Hi, All,

I’ll add one more comment on TBL in small classes. I once had a class of 5 students, and decided to see if the process would work with a single team. I ran the one-team experiment just as I would a large class with a couple of small modifications.

 

The problem with a small class is how to make the instructor invisible during team discussions. In a large class this is easy as the teams are busy with their problem-solving. In a small class it’s much harder to fade into the background. So, during the tRAT I would leave the room, then after a few minutes, come back and sit down with the team and ask them how they did. Then we’d discuss the questions they struggled with. I’d ask them to consider appeals, and would leave the room again for a few minutes to let them confer.

 

During the 4-S application activities, same thing. I would go out of the room and give them time to reach a decision. When I came back in I’d sit down with them and ask them what they decided, and ask them to explain. I simply became a member of the discussion. In this way I could probe the topic with all team members, so the conversation was rich and inclusive. The fact that they had debated amongst themselves made it possible for all 5 of them to participate in this give and take with me.

 

I was fortunate enough to have an office close to where the class was being taught. This allowed me to disappear, yet still overhear the murmur of conversation, so I could time the return if they finished the task earlier than anticipated.

 

Bill

 

Bill Roberson, PhD

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Specialist | Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning

Vancouver Island University | 900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5

 

250.753.3245 (2295) | [log in to unmask] | B305 - R511-C

 

 

 

 

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