![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Students who collaborate with each other in defining, exploring, and solving problems as members of cooperative groups develop social and communication skills and refine their skills of analysis and judgment. Proponents of active learning suggest that using small group techniques in the classroom consistently enhances learning (Angelo & Cross, 1993 Bonwell & Eison, 1991). Perhaps even more important, college alumni have begun to inform us that the most crucial skill (and the one most often neglected in their undergraduate programs) is how to function as a member of a problem-solving group (Light, 1990, 1991). Increasingly, faculty across the disciplines have begun to discover the benefits of incorporating small group activities in the classroom (Kadel & Keehner, 1994 Michaelson, Fink, & Black, 1996). More recently, educators have begun to study collaborative and cooperative learning, noting its positive impact on students (Bruffee, 1993 Cohen, 1986 Goodsell, Maher, & Tinto, 1992 Johnson & Johnson, 1989). In the 1960’s William Perry applied the pioneering work of Piaget to the college setting, documenting in his classic study of intellectual development that learning-even at the college level-was enhanced by doing (Perry, 1968). Our ideas are applicable in small and large classes in all disciplines for those who want to design effective small group learning activities and assignments enhance existing group activities and interactive strategies understand why certain group strategies have worked and others have not and build community within the classroom so that open, in-depth learning exchanges occur among students. We delineate the stages that often characterize group development and suggest tasks appropriate for each stage. In this article, we identify goals and objectives for group activities, describe appropriate exercises for different purposes, and examine the necessity for reflection and processing that lead to meaningful learning from group experiences. Uncertainty about the potential benefits and costs of using group activities in college classes is common. This article reviews basic principles for using group techniques in college classrooms, describes the developmental stages of groups, and provides examples of activities and assignments as well as processes for reflection and evaluation. Research shows that active and cooperative learning activities can be effective teaching methods however, developing and carrying out these practices is often challenging, perhaps even confusing and frustrating, to educators who have not been trained in group processes. Key Words: Active Learning, Cooperative Learning. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press and the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education. DeZure (Ed.), To lmprove the acadamy, Vol.16 (pp. Small group techniques: Selecting and developing activities based on stages of group development. ![]()
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