centre for excellence in enquiry-based learning (ceebl) facilitating small group & enquiry-...

Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning (CEEBL)

Facilitating small group & Enquiry-Based Learning;

workshop for postgraduates

Or ‘Help, I’ve got a tutorial group!’

Louise GoldringCEEBL Student Engagement Officer

Frank ManistaCEEBL EBL Development Officer


Aims of the workshop• To understand and experience Enquiry-Based

Learning (EBL)

• To understand that EBL is ‘nothing new’

• To discuss some practical concerns about applying EBL methods in your own small group teaching

• [Not about designing EBL exercises]

Approach

• The best way to understand both EBL and facilitation is to do it! We’ll learn about some of the techniques by using them, going through the EBL process and discussing the issues raised.


Part 1

Experiencing EBL in small groups


Ice breaker - Building on experience: What do we already know?

• Introduce yourself to the table– Include your name and discipline and why you

came today

– Share your top tip for motivating students

(this can be based on your experience as a student or as a tutor)

• Using our existing knowledge base to build confidence and assess what the group already knows


Ground rules

• Everyone contributes and listens to each other

• Everyone respects the person who is talking by not interrupting

• No mobile phones – unless it’s an emergency

• Everyone participates in the exercises and stops each exercise when asked

• The content is flexible – everyone is free to ask questions at any point

• Others…?

Negotiating the ground rules is an important starting point for small group work


‘What is EBL?’ activity

Aims: To discover what EBL is and be aware of the breadth of examples.

Task: Imagine that you are a student and you have been set the task (trigger) to answer the question ‘What is EBL?’ and explain it to others:

– In pairs, use your research from the CEEBL website to outline your chosen example of EBL. What do they have in common. How do they differ? (10 mins)

– At your table, share these ideas about what EBL is and make notes to feedback. (10 mins)

– One person from each table report back to the room.


• This technique is called ‘Think-Pair-Share’

– useful as an icebreaker to start discussions

• Demonstrates the stage of collating and applying information

• As it builds, the questions get deeper and more reflective: Descriptive to analytical to creative

• It demonstrates the value of starting from existing knowledge of the group

– builds group’s confidence

– identifies the gaps


Apart from what you’ve learnt about EBL itself:• What processes and skills have we been using?...

Reflecting, or How’s it going so far?


•Students accept responsibility for own learning

•Tutors facilitate

skillsskills

Organisational, leadership

Analytical, critical, applying existing knowledge

Communication, negotiation, organisation

Research, time management

Team working, verbal, negotiation, critical

Problem solving, verbal, communication

Goldring & Wood (2007) Postgraduate Facilitator’s Guide to EBL

Define the problem

Identify what’s already knownAllocat

e tasks to fill gaps

Do research

Collate research

Apply what’s been learnt

REFLECT

FINAL PRESENTATION

/SOLUTIONTOPIC

The EBL process & skills wheel

1

2

34

5

6

7


• Evaluate: How well did it go: what did you find hard/easy? What would you do differently next time?

This reflection stage is useful because it helps to:

− Identify further gaps in content new cycle of research

− Build confidence by acknowledging what we did well

− Learn from our mistakes

− Become aware of how we learn

Recap at different stages, not just at the end.

Reflection continued….


Why reflection is important in EBL

• A speedy solution that reaches a single conclusion shouldn’t be prioritised over a fuller consideration of a problem with many angles to it (as all good EBL scenarios should have!)

• Research is an ongoing process. You will never find out everything about a topic. Encourage students to reflect on what else they should/could do.

• Encourage them to consider the legitimacy of their references/resources, including just relying on their own knowledge.

• Encourage them to consider the approach they used and what they would do differently next time.


Why EBL is useful• Students are more engaged

with their own learning; taps into natural curiosity, improves motivation to learn

• Encourages deeper learning

• Greater flexibility, more responsibility

• Learn essential research skills in a ‘safe’ environment. Research-like learning.

• Develops skills vital for employability, e.g. problem-solving, leadership, group work, communication, creativity, reflection.


Most people learn….

• 10% of what they read • 20% of what they hear • 30% of what they see • 50% of what they see and hear • 70% of what they talk over with others • 80% of what they do in real life • 95% of what they teach somebody else

Passive learning

Active learning

Glasser [1988]


Why EBL is useful – some theoryBloom’s taxonomy of cognitive educational

objectives:

Bloom, B.S. (ed.) (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The classification of Educational Goals: Handbook I, Cognitive Domain. New York: Toronto: Longmans.

