Small Group Discussion Models
Groupwork in the Classroom: Cooperative and Collaborative Learning Techniques
Think-Pair-Share: The instructor poses a question requiring reflection and gives students time to think through and possibly write an appropriate response. Students then tum to a partner and share responses before finally sharing their response ( or, better, their partners' responses) with the class.
Three-Step Interview: Students interview one another in pairs, alternating roles in order to share an idea or get to know one another. They then share in a four-member learning group, composed of two pairs, what they have gleaned from the paired interview.
Jigsaw: The instructor divides a topic into four parts with one person from each ''home" learning team volunteering to become an "expert" in one of the parts. Four expert teams with members from each home team then work together in each corner of the room to master their fourth of the material and to discover the best way to help others learn it. All experts then reassemble in their home teams where they teach the other group members.
Roundtable: In this brainstorming technique, students in a small group write in turn on a single pad of paper, stating their ideas aloud as they write. As the tablet circulates, more and more information is added until various aspects of a topic are explored.
Co-op Cards: Used for memorization and review, students coach each other using flashcards. Each student prepares a set of flashcards with questions on the front and answers on the back. When a student answers a question correctly, the partner hands the card over, continuing until all questions have been answered correctly. Then the pair reverses the roles using a second set of questions.
Fishbowl: 6 - 8 students face each other in an inside circle. The remainder of the class form a larger outside circle. Only the "insiders" may contribute to the discussion. Once "insiders" have participated in the discussion they must move to the outer circle to be replaced by an "outsider." One may later reenter the inside circle and the conversation.
Structured Controversy: Team members assume different positions on controversial issues, discussing, researching, and sharing their findings with the group. This technique allows students to explore topics in depth and promotes higher order thinking skills.
Numbered Heads Together: Students count off and gather in groups of fours. The instructor poses a question, factual but requiring some thinking. Students discuss the question, making sure that every member knows the answer. The instructor calls a specific number, and the designated team members (1, 2, 3, or 4) respond for their group. Since no one knows which number will be called, all team members have a vested interest in being able to articulate the appropriate response.
For more on these and other strategies, see:
Zelda Garnson, "Collaborative Learning Comes of Age," Change, (Sept-Oct. 1994) pp. 44 – 49
Barbara Millis, "Helping Faculty Build Learning Communities through Cooperative Groups," in Hilson, ed., To Improve the Academy: Resources for Student, Faculty, and Institutional Development (1990) 10, pp. 43-58 (Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press).