Putting student's into groups
I find putting student's into groups help them to develop critical thinking among themself's
Carla,
yes & it helps them learn to appreciate the diversity of opinions & views of others.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
In any career endeavor as a professional we must be able to work well with others. Group activities, with careful monitoring, asists students development of this vital achievement.
I have found that putting students into small groups helps them to concentrate on the informaiton. In each group one of the students peers translates the informaiton into peer verbage that somehow comes across. I guess they explain it in their own words. It also gives shy students a fair playing field of being in a smaller group and they are more apt to speak, than in front of the entire class.
Joyce,
this is a great idea & one that anyone can implement.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have found that putting students into groups and having them each have a part or section of the lecture to explain to classmates helps them to effectively learn through teaching classmates as well as themselves. It is called jigsaw. You assign each one of the group a section to work on. They read their section and come together as a group and discuss and come up with the presentation as a group. They like it and learn from it.
peter,
while there are definitely challenges with using groups, there are also many benefits. Much of work today is done in a team environment & we are helping students to learn these skills through group projects.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
peter,
while there are definitely challenges with using groups, there are also many benefits. Much of work today is done in a team environment & we are helping students to learn these skills through group projects.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
i am not fond of groupin and/or group projects, my observation is that the students rely on the outgoing/smart student to carry the torch.
I agree. When students get together they are able to bounce ideas off of each other for a great out come.
I agree. It allows them to break away from a larger group and feel more free to share ideas in a more intimate group. It does have its challenges. Some students use this time to hide behind other, stronger students who take the ball and run with it.
When doing Demonstrations, I will put students into groups. Now when making up the groups I try to mix it up a bit. as sometimes the students have gotten into a "click" I want to try and take them from an situation that they are apt to be distracted and attempt to get them to be more engaged in the demo. I try to mix up the groups daily in order also have the students learn that they have to learn to adapt to ever changing conditions as well. I feel they need to learn to be able to work with anyone if they are to be successful as well.
i have found this to be true too. i've also found that sometimes it pushes students to be a little more competitive when groups are working to out perform each other. i think the risk of failure as a group is not as heavy as the risk of failure as an individual.
Dorothy,
yes, as they learn to explain their thoughts & positions & to listen respectfully to others, their critical thinking truly develops.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
