Using Small Groups for Effective Learning
Small Groups Enhance Learning We looked at collaborative learning and the three essentials for it. Our discussions revolved around the use of small groups for collaborative learning. I had the opportunity to visit a website that detailed how small groups can lead to effective learning.
Small group work can enrich your learners’ learning experiences. Small groups are a good motivational tool because they add variety to an instructional activity and allow participants to learn in different ways. For example, by participating in small groups, some of your learners may be able to comprehend the content that they may find difficult in a lecture.
Small group activities are also important because they help your learners learn social skills such as cooperation and communication, which they are not always able to do to the same extent in a regular lecture environment.
In addition, some learners especially in an Asian situation - high context cultures, do especially well in small groups because they feel more confident about asking questions and participating in general compared to a lecture situation.
Creating Effective Groups
Some ideas from the web site give us an idea on how to use small groups successfully. The goal is to make sure that the activities you plan are well-suited for this kind of learning.
Listed in the web site are several activities that are conducive to small group learning, and that can help complement your classroom instruction:
Test or quiz prep groups –
learners can study previously or recently taught classroom material to better prepare for an upcoming test or quiz.
Reading enrichment groups –
learners can discuss a story they have just heard, and then create visual works (symbolic charades, collages, drawings, etc.) that support a theme or a main idea from the story.
Dramatic enactment groups –
learners can bring a fictional, historical or scientific event to life by presenting a reenactment to the session, or to a larger audience that may include other learners, teachers and peers.
Problem/solution groups –
learners can research a problem from a story or in a particular subject and then propose a solution by making a presentation, by writing a report, or by creating a model, a drawing or some other visual representation.
Debate groups –
learners can research different sides of a controversial issue and then argue their side in a debate.
Interdisciplinary groups – learners can attempt to solve a problem or answer a question that requires them to study several different disciplines.
Helping learners Succeed in Small Groups
Your learners need a variety of skills to successfully function and learn in small groups. Functional and learning skills include summarizing, paraphrasing and performing basic research using library and other reference resources. Social skills include listening, taking turns, and encouraging and supporting other team members. You’ll also need to help your learners learn to understand accountability—as they have both individual roles as well as overall group objectives that they’re responsible for.
Monitoring and Evaluating Small Group Effectiveness
By monitoring and giving feedback to your learners, you can help them learn how to better function in a small group. Depending on the age and capabilities of your learners, you can provide specific feedback on tasks that include how well the group divided the workload, communicated individual responsibilities, encouraged participation from each member, and accomplished its goals. This feedback is also important because it helps your learners improve their general small group skills, which include cooperation, communication, goal setting, planning, organization and follow through.
Visit http://enews.educationessentials.com/v2/i1/
Small group work can enrich your learners’ learning experiences. Small groups are a good motivational tool because they add variety to an instructional activity and allow participants to learn in different ways. For example, by participating in small groups, some of your learners may be able to comprehend the content that they may find difficult in a lecture.
Small group activities are also important because they help your learners learn social skills such as cooperation and communication, which they are not always able to do to the same extent in a regular lecture environment.
In addition, some learners especially in an Asian situation - high context cultures, do especially well in small groups because they feel more confident about asking questions and participating in general compared to a lecture situation.
Creating Effective Groups
Some ideas from the web site give us an idea on how to use small groups successfully. The goal is to make sure that the activities you plan are well-suited for this kind of learning.
Listed in the web site are several activities that are conducive to small group learning, and that can help complement your classroom instruction:
Test or quiz prep groups –
learners can study previously or recently taught classroom material to better prepare for an upcoming test or quiz.
Reading enrichment groups –
learners can discuss a story they have just heard, and then create visual works (symbolic charades, collages, drawings, etc.) that support a theme or a main idea from the story.
Dramatic enactment groups –
learners can bring a fictional, historical or scientific event to life by presenting a reenactment to the session, or to a larger audience that may include other learners, teachers and peers.
Problem/solution groups –
learners can research a problem from a story or in a particular subject and then propose a solution by making a presentation, by writing a report, or by creating a model, a drawing or some other visual representation.
Debate groups –
learners can research different sides of a controversial issue and then argue their side in a debate.
Interdisciplinary groups – learners can attempt to solve a problem or answer a question that requires them to study several different disciplines.
Helping learners Succeed in Small Groups
Your learners need a variety of skills to successfully function and learn in small groups. Functional and learning skills include summarizing, paraphrasing and performing basic research using library and other reference resources. Social skills include listening, taking turns, and encouraging and supporting other team members. You’ll also need to help your learners learn to understand accountability—as they have both individual roles as well as overall group objectives that they’re responsible for.
Monitoring and Evaluating Small Group Effectiveness
By monitoring and giving feedback to your learners, you can help them learn how to better function in a small group. Depending on the age and capabilities of your learners, you can provide specific feedback on tasks that include how well the group divided the workload, communicated individual responsibilities, encouraged participation from each member, and accomplished its goals. This feedback is also important because it helps your learners improve their general small group skills, which include cooperation, communication, goal setting, planning, organization and follow through.
Visit http://enews.educationessentials.com/v2/i1/
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