Small Group TeachingMelodee Beals & Kate Bradley

With thanks to Fiona Skillen and Valerie Wright

The Importance of Seminars

• Develops students' understanding

• Encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning

• Develops analytical, organisational, communication and collaborative skills

• Analytical Skills– Through exposure to a variety of views, ideas

and problems

• Organisational Skills– Preparing evidence or a case for discussion– Leading a group of students in discussion

• Communication Skills– Participation in discussion, preparation of

debates, role play etc.– Presenting a case to other students and

listening, questioning and responding

• Collaborative Skills– Working together and negotiating with others

What Sort of Skills does Small Group Teaching Develop?

Students are Able to

– offer their ideas, opinions and anecdotes for appraisal and acceptance

– clarify, extend and develop their statements to meet and satisfy the criticism and questioning of their peers

– develop their language skills to ensure effective communication of their ideas

– be willing to challenge the views of others and to accept challenge to their own views

– develop the ability to compromise and to form consensus of opinion

– work together to analyse a problem or issue

Good and Bad Expectations

What are your main concerns about undertaking small-group teaching?

When things go wrong…– Lack of preparation– Goal of the discussion unclear to students– Transforms into a lecture– Tutor asks questions and then answers them– Tutors always asks the same type of question– Domination by 1 or 2 students– Focus is on recall knowledge rather than analysis– Tutor is too critical of student responses– Students are unsure what the tutor is asking– Students expect / want a lecture / to take notes

Student types…• Silent

• Know-it all

• No preparation

• Tends to go off topic

• Shy

• Talkative

• Model student

• Belligerent

• Distracting

• Prejudiced

Strategies that may help• Changing seating arrangements

• Setting expectations and ground rules

• Safety: rewarding students and reducing their feeling of risk

• Making group smaller via buzz groups, pyramids, debates etc

• Use of extra prompts: images, primary sources, websites, artefacts

• Using different formats within seminar

Preparations

How would you prepare for a small-group seminar / tutorial?

• What makes an effective seminar?

• What methods worked well for you either a tutor or as a student?

No One-Size-Fits-All Format• Whole class discussion

• Workshop – Students divide into small groups and given tasks to complete

• Debate – Students divide into two groups and take opposing positions

• Student-led – Students decide focus of discussion, and tutor is an observer

• Brain-storming – Students suggest questions to follow up with discussion

• Presentations – Can be used to ensure that everyone contributes

• Problem-based Learning – Students are given a historical problem

• Snowball – Individuals, then pairs, then fours discuss together

• Role-play – Students are given a particular point of view, and argue from it

Hints to Running a (Mostly) Smooth Seminar

• Check out the room and facilities beforehand– Chairs– Computer– Overhead– Whiteboard / Chalkboard

• Make a rough ‘lesson plan’– Allocate time for housekeeping issues

• Ice-breaker• Topic discussion• General summary and questions at the end

– Decide what outcomes you want to achieve

Small Group TeachingMelodee Beals & Kate Bradley

With thanks to Fiona Skillen (University of Glasgow) and Valerie Wright (University of

Dundee)