Judging the outcome Evaluation

Recalling facts

Knowledge

Explaining concepts

Comprehension

Applying concepts Application

Making sense of the results

Analysis

Pulling together several analyses

SynthesisDepth of learning


Experiential learning model (Kolb 1981, 1984) associated learning styles (Healey

et al., 2005)

Abstract concept

Active experiment

Concrete experience

Reflection & observation

Diverger‘Initiator’ Why questions’

Accommodator‘Experimenter’

Assimilator‘Theoriser’ ‘Relevance & how questions’

Converger, ‘Organiser’

Can carry out plans. Interested in action & results. Adapts. Trial & error. Likes practical experimental approach

Good at generating ideas. Able to see situations from many angles. Recognises problems. Investigates. Senses opportunities. Prefers to watch before acting. Uses imagination to solve problems.

Able to theorise. Compares alternatives. Defines problems. Establishes criteria. Formulates hypotheses. Takes a concise logical approach. Prefers a good explanation to hands-on experience.

Good at practical applications. Makes decisions. Focuses effort. Evaluates plans. Selects from alternatives. Solves problems. Prefers technical tasks.


What worries me is…

During the coffee break, use the Post-it notes to jot down your questions/ anxieties about facilitating small groups:

– Write each question on a separate Post-it note so that we can sort them

– Stick them on the paper provided.– We’ll use them in the plenary

When you come back please sit with a different group of people


Part 2

Smoothing the process

EBL facilitation


Part 2 – Introduction and Reflection

• Introduce yourselves to your new table group

• Reflect on what we have done so far

• Discuss this in your groups for 5 minutes…– How is it going?– What have you learnt?– Do you have any questions


What is an EBL Facilitator?

• Guide towards a specific objective

• Foster communication, negotiation or understanding in a group

• A mediator, a coordinator

• An Enabler – someone who empowers others to find out/experience things for themselves


‘Harnessing the negative’ activity

• What makes a bad facilitator?.... (10 mins)

• Turn your negatives into positives… (5 mins)

• This is called ‘Harnessing the negative’

• Very useful for tricky questions where there is no right or obvious answer!


Doing EBL - What we expect from students….

• Accept responsibility for own learning

• Work co-operatively• Determine a plan of activity

and agree individual responsibilities for the work – ground rules

• Use resources effectively and appropriately• Share findings and collate research• Negotiate deadlines and targets• Present findings


Why is it so important that students take responsibility?

• Gain understanding, retain knowledge, create knowledge

• Make decisions based on evidence and research

• Analyse, synthesise and evaluate, rather than just define and explain

• Adopt a positive attitude towards their subject/profession/HE

• Take more responsibility for their learning in general

• Develop skills


What is expected from facilitators?

• Allow students to take responsibility for their own learning – Do not give them the answers!

• Facilitate the group processes and the learning

– Guide lines of enquiry by asking questions

– Support any difficulties with groups or individuals


• Work in a three. Take it in turns to play these roles:– Speaker– Listener – Observer

• The exercise will be repeated 3 times to allow each person to take on each role (5 mins each time)

• The Speaker has to discuss a problem/issue they are having (one they don’t mind discussing!)

• The Listener can only ask questions about the situation to understand it better and MUST NOT offer advice or talk about themselves

• The Observer will watch closely and point out any time the Listener does not follow these rules.

‘Learning to listen’ activity


Questioning tipsPractise using the levels of questioning discussed earlier

– Your aim as the listener is to get the speaker to move through the steps below:

Descriptive – What happened?

Analytical – Why did it happen?

Creative – How would you change/improve? What would happen if you did it again?


Feedback on activity• Was that difficult? Why?• Gaining a deeper understanding of the situation• Helping the speaker to come to their own

conclusions rather than those you impose upon them

• Learning to ask the sorts of questions that make people think and speak openly, without judgement

• It is hard to be the listener especially when you only want to help, but it is good practise for facilitation as, next time, the speaker might be able to solve that problem alone…


Activity – group management!• Each group will receive a ‘type’ of participant

• You will have 10 minutes to come up with a list of positives and negatives for this type of participant in a discussion situation

• If you have time look at your lists and discuss how you can use a technique or activity to avoid problems and get the best out of your type of participant


Problem solving techniquesParticularly useful for: The ‘life story’, The

‘expert’, The ‘talkative’ student

• Use a summary sentence that excludes the student by implication e.g. “what does the rest of the group think?”

