1. Teaching with Small Groups with Large Class Sizes
Dan Thompson
Manager of Instructional Design and Educational Technology

2. Learning Objectives
Identify positives and challenges in implementing small groups in a large class setting
Recognize various methods of implementing small groups
Utilize small groups as effective instructional methods
Appropriately align learning objectives and assessments with small group activities

3. Positives/Challenges
Why are you interested in using small groups?
Why do we use small groups in education?
What are challenges that you experience when implementing small groups?
If you have not used small groups in your instruction, what challenges do you anticipate?

4. Objectives/Assessments
Your learning objectives, teaching/learning activities, and assessments should all be appropriately aligned.
Objectives describe the depth at which students will learn and/or utilize the information
Activities prepare students to complete assessments at the appropriate level
Assessments evaluate if students have learned information at the desired level

5. Student Grouping Formal vs. Informal Group size:
4 – 6 students max per group
Pairs

6. Instructional Methods
Flipped Classroom
Students watch a pre-recorded lecture or complete a reading assignment prior to class
Acquiring the content about which you would typically lecture
Implement active learning activities in class that require students to think at a higher level than they normally would during a lecture-based class

7. Instructional Methods
Case-based learning
Can be used with introductory material or to reinforce a previously introduced topics
Team-based learning
For all three techniques, students can create presentations (live or recorded) and/or upload answers to LCMS

8. Instructional Methods
Nearpod/Kahoot
Think-Pair-Share
Team competition
Peer review
Require students to give feedback on their peers’ submissions
Recommend for use when students are creating original work or answering short answer/essay questions
ExamSoft allows this to happen anonymously
“Bookend” Procedure
Brief lecture blocks interspersed with group discussion and/or assessments

9. Assessments Formative and summative assessments can both be utilized
Formative assessments:
Most beneficial for low achievers
Creates opportunity to positively change instructional methods
Research indicates students learn more with criterion-referenced assessments

10. Grading Group scores Individual scores Each task/answer can be graded
Groups can receive points on a range of scores
Example: Full points if students answer > 90% answers correctly, Partial credit for > 80%, and so on.
Individual scores
Students can receive points for participation
Group members can score each other to ensure that each member is participating

11. Tips/Takeaways
Regardless of the technique used, make sure to provide students with a clear conclusion to the learning activity
If you run out of time in class, you can always create a Pantopto addendum video
Provide students with visuals when possible
All activities should be timed to maintain an orderly process

12. Tips/Takeaways
In small group work, the instructor should not control the dialogue
Students should do most of the talking
Do not answer your own questions
“Wait time”
Most importantly – be prepared, organized, clear, and transparent with students
This builds a solid foundation for any group exercise

13. Resources
Gillies, R. M. (2007). Cooperative learning: Integrating theory and practice. Sage Publications.
Jaques, D. (2003). Teaching small groups. BMJ : British Medical Journal,326(7387), 492–494.
Smith, K. A. (2000). Going deeper: Formal small‐group learning in large classes. New directions for teaching and learning, 2000(81),

14. Thank you!! Questions/Comments? dan.thompson@okstate.edu
@danthompsonidts