DR.MOHAMMED AL NAAMI, FRCSC, FACS, M Ed.

INTRODUCTION  Small group teaching implies active participation of all its members  A common error that many teachers may fall in during small group teaching is didactic lecturing  Tutors in small group teaching usually facilitate teaching rather than delivering information

INTRODUCTION  Another error involved is the concentration on knowledge & wide coverage of content materials  Neglecting other skills such as deep understanding, critical thinking, productive discussion, verbal and eye communication, deliberation, pondering, and so on.

OBJECTIVES  Active participation  Acquisition of knowledge and understanding  Acquisition of communication skills  Acquisition of other skills such as critical thinking, deep understanding, deliberation, pondering, criticizing, analyzing, and problem solving

Characteristics Of Small Group Teaching 1. Active Participation This process of teaching and learning is brought about through discussion among all present. The ideal group size should be less than twenty so that everybody will have a chance to participate in the discussion

Characteristics Of Small Group Teaching 2. Face to Face Contact Effective discussion requires communication, which is not only verbal, but also non-verbal involving for example; gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and posture. This will only be achieved by sitting the group in circle, not in rows.

Characteristics Of Small Group Teaching 3. Purposeful Activity The discussion in small group teaching should have a purpose and clearly stated objectives rather than a purposeless chitchat. The purpose of a discussion should include discussing a point, medical problem, and other skills such as criticizing, analyzing, problem solving and decision-making.

Roles of the Tutor 1. Interactions with the students should be facilitatory rather than instructory. 2. Emphasizes thinking, pondering, deliberation, reflecting on problem or situation and not to give pure knowledge and experience. 3. Tutor should guide students through all the steps of particular learning process required. For example, a disease should be discussed following the steps of Etiology, Pathophysiology, symptoms and signs, diagnosis and treatment.

Roles of the Tutor (Cont’d.) 4. Tutor must push the student to a deeper level of understanding by asking questions like “why?”, “what does that mean?”, “why did you say that?”. 5. Tutor should avoid expressing an opinion concerning the correctness or quality of any student’s comments or contributions. 6. Tutor should avoid giving information to the extent that students will not refer to learning resources. 7. Tutor should encourage comments and critiques among students.

Roles of the Tutor (Cont’d.) 8. Tutor should challenge students’ comments and opinions such as asking “Are you sure of what you are saying?”, “Are you comfortable with this decision?”, etc. 9. The tutor should monitor the quality of behavior and attitude of the students. 10. The tutor should ensure a friendly climate during discussion. 11. Other responsibilities as needed.

Roles of the Students 1. Prior preparation of a topic to be discussed, this yields better understanding. 2. Active participation in the discussion 3. A student should avoid over involvement in the discussion, so that others will have their shares. 4. Self-directed learning. A student should have an active role on learning by looking up references, asking experts, finding other useful resources, etc. 5. Students should critique each other, help each other to understand a concept or a problem, guide each other to the resources, and provide references and materials etc.

EVALUATION Informal Evaluation This type is an opinion or judgment of the tutor(s) on an individual student or group performance or the opposite. This method is inaccurate and inherent with biased opinions and judgment (subjective).

EVALUATION Formal Evaluation This can be achieved by the development of questionnaire that may contain aspects on tutor’s performance, student’s performance, and on the tutorial process. Other methods might include tests such as multiple choice questions, essay, short answer, patient manages problems, and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

REFERENCES 1. The Tutorial Process by: Howard S. Barrows, Southern Illinois University, School of Medicine, A Handbook for Medical Teachers Second Edition, David Newble, Robert Cannon, MTP Press Limited, 1987