Medical Education : What is Small Group Teaching ?
د. كريم الاعرجي
Background : Small Group Teaching means that the students are divided into small groups , given a specific task , discuss the problem by themselves to reach a team decision then they present their solution in front the whole group with organization by the tutor .
Objectives : This is a problem –based , student-centered trend of teaching with an active participation of all students of the group to discuss the problem in a friendly atmosphere to reach a teamwork decision within a certain time .The students learn and do not remember .The tutor is only facilitator for the whole process .
Procedure : Each group should not exceed 10 students . They sit in a circle , face to face .Each group is given in advance a written problem and they are asked to do a specific structured task . First every student should put a plan to solve the problem , the tutor moves around checking that everyone understands and accepts the task and is doing it in an appropriate way and to encourage the completion of the session as the end point approaches. . They will write their decision on a flip chart or a white board. Then one student of the group will discuss their solution in front of the whole group with organization of the tutor.
Role of the tutor :The role of the tutor is not a lecturing and delivering information but to facilitate teaching by short comments and encouraging discussion between the students . The tutor and the students use body language in the form of verbal and eye communication during their discussion .
Pitfalls associated with small groups teaching :
? Some students do not participate and one student dominates
? Students do not prepare for the sessions
? Students talk at the same time
? The teacher talks too much and gives a lot of information
Evaluation : At the end there should be a proper evaluation .It should not be just an opinion or judgment which may be inaccurate but should be a formal in the form of questionnaires .
Reference :
• David Jaques ; ABC of learning and teaching in medicine ,Teaching small groups : BMJ 326 : 492 doi: 10.1136/bmj.326.7387.492 (March 2003) .