Working with groups

WORKING WITH GROUPS

TOPİCS

• GROUP WORK

• GROUP WORK IN LARGE CLASSES

• TIPS HOW TO MANAGE GROUP WORK IN LARGE CLASSES

The aim of group work is

• to produce better (more effective, more detailed, more comprehensive) presentations and reports. This is achieved through the combined talents of group members, contributing knowledge and ideas.

GROUP WORK

Groups vary depending on how they deal with the following:

• Task in hand

• Organisation of the group

• The purpose of this site is to make you aware of why you are doing work in groups and also to help group processes run more effectively

Why do group work?

• Graduates with good team working skills are valued highly by employers

• Group work promotes critical thinking by discussion

• Information is retained for longer than it would be if working alone

• Group work enhances and develops the ability to learn

• Many subjects are mastered trough dialogue and discussion

How does it work?

• The informal setting facilities discussion and interaction

• Critical thinking is promoted by the discussion, clarification and evaluation of your own and others ideas

• Good team-working skills such as the production and sharing of ideas are stimulated through real-world problems

How do we make sure our groupfunctions effectively?

Some issues that must be addressed in order for a group to function effectively:

1. Aims and objectives

2. Allocation of Roles and Tasks

3. Conflict

4. Criticism

5. Responsibilities

Group Work in Large Classes

Why are teachers worried about using small group activities in large classes?

The reasons:

• Noisy classes and crowd control

• Students using the first language instead of English

• Assesing students’ performance in the second language

• Time constraints

Managing Large Classes

There are many problems with large classes (40-75), including:

• Managing large classes requires good planning, but teachers often don’t have time for the kind of planning needed.

• Ts find it difficult to establish rapport with students

• Ts find it difficult to monitor st work, so learners may get little individual attention or feedback to help them improve

and

• Proficiency and ability level vary a good deal within the class. Weaker sts often get left behind

• Maintaining control and providing effective dicipline may be difficult

• Sts may get little opportunity for actual language production and practice

Tips how to manage large classes

• Teach the class in groups of 15 to 20 instead of trying to teach the whole class all at once

• Small groups of 5 to 7

• Establishing simple rules of acceptable behavior

• Train all the pupils how to lead a group

• Have them sit aroun a circle

And also

• Sit the pupils who have more help closer to you

• Group response to yes-no types of questions

• Train your pupils how to routinise classroom chores

THANK YOU FOR

YOUR ATTENTION