With group learning it creates teamwork, as well as student participation from all. Students also tend to help students grasp the concept of the task a little better.
Joseph ,
yes, it is very difficult for students to pull back or withdraw in the smaller groups.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I am a big fan of learning groups, students get to share their comprehension of the material with each other, and the students are able to learn different concepts from each other. I feel that sometime the student do not understand the way the professor is explaining the material, but another student maybe able to explain it better.
When I put students into learning or lab groups it ensures that every student is engaged and maximizes their learning experiance.
Walt,
this is an excellent point. Group work also helps prepare the students for their future careers as they learn to work with a variety of individuals.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
One of the positive outcomes of putting students into learning groups is usually an increase in student participation. Students can be more engaged in smaller groups and can bring in their own expertise. Student ownership of their education is important. Many students can easily disengage in a lecture environment but feel more invested in smaller groups where there is interdependency.
By placing students into learning groups, they build relationships with each other and their individual confidence levels will improve making their educational experience a lot more valuable. Some students have not had the opportunity to work in a learning group before, or if they had, the experience was not as positive as it should have been. By careful instructor monitoring and encouragement, the learning group experience for the students can be a positive one.
it enhances the student's socialization skills
Fran,
yes, a mentor of mine always said "the wisdom is in the room" referring to group work, rather than assuming I have to come up with the answer all on my own.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
One of the most important positive out comings from learning groups is learning to work toward a goal or outcome with other people. The we concept is the basic structure and foundation of human accomplishment.
I teach nursing so one of the most positive outcomes is teaching them to work together and to determine the answers or results as a "team."
Putting students into groups gets everybody participationg in class, and stimulates learning. Also it is good for the students to interact with one another and get comfortable working together, they can learn from each other as well.
I try to teach synergy. That by combining their efforts the results of the group will be better than an individual result
I like small discussion groups because when a student is feeling a little confused about the material gone over in class just talking about it out loud with other classmates can be a way of making that material clearer.
Dale,
yes often the small group setting really is a help to the more introverted students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Ive noticed that those who are hesitant to speak up and display competance in full class settings demonstrate far more interaction when working within smaller groups. By monitoring the smaller groups, those who were hesitant to speak up tend to do so when involved with only a few of their peers.
Positive outcomes of putting students in learning groups are (1) students get to share knowledge with each other (2) students are able to express themselves without feeling the pressure of a large audience (3) students are able to learn different concepts from each other. For example, when I place students in groups, some students may have a simple more efficient way of remembering a concept and they can share this with each other to facilitate learning.
They know more from each other,and make easy for them to recognize their weakness and their strengths.
Dawn,
and I've seen situations where the class, as a whole, is much more open after group work.
Dr. Ryan Meers
They get to know their classmate better, Everyone gets to participate in class. The shy ones won't be afraid to participate in class even when they are not in work groups.
