1. 1 Small Group Teaching Linda Carey Centre for Educational Development Queen’s University Belfast

2. 2 Learning outcomes for this session By the end of the session you will have: Discussed some of the strengths of and difficulties with small group teaching Considered some of the aims, facilitation issues and methods for small group teaching, with reference to your own teaching context Discussed some ways to deal with difficult students in a small group

3. 3 Task 1: Discuss in pairs or threes What is kind of small group teaching takes place in your department? In your experience, what are the strengths of and difficulties with small group teaching?

4. 4 Some possible problems Teacher gives a lecture rather than conducting a dialogue Teacher talks too much Students won’t talk to each other or the tutor Students don’t prepare One student dominates Students want to be given solutions to problems rather than discuss them Jaques (2003)

5. 5 Aims of small group teaching adapted from Brown and Atkins, 1987 l to develop intellectual and professional abilities, e.g. analysing, logical reasoning, evaluating evidence/data, appraising and judging perceptively, thinking critically, seeing new relationships, synthesising, speculating creatively, designing, arguing rationally, transferring skills to new context, problem- solving

6. 6 l to develop students’ communications skills: with peers, tutor, in “real world” l to develop values, language and perspective of the discipline l to foster students’ personal development: e.g. confidence, managing own learning l to develop group working skills l to challenge and stimulate students and tutor

7. 7 Roles of the lecturer in small group teaching Facilitator – leading discussion, questioning, guiding process and task, enabling participation and engagement with ideas Instructor – imparting information Neutral Chair Consultant Commentator Other.....? ( based on McCrorie, 2006)

8. 8 Conditions for successful small group teaching Effective planning and preparation Breaking the ice -- starting out with the group Keeping the group on track Dealing with possible problems and conflicts adapted from Exley and Dennick, 2004

9. 9 Preparation l What is the likely level, knowledge and experience of the students? l What am I teaching – topic, type of expected learning (knowledge, skills, behaviours)? l How will I teach it? – methods, time, venue, resources l How will I know if students understand? – informal or formal assessment, questioning, feedback from learners. Adapted from: Spencer (2003, p25)

10. 10 Step 1 Consider what you want the students to learn or achieve: the learning outcomes Step 2 Choose a suitable set of group tasks to deliver the selected outcomes Step 3 Decide how to organise the small group: Your tasks are to: prepare materials explain and check agreement on task monitor development of task control time boundaries From: Jaques, 2003, p.19

11. 11 Starting out with a group l Arranging group environment (see handout) l seating to maximize interaction, facilitator position l Introductions/warm-ups: e.g. names, rounds, paired introductions l Establishing ground rules: l Expectations l How will the group operate? l Developing a “learning contract”? Adapted from Exley and Dennick, 2004

12. Task 2: What ground rules would you suggest for your small groups? 12

13. 13 Starting out (continued) l Fostering a sense of “safety” l Explaining aims /outcomes and tasks to students l Activating students’ prior learning: What do they already know on this topic? l Questioning l Stimuli – e.g. texts, pictures, artefacts, models, newspaper clippings, cartoons, video clips Adapted from Exley and Dennick, 2004

14. 14 Keeping the group on track l Time management l Keeping focus to discussion l Building in time for reflections and summaries l Managing the discussion: l Involving all students l Dealing with diverse students l Recording achievements and progress – e.g. notes, flipchart, post-its Adapted from Exley and Dennick, 2004

15. 15 Questioning skills: some common pitfalls l asking too many questions at once l asking ambiguous or confusing questions l asking irrelevant questions and losing focus l answering your own questions and launching into a mini-lecture l asking questions of only a subset of students l asking closed rather than open questions l questioning too aggressively adapted from Brown and Atkins, 1988

16. 16 Types of questions to stimulate thinking (see handout for details) Questions to elicit from the students: Evidence Clarification Explanation Linking and extending Hypothetical thinking Cause and effect Summary and synthesis Adapted from Brookfield, 2006

17. 17 Methods to encourage participation (adapted from Race, 2006) l Rounds l useful at beginning or end of session l Pairs l Buzz groups (3, 4, 5 people) l discussion-based or task-based l time-limited l clear remit explained to students l different ways of assigning groups l Syndicates: groups working in teams on different aspects of a problem / case

18. 18 Methods (continued) l Snowballing or pyramids l ones, then twos, fours, eights etc l builds confidence; encourages participation l Crossovers l Mix and matching of sub groups l “Brainstorming” l Idea generation; unstructured; creative l Debates l Student-led seminars l Problem-based learning groups

19. 19 Taking feedback from students Instant posters (flipcharts) Post-it notes – succinct, easy to use Students prepare overhead transparencies (or use technology if available) Spokesperson – how nominated? Formal presentation with PowerPoint, etc Sometimes no feedback needed

20. 20 Task 3: How could you apply these methods in your own teaching? (Choose one or two to discuss in detail.)