Small Groups in Education

The role of schools is not only to educate children on classroom subjects but also to socialize them and put them in a position they are not used to at home or their nuclear community. The use of small teams or groups inside a classroom environment is useful to not only teach the lesson but also help kids learn these socialization skills. In groups, children learn to interact between associates in an environment that a common goal must be reached and forces children to “deal” with those without the same viewpoints or ideas as they; groups let children learn that there are more than one solution to a problem.

Small groups are more effective when the members are diverse; the group understands and strives for a common goal, and positive interdependence. However, “talented” students need to be spread amongst the class so each group has an equal opportunity to succeed and every member of the group can contribute to the team. A common way to ensure that students are equally spread is to take their current grade in the class and assign it a number value. With these numbers a teacher should make the sum of the numbers as close to the same as possible. The group will benefit most if the members of the group have different viewpoints spawning from difference in race, sex, and social classes. If a group was made up of members who though the same they would conclude which answer is the most right. If the entire group comes to the same decision there would not be a need to argue leaving the group with only half of the information possible. Only members of groups which all members participated and finish his/her own goal should receive a passing grade. Teaches should allow for feedback from students in each group to make decision on the grades scale and who was note working and why. Students should strengthen their interdependence skills by involving groups “episodes of peer tutoring, temporary assistance, exchanges of information and material, challenging of each other's reasoning, feedback, and encouragement to keep one another highly motivated (Biehler/Snowman).”

Small groups are a vital to educational tool. Small groups help students learn abstract subject with better comprehension; these groups create an active learning environment, letting students teach themselves and make his/her own conclusions. A student must validate his/her answers for others in the group and defend there hypothesis from others who wish to debunk it. The need to discuss and defend their side of an issue creates a need for verbalization skills. Once the group agrees, the work needed to finish the task is split among the members. A student will naturally try to work at his/her strong points in the group. A student’s assignment and personal strength make up his/her role in the group. Group roles be it a leader, a follower, an encourager or helper all of the student are involved in the overall outcome. Students who are naturally procrastinators are pressed by the other students in the group to finish their appointed task, teaching them time management skills. A Student who normally dominates a conversation will need to allow others to participate or the group will not finish. Those who are followers are forced to be involved because for a group to as a swing vote in many cases they will have to choose which person they think has a better idea and fight for their own thoughts. The encourager will use his/her timetable ill to keep everyone on tract and give positive feedback to those in the group