Paula
I've never had groups larger than 4, for many of the reasons you've cited
but also all of the research and literature on social loafing. As group
size increases, so does social loafing (
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~ajv2/courses/12c_psyc438001/Karau%20&%20Williams%20(1993).pdf).
Frankly, when you get groups larger than that it's easier for people to
melt in the background. I just don't buy the argument that groups of 6 - 8
people can be as productive as groups of 4. It's more work for me, but
that's okay.
As for concept clarification, do you not allow students to look at their
notes or other reference materials? I structure my questions so that it
requires an understanding of the concepts but I allow them to look anywhere
they want for information. I got another great practice for concept
clarification from the NUS-Duke school of medicine in Singapore. Following
the T-rat they ask teams to identify a question or concept they want
clarified and have them write it on the board and then assign that question
or concept to another team to explain to the class. Building on that idea,
I write the team numbers on the board during the T-rat and have teams write
their questions next to their number as they complete it. Once everyone is
finished I assign the questions or concepts to another team and give them 5
minutes to develop a 2 minute presentation to the rest of the class that
involves everyone in their team, with no notes or books. I use the
presentations not only as an opportunity to identify the concepts that
they're struggling with, but also to evaluate their comprehension when they
present to the class. At the conclusion of each 2 minute presentation I ask
the class to indicate their comprehension of the concept by raising their
two hands with the number of fingers displayed that reflect their
comprehension (10 = total comprehension). If I see fewer than 10 fingers
or if I personally feel that more could be added I interject with my own
comments. This process totally negates the need for a mini-lecture, and
more importantly, focuses on the topics that the students need clarified,
not what I think they need clarified.
As for the timing of exercises, I'd start by reducing the time frame that
they have to complete it. I find that if they have too much time they get
off topic. You can also have them complete ALL the components of the
exercise in a longer time frame. For example, complete five questions in 45
minutes. Then you can circle around to the groups who finish first to
determine if they've really fully addressed the questions ask. I usually
find that those who finish first aren't the most capable groups, but
generally those who want to get it done and I find holes in their
responses, which I quickly point out. If you need to have groups come up
with a correct answer and a discussion for one question before moving on to
another, set a separate and tight time frame for that question, and another
time frame for the remaining questions. For example, it's not uncommon for
me to start with a choice question to begin an exercise and I'll tell them
that they have five minutes to complete it (I use www.online-stopwatch.com
and project it on the screen at the front of the class). At the conclusion
I have everyone show their answers, we have a brief discussion and then I
tell them that they have 45 minutes to complete the remaining questions.
I hope this helps.
Cheers, Tom
On Sep 19, 2014 6:05 AM, "Nichols, A Paula" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Getting ready to start year 4 with TBL for first year medical students in
> a class of 150. I have been reviewing comments from previous years in order
> to improve the delivery. The biggest negative comment is that it takes too
> long and a lot of time is spent listening to answers from questions that
> students already know during the application. Most students state that they
> like to TBL format in general but think that a lot of time is spent in the
> application waiting around. I use the flag system and have also used
> clickers to speed up the process but still find myself spending time
> answering questions from students that may not have grasped some basic
> concepts. So the bottom third of the class benefit greatly but the top
> third get bored. The biggest comment is that students want the application
> in small groups so they can move through the material quickly rather than
> large group. Does anyone have suggestion about how to navigate these type
> of questions?
>
> Paula Monaghan-Nichols
> University of Pittsburgh
>
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