I use learning groups all the time in my class. Groups of three seems to be the best, there is enough to do that everyone is busy and one of them is not drifting off of the task at hand. I randomly pick them every day which usually works out pretty good.
Hi William!
I like to see groups which do a lot of brainstorming then deciding on the best course of action. Under these conditions, students have to compromise and consider what serves the greater good of the expected outcomes.
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
In lab of course we use groups and it is a very effective way to get students to collaborate with each other and help teach each other what was covered in class when each seem to remember a different part of a task. In the room I have from time to time used groups to research a topic and report out to the class about a concept or procedure that is important a lab project or class test.
I assign projects in class and lab that involve group activites and learning. I think the students get more out of the assignment by bouncing ideas of each other.
I use random lab groups. each day they get reasigned sometimes the same pepole work together and sometimes not. I prefer random groups, it has been my experiance that if they are allowed to select their own they select their buddies and the group dinamics fall apart, usually one person does all the work and the rest stand around.
I use 3 per group.The groups are small enough that all the students can participate in the lab with hands on and perform the task more efficiant.It works very well
A group of ones peers works well if they are monitored. Because each person can learn from the strengths of others. But the weakness comes when there are some that do not pull their own wait and are not participating.
Our format requires lab groups. I find them quite effective. Most of the time, the groups are randomly picked each day. On occasion, the groups while be specifically chosen because of student’s legitimate request or from some negative dynamic I noticed. In the course I most commonly teach now the groups are just 2-3 students. Even at that number, I find it important to make sure not just one person is doing the work. As I review each lab task, I make sure to ask both students questions. Sometimes, a student will realize that he needs to repeat or go over a specific task that was not comprehended.
i set up my class in to six groups and i give them time to study before every test, and i tell them that if one of them gets a 10 on the test they all shoule and it works well
First day of class I put my students in order from the top of the roll sheet down. This puts the students in groups of three. They usually will be working with students in which they have never worked with before. Some complain, but this just makes the student stronger. Being able to look beyond the bad and just exicute the task at hand. Help them understand that we may not like who we work with, the job still needs to get done.
Due to the limited number of training aids i have to use group participation. however, i keep the groups as small as possible. they seem to learn better and participate more. it never fails, if there is a large group one or more will just stand there or disappear.
I teach the electronics course 117 basic, since this is the first time for most students on this topic it very important for the students to get the concept of how this mystery stuff works. Starting I will put each student on a project to insure an understanding of the concept. Next step will put students into groups of two till I reach a group of 4. When I put the students in groups of 4 I will assign each person in that group a responsibility like, shop foreman, tool person, clean-up and a student review with group about what has been done.
I’m glad of doing this model of learning groups. There are many things I need to correct. My last class assignment I noticed that I did not give them a guide to follow. It turned into lack interest from them.
Now, I know that I have to give them I path to follow with the objectives and individual grade in order to have a better result.
In lab exercises we use small 3-4 person groups to have everyone participate. If the group is larger some students won't get involved and tend to hide or run off. The groups need to be monitored but the stronger students will help the weaker ones in the group.
When we have groups they help student s with more interaction as opposed to being alone. Often students are ok with not being part of the class and learning preocess.
We often use groups for lab and class activities. After discussing a topic in class I have given each group in class a part of a task or step in a sequence and let the groups work together to figure out how to arrange the sequence of events correctly to show understanding of the concept being taught. It usually gets all the students involved and on task. Most of the time the students really enjoy the teamwork and the challenge. In lab after demonstrating a procedure I have had groups work through very similar tasks on their own very successfully. Group size needs to be limited to 3 or 4 students for best results. Most of the time random group selection works the best. We usually change lab groups as we introduce new materials and demonstrate new products and features.
I use formal learning groups both in lab and in the classroom. The classroom groups typically use PC's to find and analyze data. I have found 3 students per group works best, 4 is OK but group sizes greater than 4 are to big and some one gets left out. Most of the time I use the random assignment method to select the groups and change the lab groups every day. Sometimes a student may not like who they need to work with on a particular day but it helps them develop skills working with the different personalities. Recently I have allowed some classes to self select their groups and for some classes this method can also work well.
