6.3 Group work Copy
You can listen to the content of the page by using the audio controls.
Group work is central to active, inclusive learning. It is therefore vital that teachers know how to facilitate group work, and that trainers can support teachers to develop this skill.
Remember Honorine and Sandra, teachers from Burkina Faso? You saw them in the video in section 6.1. Watch them again as they remind us how learners learn through collaboration.
Read a transcript of the selected video clip.
Learners benefit from participating in activities that involve learning with and from each other.
Similarly, during workshops, group work activities help Principal Trainers and teachers develop skills for organising and planning learning activities, working collaboratively, giving and receiving feedback, and evaluating their own learning.
Helpful hints for setting up a training room for group work
Make sure:
- the room is large enough for small groups of participants to sit around tables;
- there is enough space to move around easily between tables;
- the tables are large enough for everyone in the small group to work at and to accommodate flipchart paper;
- the tables are positioned so that everyone can move easily to see other parts of the room (e.g. can easily see the board or PowerPoint slides).
Benefits and challenges of group work
Your task
Watch the video below. It shows Zambian Principal Trainers during a group activity.
While watching this video, think about some of the benefits of working and learning in a group. You cannot hear much of the discussion because of the background noise, but you can make assumptions from the body language and the focus of the participants.
- Is there learning going on? How do you know?
- A good trainer observes groups during their group work. What might the trainer find out from observing the group discussions that she or he might not notice during other activities?
Make some notes.
In the next activity you can see what the Zambian Principal Trainers think are the benefits and challenges of group work.
This was the end of section 6.3.
Please click the button below.
