-term memory is important. Experts have knowledge structures (schemata or chunks) B.Experts have good strategies for analyzing problems and planning solutions. Novices start by plugging numbers into an equation, while experts restate the problem in their own words, drawing diagrams C.The ability to transfer knowledge to new contexts is essential. This is the key to being able to solve unstructured and very complex problems

10. Conclusion Research on learning provides us with three different lenses on how learners ( students, residents ) learn. Each lens provides additive recommendations to enhance learning  Construct their own understanding based on their prior knowledge, experiences, skills, attitudes, and beliefs  Follow a learning cycle of exploration, concept formation, and application  Discuss and interact with others  Reflect on progress and assess performance “Expert-Novice” research informs us about importance of 1.Helping the leaner to organize the knowledge 2.Asking the leaner to reframe and formulate problems 3.Supporting the leaner to apply knowledge to different, complex problems Allow learner to

11. 2. Small Group Facilitation: How and Why? Pair Share: Advantages and Challenges of SG teaching, Rationale (10’) (use handout) Observe & Discuss video clips Generate list of Best Practices

12. Advantages of SG Teaching/Learning Tailored instruction Spectrum of assessment More interactive Personal connection More flexibility Cross functional/peer learning Interdisciplinary Opportunity to learn from peers Engage quiet learners

13. Challenges of SG Teaching/Learning Time intensive Not electronic – personal interactions Buy in, participation of learners/instructors Cultural differences Uneven experiences among groups Faculty development – lecturer to facilitator Facilitator has to know content well Harder for students to speak up Millennial behavior (e.g. personal devices) Group dynamics – one could derail!

14. Best Practices of SG Teaching Provide context Use eye contact Use names Avoid “guess what I’m thinking” questions Positive feedback, validate contribution Enthusiasm Get to know group, check in about their goals/challenges Get off to good start! Allow discussion between learners Set expectations & ground rules – Ask group for THEIR expectations Refer to objectives Reflect questions back to group (facilitator does not need to answer all) Let the group function themselves Reinforce key points Close the loop Encourage participation without pressuring Explicit with expectations Time management Don’t overstuff the session – appropriate amount of content for time Define the culture and roles Respectful Wrap up

15. 3. Breakout Session: Small Groups in Action Divide into groups of ~10 Rooms: CL-210; CL-213; CL-214; CL-215 Select a facilitator Discuss specific challenges encountered in SG Use observation form to take notes Select scribe; Generate list of solutions for challenges Step Back: Discuss group dynamics & facilitation techniques, provide feedback to facilitator Develop list of best practices Summarize highlights of discussion for report back

16. 4. Report Back and Wrap Up Each group shares 3 min summary of observations, solutions, best practices from their breakout session Take Home points Please complete Evaluation and Action Plan

17. Small Group Teaching Workshop All workshop handouts and an online Small Group Observation/Skills Assessment Form are available at: https://wiki.library.ucsf.edu/display/UCPLS/Small+Gr oup+Teaching https://wiki.library.ucsf.edu/display/UCPLS/Small+Gr oup+Teaching Thank You!!