Small Groups

I think it is important for an instructor to understand the VARK Inventory statistics (Lang) that suggest teachers learn best by reading and writing whereas students may actually prefer and learn more effectively by working in small groups (Lang; Davis). Further, students need effective collaboration skills because they will be using those skills in their jobs more often than “reporting back what they know in tests and papers”. This is interesting and makes me think about the purpose of college classes. I think it is to convey information and to prepare them to apply this information in the real world. Therefore, I feel that a reliance on reading, writing, and testing, as well as collaborative work, is necessary in college and should be included in most projects.  

INFORMAL – A course in my field is Human Physiology. Concepts in this course will typically relate to a multi-step process in the body, for each and every system in the human body. On a typical day, we will lecture and discuss the many components of a specific process. A good group activity would have small groups discuss, without the aid of notes or the textbook, the process we are studying. They would turn in a single page that lists all the important components of that bodily process, in the proper order, for that process. I could use this information to gauge their understanding and common points of confusion. It would also get the students actively listening, discussing, and writing.

FORMAL – I would assign a group project that included a paper and presentation. The groups would be randomly formed. Each group would meet and come up with a topic (or they are randomly assigned a topic) for their presentation and paper. The group would work together to identify a detailed list of topics and resources they need to include in the project (this could be displayed on a blog or other electronic medium so the instructor could monitor progress of the group and offer suggestions). They would divide the information they deem necessary for the project into four equal parts, but they will not be assigned a part yet. The instructor meets with the group so they can explain their project to the instructor. The group is given a “group grade” for this part of the project. The instructor will randomly assign the individual part of the project to the group members. The presentation and paper portions will be graded such that each member of the group gets an “individual grade” on these parts. The overall grade is a combination of individual and group grades. Exceptional individual work could be awarded extra points to allow a strong individual to score well despite being placed in a particularly weak group.