1. General Tasks in Preparing for Small Groups 2. Preparing Yourself for Leading Groups 3. Conducting Small Group Sessions 4. Special Tasks for Co-Leaders 5. Planning and Conducting Discussions 6. Planning and Conducting Problem-Based Learning
Have I determined or clarified: the planned group's size and mix of characteristics? who the learners are (e.g., their interests, strengths, and learning needs)? where the experiences planned for the group fit into the overall curriculum? what the overall purpose is and what the learning goals are? whether the learning goals are sufficiently specific, clear, worthy, realistic, and achievable? the group learning activities (and whether the context enables students to learn in active ways)? what resources are needed for the session? the schedule for the session (including whether sufficient time has been provided for key activities)? the focus of the leadership I need to provide (balancing the learning tasks and the interpersonal process)? the kind of leadership to provide (how directive and facilitative to be, and when)? my task(s) and role(s) before, during, and after the session? the learners' roles and tasks/responsibilities? how decisions will be made in the group? if and how the learners will be evaluated? the arrangements for the meeting room(s)? the approaches for evaluating my teaching and providing me with helpful feedback? whether there is faculty development and support for small group leaders
Have I: reflected on my own experiences as a learner, particularly in educational small groups? reflected on my own experiences as a teacher? > reflected on the characteristics of effective small group teachers? - my enthusiasm for teaching? - my caring about learners as people? - my capacity for putting myself in the learners' shoes? - my capacity for trusting the group? - my comfort with empowering learners? - my commitment to my own learning? - my flexibility, adaptability, and inventiveness? > reflected on the understandings and capabilities I need? - my ability to facilitate the completion of group learning tasks? - my interpersonal and communication skills? - my understanding of the world of health care and the challenges facing learners? - my ability to facilitate learning in small groups? - my ability to function as a participant-observer? - my content (subject matter) expertise? - my ability to serve as a role model? put myself in my learners' shoes and worked at becoming "consciously competent"? identified my small group leadership strengths and areas still needing to be addressed? worked at developing/refining my small group leadership skills? reviewed the activities, resources, and materials needed for the sessions? developed/refined the plan for the first session? reflected on how I want to introduce and present myself? learned the learners' names? anticipated developments that might occur? prepared myself and the meeting room immediately before the session?
In the groups I lead, do I?... build trusting relationships between myself and learners and among group members? foster collaboration between myself and learners, and among group members? orient learners (e.g., attend to introductions, provide an overview of the session)? determine learners' relevant experiences, needs, strengths, and interests? clarify pre-formulated learning goals or develop goals with learners? discuss with the learners how to work together (e.g., how the group will make decisions; set ground rules)? facilitate the learners' active participation? monitor the flow of the session(s) and group process? facilitate the flow of the session(s)? deal with learners who affect the group process negatively? deal with disagreements and manage conflicts constructively? facilitate the achievement of the members' learning goals? invite learners to process and summarize what occurs during the session(s)? evaluate the learners' participation and capabilities, so they and I can learn from the experience? (if the group members are close-knit) prepare them for and manage the group termination process with care and sensitivity?
Adapted from: Westberg, Jane and Jason, Hilliard. Fostering Learning in Small Groups: A Practical Guide. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 1996.
Westberg, Jane and Jason, Hilliard. Fostering Learning in Small Groups: A Practical Guide. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 1996.
Before the (first) session, did we: get to know each other (e.g., our respective views on education and health care)? gather and share information about our learners (e.g., relevant experiences and courses)? review our understandings and hopes for the session (e.g., the goals and activities)? decide how to share the leadership responsibilities? negotiate any differences we had? develop a plan for the session(s), including our respective roles and tasks? agree on ways to communicate with each other during the session(s)? decide how to arrange the meeting room? During the Session(s), did we introduce ourselves and invite the learners to introduce themselves? explain how we as leaders would be working together? model the ways that we want the learners to interact with each other? support each other's leadership efforts? reinforce each other's contributions? accommodate to a shared spotlight? communicate throughout the session(s)? After the Session(s), did we share and compare our impressions/reactions? constructively critique our partnership? each critique our individual efforts and provide constructive feedback to each other? use what we learned to prepare for the next session?
When preparing for leading discussion groups, did I?... raise and pursue appropriate "diagnostic" questions? (See Self-checklist 3, above.) plan activities for the learners that prepared them for the discussion? read and reflect on the topics planned for the session? find or create appropriate resources (e.g., video triggers, cases, poems, stories)? attend the lectures or other sessions that the students attended prior to the discussion? identify and work on the understanding and skills I need for leading the session? develop an appropriately detailed, yet flexible, plan for the session? During the discussion, did I?... create a collaborative environment? do an initial assessment of the learners' levels of readiness? initiate the discussion with an engaging, relevant challenge? use mainly open-ended questions and comments? > encourage learners to participate?: ...allow enough "wait-time" when students or I ask questions? ...listen actively and nonjudgmentally, and encourage learners to do likewise? ...use strategies for involving all the learners, including the quiet ones? ...keep the discussion from being dominated by a subset of learners? ...build what learners say into the discussion? ...make clear that my statements are open to being challenged? > help learners communicate clearly? ...model being patient and encourage learners to do likewise? ...ask for clarification and encourage learners to do likewise? ...help learners reframe their ideas and comments, when needed? ...help learners focus or expand their ideas, as needed? encourage active listening? foster dialogue among the learners and help them consider multiple points of view? create an environment in which the learners feel they can take risks? probe the learners' understandings and foster higher-level thinking and discussion? help the learners digest what they are hearing? acknowledge the learners' and my own feelings? monitor and facilitate the flow of the session? help the group reach a satisfactory closure, as needed?
When preparing for leading problem-based learning groups, did I... carefully select or create appropriate/relevant/compelling cases to use? choose cases/problems that are appropriate to the program goals and the learners' needs? formulate the case to include the human dimensions and social context of the problem? select or create appropriate resources to use for presenting the case/problem? arrange for other needed resources? do the reading and pursue other steps that I needed as part of my preparation? When introducing the learners to problem-based learning, did I... gather "diagnostic" information about their prior experiences and expectations? help the learners understand the rationale for PBL, if necessary? explain the process, and our respective roles and responsibilities? discuss how the group will make decisions? During the problem-based learning groups, did I... help the learners present their problems in engaging, sequential ways? help the learners elicit and identify significant facts, & generate hypotheses, ideas, issues? encourage learners to identify and share what they already know? help learners do their own thinking and learning, and identify their learning issues? summarize and synthesize, or encourage the learners to do so, as needed? help the learners decide which learning issues to pursue, and how? invite reflection on the session's process and guide planning for the next session? help the learners become increasingly adept at helping each other? help the learners integrate and apply what they learned? monitor and facilitate the flow of the session? create an environment in which the learners feel they can take risks? steadily shift responsibility for the group to the learners? help the learners bring closure to each case in a reasonably timely fashion?