Ade Meda Revina

141100710

Small Group and Large Group

SMALL GROUP

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

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?

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

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

Potential Benefits

Effective Small Group Teaching

• Does not happen by chance!• Helping to ensure effective small group teaching.

1. Planning the session2. Preparing the students for working in groups3. Agreeing ground rules4. Significance of the setting5. Tutor facilitating skills

Significance of the setting

Physical arrangements have a powerful effect on

interaction

Tutor Facilitating Skills

Skills in listening, asking and answering questions, and

responding are paramount in small group settings.

1. Listening•What? content• How? tone, feelings•When? time, priority•Where? place, environment

2. Questioning• Prepare• Open ended• How• Body language

Tutor Facilitating Skills

3.Responding

• Body language• Direct response or use group to answer?• Shape rather than reject contributions

LARGE GROUP

Using Large Groups in Classes

• Strategies that can work: • Well-defined activities• Bring the class together for

discussion and/or clarification at about15 min. intervals

• Group products• Look for signs of behaviors that

undermine group function• Use undergraduate (peer) group

facilitators

Purpose:

Committed to it based on research and

observation

Learn better when actively involved

Peer instruction, teaching each other

Learn more fully and with less effort

Learn in context

• List 5 behaviors or actions that can undermine good group Function.

• Report out in 5 minutes.

Planning for Large Group

• Big Ideas

• Units of Study

• Anchor Texts

• Storytelling, • singing, music

Example:• A variety of genres lend themselves to

Readers Theater. Many are available on Teachers Pay Teachers.

• Bring your Thinking Maps or graphic organizers to life.

– Have children hold the boxes and arrows printed on paper to make a flow map.

– The tallest child can be the main idea of a tree map. Shorter children can be the supporting ideas. Others can kneel or sit for the specific details.

Final aims:

Functional groups are ones in which

members work effectively to enhance

their own and each other’s learning

Thank you