Small Group TeachingKey Educational Skills

Faculty Development Workshop December 9, 2014

Katherine M. Hyland, PhDMarieke Kruidering-Hall, PhD

Small Group Teaching: Agenda1. Welcome, Introductions, Overview, Rationale2. Small Group Facilitation: How and Why

– Brainstorm Advantages, Challenges, Rationale– Observe & Discuss video clips– Generate list of Best Practices

3. Break out session: Small Groups in Action– Facilitated discussion of challenges of SG & solutions – Observe group dynamics & facilitation techniques

4. Large Group Discussion and Summary– Report back– Wrap up, Evaluation

Introductions

• Name/Department• Type of SG teaching you’re involved with• What you’d like to get out of this workshop

Active Learning in Small Groups helps students progress through

stages of learning

Knows

Knows How

Shows How

Does

Cognition

Behavior

Liz Armstrong, Harvard Medical International, & Crossley J, Humphries G, Jolly B. “Assessing Health Professionals” Med Educ 2002; 36:800-804.

Miller’s Pyramid

Rationale behind SG instruction: Connecting research of learning

to instructional practices

Theories of Learning

Cognitive

Behavioral

Social

Additive to our understanding of process learning

See handout & Irby DM, Acad. Med. 70: 898-931, 1995

Cognitive model

Learning: • requires active reconstruction of meaning and organization of knowledge in memory • occurs by building new concepts on old and developing self-

monitoring strategies

Recommendations for teaching • Address learner conceptions: compare and contrast • Stimulate active learner construction of meaning around cases • Provide opportunities for reflection & self-monitoring• Facilitate learning cycle:

Exploration, Concept invention or Formation, and Application

Behavioral model• Includes behavioral change• Occurs by linking stimulus and response by reinforcing appropriate behavior

Recommendations for teaching • Define clear objectives• Provided guided and independent practice • Frequent feedback and testing

Sociocultural model• Includes social construction of meaning within a knowledge community allowing complex knowledge construction • Occurs by internalizing the language and actions of community and emulating role models

Recommendations for teaching • Orient learners to role and culture• Stimulate use of professional language• Observe and provide feedback • Provide opportunities for reflection & collaborative learning

Expert-Novice Research

A. The organization of knowledge in long-term memory is important. Experts have knowledge structures (schemata or chunks)

B. Experts have good strategies for analyzing problems and planning solutions. Novices start by plugging numbers into an equation, while experts restate the problem in their own words, drawing diagrams

C. The ability to transfer knowledge to new contexts is essential. This is the key to being able to solve unstructured and very complex problems

ConclusionResearch on learning provides us with three different lenses on how learners (students, residents) learn.Each lens provides additive recommendations to enhance learning

Construct their own understanding based on their prior knowledge, experiences, skills, attitudes, and beliefs

Follow a learning cycle of exploration, concept formation, and application Discuss and interact with others Reflect on progress and assess performance

“Expert-Novice” research informs us about importance of 1. Helping the leaner to organize the knowledge2. Asking the leaner to reframe and formulate problems3. Supporting the leaner to apply knowledge to different, complex problems

Allow learner to

2. Small Group Facilitation: How and Why?

• Pair Share: Advantages and Challenges of SG teaching, Rationale (10’) (use handout)

• Observe & Discuss video clips

• Generate list of Best Practices

Advantages of SG Teaching/Learning

• Tailored instruction• Spectrum of assessment• More interactive • Personal connection• More flexibility• Cross functional/peer learning• Interdisciplinary • Opportunity to learn from peers• Engage quiet learners

Challenges of SG Teaching/Learning• Time intensive• Not electronic – personal interactions• Buy in, participation of learners/instructors• Cultural differences• Uneven experiences among groups• Faculty development – lecturer to facilitator• Facilitator has to know content well• Harder for students to speak up• Millennial behavior (e.g. personal devices) • Group dynamics – one could derail!

Best Practices of SG Teaching• Provide context• Use eye contact• Use names• Avoid “guess what I’m thinking” questions• Positive feedback, validate contribution• Enthusiasm• Get to know group, check in about their goals/challenges• Get off to good start!• Allow discussion between learners• Set expectations & ground rules – Ask group for THEIR expectations• Refer to objectives• Reflect questions back to group (facilitator does not need to answer all) • Let the group function themselves• Reinforce key points• Close the loop• Encourage participation without pressuring• Explicit with expectations• Time management• Don’t overstuff the session – appropriate amount of content for time• Define the culture and roles• Respectful• Wrap up

3. Breakout Session: Small Groups in Action

• Divide into groups of ~10• Rooms: CL-210; CL-213; CL-214; CL-215 • Select a facilitator• Discuss specific challenges encountered in SG• Use observation form to take notes • Select scribe; Generate list of solutions for challenges• Step Back: Discuss group dynamics & facilitation

techniques, provide feedback to facilitator• Develop list of best practices• Summarize highlights of discussion for report back

4. Report Back and Wrap Up

• Each group shares 3 min summary of observations, solutions, best practices from their breakout session

• Take Home points

• Please complete Evaluation and Action Plan

Small Group Teaching Workshop• All workshop handouts and an online Small Group

Observation/Skills Assessment Form are available at: • https://wiki.library.ucsf.edu/display/UCPLS/Small+Gr

oup+Teaching

Thank You!!