• Use people to move the discussion along – “Does everyone agree with that?”, “What do other people think?”

• Break the group into pairs and ask for feedback from each pair

• Use your participants’ expertise, ask them to explain something to the rest of the group


Particularly useful for: The ‘resistant’ student, The ‘ridiculing’ student, The ‘devil’s advocate’ and ‘two at logger heads’

• Ask the rest of the group if they agree/disagree• Include the rest of the group in the debate to

avoid it becoming personal e.g. “Are there any other views on this subject?”

• Ask them to explain their reaction and provide their own opinion (in a nonaggressive way!) THEN Ask the group if they think this is a reasonable reaction and use it as a way to discuss why/why not.


Activity: ‘What worries me is…’

Using the post-it notes from earlier, we’re going to look at some of the things that worry you about EBL and facilitation

• Add any additional worries

• Sort the post-its into categories

• Put crosses on the most important ones for you personally (5 crosses to ‘spend’)


‘What worries me’ part 2

This is an open discussion so please feel free to join in and share your experiences if you feel they may benefit others


Silence - What should I do if no one answers?1. Wait it out

– Give the group a chance to think; silence always feels longer to you than to them

2. Rephrase

- Maybe they didn’t understand, so ask the question another way

3. Use a technique

- Set them a quick exercise e.g. 10 mins to talk about/decide this or ‘Think-Pair-Share’

4. Walk away

- Your presence might be unintentionally intimidating, or you might be filling in for them too quickly. Remind them of their aim or deadline, give them a set amount of time and then leave them to talk it out.

FAQs 1


FAQs 2: What should I do about…

• Conflict management– Remind participants that they are all entitled to

disagree provided it is done in a respectful and non-aggressive way

– Remember: Some conflict is necessary – use it to further discussions

• Lack of subject knowledge?– Use the group as a resource, e.g. “Would anyone like

to explain this?”– It’s ok not to know. Say you’ll find out in time for the

next session and follow up on it then.• Getting my students to engage in group work?

– Explain the process clearly– Explain the objectives and benefits clearly– Emphasise communication between group members– Make sure everyone knows what they’re doing.


Discussion: What approaches did we use?

Why were they useful?• We were able to get our anxieties out in the

open – cathartic, improves communication and trust

• We sorted them into categories to make understanding and solving them easier

• We identified the biggest problems for the group as a whole– encourages negotiation, prioritises

• We used each other to come up with solutions– empowers


We’ve just used the technique called reflection again. Analysing the process we went through helps us (students and facilitators alike) to identify

− what we’ve learnt

− how we learnt it

− how we can improve

Learning journals or blogs can be used to encourage and assess reflection on an EBL activity.


•Journal article•Newspaper headline

•Artefact •Cartoon •Photograph•Prop for role play•Scenario•Others?

What sort of triggers could I use?

Biofuels or Biofuels or biodiversity?biodiversity?Carbon or communities? Carbon or communities?


Some other things to consider

• Environment – How the room is set out: are people facing each other, do they have the resources they need?

• Does your group already know each other or do you need an icebreaker?

• Have some back up questions/activities, but be flexible; don’t feel you have to use them!

• Don’t interrupt the conversation unless it’s really necessary

• Be aware of how other factors such as your body language or your tone of voice can affect others as well as what you actually say

• The level of facilitation will always depend on the group and its needs – you don’t always have to be with the group to be facilitating.


A Guide to the Facilitation of EBL for Graduates

• Staff and student opinions

• Practical information

• Hints, tips and FAQs

• It can be found here:

http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ceebl/resources/




‘One thing I’ll try is…’

• What one thing will you take away from today?

• Discuss it in your groups.

• Write it on a Post-it note to take away as a reminder.


Finally…

• Evaluation formHelp us to improve the workshop

• Special Interest GroupIf you would like to be part of a Special Interest Group on postgraduate facilitation, please sign up on your way out.

• CEEBL Online – Facebook and web pages‘CEEBL – University of Manchester’If you’re interested in talking with peers about EBL and facilitation please join and use the discussion boards

THANK YOU!

centre for excellence in enquiry-based learning (ceebl) facilitating small group & enquiry-...

Documents

ebl exercises

ebl methods

ebl process

ceebl website

chosen example of ebl

types of ebl projects

small group work slide

small group teaching