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Two resources I’m familiar with:
Exley, K. and Dennick, R. (2004) Small group teaching: tutorials, seminars and beyond. Abingdon: RoutledgeFalmer.
Mills, D. and Alexander, P. (2013) Small group teaching: a toolkit for learning. York: HEA.
I like this in the latter:
“Small group teaching is not defined by numbers. We define it as any teaching situation in which dialogue and collaboration within the group are integral to learning.”
Personally, I’d like to think this could still be done in a large lecture – with clever adaption – but I take the general point about `integral’ being the key word.
Also, something in me wants to say that 2 people cannot be a group, but if `dialogue and collaboration’ is the key, then why not, I suppose.
And if you are `Billy no mates’ I suppose you could engage in some form of Socratic interior dialogue with yourself.
Best
John
John Lea
I like this approach – asking those who are going to teach/develop programmes what they define as small in their context/discipline/institution seems like a good starting point to me.
Equally, putting an arbitrary number on small, medium and large seems to be too restrictive.
This could be especially pertinent in vocational or practical subjects, where small groups might represent the number of people who usually make up teams in that role (i.e. multidisciplinary teams etc.).
I’d also like to think that we might be moving beyond the concepts of ‘small group teaching’ and ‘large group teaching’ to active, collaborative learning across a range of settings, including where students by necessity (usually resourcing) are taught in a lecture theatre in large (there is that word again!) numbers.
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lilly, Jaki
Sent: 24 October 2017 18:13
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: small group teaching
Hi Alison
When I talk about this with PG teachers, I always start by asking them to define them. Always the perceptions are miles apart! So then we talk about the amount of control the teacher has over the environment and students, and agree the definition in numbers of small, medium and large groups.
Best wishes
Jaki
Dr Jaki Lilly, PhD, CertEd, DMS, University Teaching Fellow, PFHEA
Academic Lead: Academic and Professional Development
Anglia Learning and Teaching
Anglia Ruskin University
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On 24 Oct 2017, at 17:09, Alison.James <[log in to unmask]> wrote:Thanks Neil
It is so odd – the more I delve into it, and the more resources I look at, the more complicated the notion of small becomes! Never mind group or teaching…
All the best
Alison
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of LENT Neil
Sent: 24 October 2017 17:06
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: small group teaching
Hi Alison,
Here’s our definition in the Institute for Academic Development at Edinburgh:
What constitutes small group teaching?
Tutorials or seminars are our most common means of small group teaching. During small group teaching students are often expected to actively participate. This is a fantastic opportunity for staff and students to get to know one another.
However, speaking in front of even a small audience can be daunting for even the most confident students and can be particularly problematic for those students who have hearing impairments or anxiety conditions. It is important to consider the role of classroom presentation in your learning environments.
What strikes me about this definition is that we don’t attach a number and the focus on tutorials and seminars. That’s probably fair enough in terms of those being the most common forms (probably) but not the only forms I’d guess.
Neither a daft not simple question I think. J
Dr Neil Lent SFHEA
Lecturer in University Learning and Teaching
Institute for Academic Development University of Edinburgh
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From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alison.James
Sent: 24 October 2017 15:48
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: small group teaching
Dear colleagues
This may seem like a daft and simple question - but how do you define small group teaching in your institution? And what literature do you recommend to explore the use of this?
I know small group teaching sounds like a name for the proverbial obvious but trust me it isn't....
All best
Alison
Professor Alison James
Director Academic Quality and Development
University of Winchester
Professor of Learning and Teaching
National Teaching Fellow 2014
Principal Fellow Higher Education Academy
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http://iedp.com/articles/developing-leaders-magazine-issue-19/
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