SMALL GROUP LEARNINGSMALL GROUP LEARNING

Raja C. BandaranayakeRaja C. Bandaranayake

CHARACTERISTICS OF A CHARACTERISTICS OF A GROUPGROUP

A collectioncollection of individuals

Who have a common purposecommon purpose

And interactinteract with each other

PROBLEM-BASED LEARNINGPROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

The learning undertaken by students in response to being confronted by a clinical or community problem

[“Here is a problem; learn from it.”]

PROBLEM SOLVINGPROBLEM SOLVING

The process of solving a problem, using existing knowledge

[“Learn this first, and you will be able to solve problems.”]

PROBLEM-BASED LEARNINGPROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

AA

BB

C

STEPS IN PBLSTEPS IN PBL

• Students presented with a problem• Analyse the problem• Develop some hypotheses about its

existence• Identify what further information is

needed and questions to be asked• Pool the information they possess through

discussion

STEPS IN PBL (contd.)STEPS IN PBL (contd.)

• Identify gaps in their combined knowledge• Undertake individual study to find answers

to questions raised• Apply newly acquired knowledge to the

original problem to solve it• Apply newly acquired knowledge to solve

other related problems

ADVANTAGES OF PBLADVANTAGES OF PBL

• Practise a logical, analytical approach• Activate existing knowledge• Elaborate new knowledge• Acquire new learning in context• Learn in an integrated manner• Practise application of new learning• Practise critical reasoning• Practise self-directed learning• Practise communication skills• Practise team-work

STAGES OF GROUP STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT

1. FORMING• Uncertainty• Getting acquainted• Laying down procedure

2. STORMING• Rebelling & differentiating• Conflicts as group influence resisted

3. NORMING• Establishing cohesiveness• Accepting commitment & task ownership• Setting norms for appropriate behaviour

4. PERFORMING• Functioning maturely & productively• Proficiency in goal achievement

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE GROUPEFFECTIVE GROUP

• Non-threatening atmosphere • Clear understanding of task• Participation by all• Pertinent contributions• Freedom to express views & feelings• Disagreements not suppressed• Lack of domination by leader or facilitator• Criticisms frank, open & constructive• Decisions by consensus• Assignments made, accepted and completed

GROUP TASKGROUP TASK

GROUP 1You are a teacher with a group of five

students. Two members of the group are trying to be the leader of the group. In the process, they are arguing with each other, and the other group members are silent. You are concerned that the group is not achieving its task.

What would you do?

GROUP TASKGROUP TASK

GROUP 2

You are a teacher in a group of five students. One student is very silent, and has not contributed to the discussion, even though half the time allotted for the group activity has been spent.

What would you do?

GROUP TASK GROUP TASK

GROUP 3

You are a teacher in a group of ten students, meeting for the first time. The students have been given a topic one week ago to prepare for today’s discussion. However, there is total silence.

What would you do?

GROUP TASK GROUP TASK

GROUP 4

You are a teacher in a group of 6 students. One member is an aggressive, dominating individual, tries to control the group and direct attention to himself at the expense of accomplishing the group task. He is constantly critical, deflates others and keeps interrupting.

What would you do?

GROUP TASK GROUP TASK

GROUP 5

You are a teacher in a group of 4 students which has been meeting regularly for some time. One member constantly comes late to the group discussions and has occasionally failed to show up. He always gives an excuse for his tardiness or absence. He tells you that he is accomplishing the task in a different way from the rest of the group.

What would you do?

GROUP TASKGROUP TASK

GROUP 6

You are a teacher in a group of 6 students. One member is constantly blocking the progress of the group. He goes off at a tangent and talks about unrelated personal experiences. He continues to argue about a point which has just been resolved.

What would you do?

A JOURNEY ON MARS: THE PROBLEM

Your group has just landed at Point A on Mars. This is your first visit, and you have a map with you. You wish to get from Point A to Point C, but you must pass through Point B, as there is no other road. The electrically powered extra-terrestrial vehicle (ETV) which you brought with you has enough power to last a journey of 20 hours only. You must be sure to come back to where your space capsule has landed, so that you can return to Earth. Otherwise you will be stranded on the inhospitable Mars surface indefinitely.

Unfortunately, the map you have with you has Mars units on it, which makes it very difficult to work out your power situation. Distance is given in lutts and mipps, while time is indicated in wors and mirs. Before you left Earth you were given some instruction on Mars units. However, due to the extraordinarily long time it took you to reach Mars, each of you has forgotten some of the knowledge you gained from the Mars course. Fortunately, different members of your group remember different bits of knowledge.

The cards which each of you has indicate the knowledge you possess. You can only solve your predicament by seeking relevant information, through asking relevant questions from each other. (Some of the information you have may be irrelevant to this particular problem). You should then be able to pool the information you have and determine whether you have enough power to travel to Point C through Point B, and back to the space capsule.

How long will it take you to travel from A to C through B and back to A through B?

A JOURNEY ON MARS: INFORMATIONA JOURNEY ON MARS: INFORMATION

1 lutt is equal to 20 kilometres

4 lutts are equal to 1 mipp

The distance from A to C, as the crow flies, is 5 mipps

The distance from A to B by road is 300 kilometres

The distance from B to C by road is 10 lutts

It will take your group half an hour to complete your work at Point C

1 mir is equal to 4 minutes

There are 120 mirs in 1 wor

The average speed at which you can travel from A to B is 10 mipps per wor

It will take you 5 hours to travel from B to C

A JOURNEY ON MARS: INFORMATION (continued)A JOURNEY ON MARS: INFORMATION (continued)

On the return journey from C to A through B, it will take you one hour less than the onward journey from A to C through B

There are no crows on Mars

There are no petrol stations on Mars

The space capsule has taken 1200 days to reach Mars from Earth

The return journey from Earth to Mars will take 100 days less than the journey from Earth to Mars

There are 60 minutes in 1 hour

The road from A to B is flat and straight

The road from B to C is hilly and winding

There are 1.6 kilometres in a mile

The batteries in your ETV can only be recharged in the space capsule

A JOURNEY ON MARS: THE SOLUTIONA JOURNEY ON MARS: THE SOLUTION

A to B = 300 km @ 10 mipp per wor = 300 km @ 40 lutts per 120 mirs = 300 km @ 800 km per 480 minutes = 300 km @ 800 km per 8 hours = 300 km @ 100 km per hour

= 3 hours

B to C = 5 hours

Time for work at C = 0.5 hours

C to B to A = (5+3-1) = 7 hours

Total time taken = 15.5 15.5 hourshours

ADULT LEARNERSADULT LEARNERS

• Enjoy discoverydiscovery - problem-centred• Value relevancerelevance to daily work• Ask questionsquestions and seek answers• Bring in much experienceexperience• Reinforced by peerspeers • Enhanced by feedbackfeedback• Seek opportunities to applyapply new

learning