Get Your Students Hired
I have noticed that with small group exercises, One or two of the students do ALL the work, while the others just sit back and observe.
We just recently changed our seating arrangement (more group seating) and have found that we are able to engage more effectively with the students and the students enjoy more group activities
I teach many classes utilizing group interaction
Normally these are very positive experiences and enhance learning.
There have been several instances where individuals exhibit "social loafing"
Normally as I walk around the room it is possible to redirect everyone and get everyone involved. I usually ask that the groups use different indiviuals as group coaches for new cases.
david, do students have opportunities to take turns with the protein or the sauce? If students know their time will come then this helps to elevate any stress of not getting a chance to perform their most desired task.
James Jackson
I teach in a culinary school and having my students work in groups works quit well. I will assign groups to prepare a meal and each student is to take on a part of the meal (starch, vegetable, protein and sauce). One of the problems is that not everyone wants to take on the vegetable or starch, they all want the protein or sauce. I will tell them that the protein is not the only part of the plate and that you will all have to work together to make the plate to work. They are informed that I grade the teamwork and the final plate, not the individual items on the plate.
I find the small group activity one of the best tools of learning and the students seem to enjoy it the most.
Samuel, great use of the power of autonomy and getting students to take charge of their own learning. Another outcome is it teaches students to be action oriented which is another skill that will serve them well in their career. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
Yes, I do incorporate group activities in my classrooms. I refer to this as "peer coaching." I had learned this instructional tool from a professor I had in one of my master's programs. He encouraged peer socialization through coaching since the course had such a diverse range of students with academic and professional backgrounds. Peer coaching allows students to engage with one another, have some fun and get class work done in more relaxed yet professional environment. I find this tool works great with adult learners since there is a diversity of life, work and academic skill levels. It is a great ice-breaker as well.
The challenges with group activities is making sure the work gets completed during a specific time-frame. It's best to have the peer group assign a leader to manage and coordinate the exercise. As an instructor it is most successful to walk around and listen to the groups and participate where appropriate.
I use small groups as an active learning strategy frequently in my classes. I believe the atmosphere closely relates to "real world" application as everyone works within small groups during their personal and professional interactions. Students teaching students (where the instructor plays a more facilitator role) has shown great success in providing the autonomy adult learners seek, and leverages the experience and diversity of others to engage and aid in the learning process. By clearly defining the exercise at the beginning, then detailing the metirc or expected output from the individuals/team - I find the students welcome such activities and apply what strategies they need to demonstrate in order to achieve a positive outcome. It works!
I try to have small groups as often as the school will let me.
What seems to be the best is also having me chose whom will be in the groups.
Small groups tend to learn more and gain a better understanding to the lesson or activity.
Sarah, sounds like you have made great use of your space. Another option is to have students use some of the collaboration and cloud based resources Online. They can share their ideas and strategies and this also provides you with a written transcript of their thinking process and how each member of the team made contributions. There are many resources available such as Google Drive and Google Docs, OpenClass, and Citrix Podio just to name a few.
James Jackson
Jennifer, hard to comment when I do not know the subject matter and the level of blooms taxonomy they need to be mastering the subject matter but classes this size tend to accommodate case studies and projects more than lectures and discussions. Each student can take turns playing different roles and levels of leadership. I would see this as a blessing to be able to dedicate so much time to each student but like I stated the more I know about the subject matter and the curriculum the better I can assist you. You may also gain some incredible insights by looking into the MaxKnowledge Lounge located at http:/
James Jackson
I teach English Composition and Business Communications, so small group work for brainstorming and problem solving is commonplace. Some of the biggest challenges I've faced are students who see the group as an opportunity to be lazy (let everyone else do the work) and students who are too shy/unsure to participate in the group. One of the best ways to deal with both of these scenarios is to require that each student presents his or her individual contribution to the group when the assignment is complete. With the expectation in place, the temptation to follow the two negative scenarios is decreased.
I teach Intro to Computers and my classrom (of course) is in the computer lab. Every student is sitting in front of a computer in straight rows which makes it more difficult to break up into small groups. I have overcome this obstacle in two different ways. If their small group work does not involve the computer, I have students move their rolling chairs to different locations (corners, up front, etc) in the classroom and form groups of 4-5. This type of small group activity is used best for test review and computer ethics discussion questions. If a computer is needed in the small group activity, then I will assign one student to operate the computer and have the other members of the group just roll their chairs around the operator. I space the computer operators out so there is plenty of room around them for the other group members. In their group work, if something needs to be researched on the computer, then the designated student does that part of the group work and the other students in the group complete their role (cooperative learning with technology component).
I am a new instructor and I am concerned about the small class size and how to engage the students for the entire class period. The class size can be as small as 2-3 students. Any suggestions would be appreciated
This sounds like a great idea. I have used small groups before but never thought about actually assigning the roles. This probably encourages some of the quieter students to become more involved. Classroom discussion is so important for me and I will try this to help get everybody to participate.
I use group activity and small groups. Students respond better when they feel they are apart of activities.I aslo encourge them to do more Creative Critical and Practical thinking.
I teach a small group of students in a large classroom. I have found that if I limit the space we use for class, students will sit together and interact and create great discussions. If I use the whole classroom then they tend sit apart and and don't interact or discuss subjects near as well.
My goal is to have at least one group activity per week per class. I strive to balance group work with individualized activities.
However, depending on the dynamics of the class, group work can become a source on contention within the class. Sometimes there are personality conflicts among the group or there may be a student who really prefers to work alone.
I encourage all to participate in group work and I constantly change members of the group. So even with personality issues, they rotate around to not being with the same members each time. In addition, I give strict time restrictions to keep them on task. I think that helps avoid issues that group-work sometimes present.