Principles and Strategies for Small Group Learning


Gorup of students at a laptop


Providing instruction to small groups of learners is a proven way to differentiate and support their learning. It is important to know where learners are in their progress, and working with them in small groups is one way to witness that progress. This article explores the principles behind small group methods and provides digital classroom strategies that help facilitate them.   

What is small-group learning? 

Small-group learning is a method that can supplement case studies, collaborative projects, and analysis-based assignments. Learners work together in small groups, helping each other think critically, master course concepts, and apply them to real-world situations. Working toward a common goal and collaborating to support each other, small-group learning is different from working in teams, which typically involves longer periods of time, consistency of group membership, and more interdependence in completing the task. Small-group learning tends to be more informal and brief, and can happen multiple times in one class session.

What are the benefits?

Small-group learning has academic, social, and psychological benefits. Students are better at solving problems and develop a deeper understanding of the material when working in groups. Students in small groups also develop social and leadership skills, such as learning how to draw out reluctant speakers, handle people who dominate conversations, and making sure that all members contribute. It also promotes self-esteem as compared to competitive or individualistic learning.

Suggested Zoom Digital Classroom Small Group Activities

Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a collaborative group activity where students are responsible for effectively teaching each other about different aspects of the same topic. Students learn through the process of communicating with one another about a given skill or procedure, topic, or problem.

In a jigsaw activity, groups of students are sent to different breakout rooms to learn about one topic and how best to teach it to others. When each group has become “experts” on the material, they all return to the main room to teach others the information that they have acquired then compare, contrast, and evaluate all the information in a larger context.

The emphasis for a jigsaw activity is on students teaching students. Since students should be coming to digital classroom live sessions with a base knowledge through their asynchronous coursework, a majority of the group time can be spent devising the best ways to teach the material to others.

Here are some questions that can help your students think through their jigsaw presentations:

  • How can we explain this topic clearly?
  • Will we need diagrams, examples, and/or analogies?
  • What keywords and definitions should we explain?
  • How can we assess that other students understand what we’ve shared?

Gallery Walk

A gallery walk can be a useful way for students or other presenters to simultaneously present information. By utilizing the Let participants choose room breakout room option in Zoom, students can pick which presenter or topic whom they would like to see. Depending on the nature of the presentation, students could come and go as they please. Conversely, if presentations are a bit more structured, you may want to help facilitate participants moving from one room to another. Additionally, you may want to set parameters around how many participants should be in each room, as to avoid too many or not enough participants in each.

Starting with these strategies will greatly improve the small group learning experiences. The 2U Instructional Development team is always here to discuss these suggestions or your particular challenges in a coaching session. You may schedule that session using this link.



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