Which definition will we talk about today?
A. A small group of students being placed together with the opportunity to talk while they do their work.
B. A group of 3-6 students working together towards a common goal with maximum participation from each student and the purpose of enhancing the learning of all group members.
Small group work can be very successful when students are set up for that success.
Important things to prepare include:
1. Group Size: This must be appropriate to the lesson.
large group small group
more resources fewer resources
high skill level low skill level
lots of time limited time
Heterogeneous groups are more beneficial to the students. Perspectives coming from different genders and ethnicities will promote discussion and debate, which is a very important element in small group work. The level of the students in a four-person group would be one high, two middle and one low achieving student. This mix promotes peer tutoring, support, cross-race, cross-sex relations and integration as well as an increase in interpersonal skills.
3. Class Environment:
Students in the groups need to be facing each other closely. At the same time, the room must be set up so the groups have easy access to other groups and the teacher.
4. Materials/Strategies:
Materials should be given with purpose. Information should promote discussion and debate. Resource dependence, such as having to share one handout, promotes cooperative learning. Each student having a role will increase their sense of responsibility, as well as improve the dynamics of the group.
There are many small group activities that can be utilized. Depending on the lesson goals and materials, the teacher should carefully select which method to use.
Some examples of small group activities:
Showdown: Students are to write their answer to an open-ended question on an answer board. Once done, the teacher says “showdown” and students show their answers to the students in their group and then discuss their answers.
Teammates Consult: Students sit in a small group with a cup in the centre of their table. They put their pen/pencil in the cup and discuss a question. When they have an answer, they all grab their pen and write without talking. Repeat for each question.
Corners: The teacher asks a question with four possible answers that are represented by the four corners of the room. Students are asked to go to the corner that represents their choice. Students pair up with someone else in their corner to discuss their reasons for that choice. The teacher then has a whole-class discussion, asking students to provide answers. Students can later be asked to paraphrase the opinions from other corners.
Why Cooperative Learning?
In research done on cooperative learning, it has shown that on average, student grades increase about 9% when compared to students who learn through a teacher centred environment. This includes an improvement in those with diverse abilities, such as ADD, OCD, autism, and gifted students.
Why Small Group Work?
In small groups, students have increased ability to simultaneously interact, and this improves their interpersonal skills. In school, students learn many technical skills, but they are of little use if a student is not able to apply them in a cooperative manner.
Difficulties Implementing Small Group Work:
1. Building the students’ interpersonal skills – assigning roles, monitoring student interaction and stating behavioral expectations will aid in this.
2. Grading fairly – equal participation can be obtained when students are given an equal amount of work to do. Grading needs to reflect cooperative learning. For ex. each student’s score increases through bonus points earned by the group.
3. Classroom management – talking in groups can get pretty noisy and the energy level of the class can go up. Cues will help here.
Resources:
Further Reading:
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