10 tips for….

Small Group Discussion Leaders

Beneficial, cooperative learning situations are not easy to set up. Here some easy to graspm specific techniques to make your small group discussion a success.

Arrange the seating such that each participant can maintain eye contact with the others (circle or horseshoe). Make sure that your chair is part of the circle.

1

Learn participants’ names. Get participants to learn each other’s names.

 

2

Clarify the goals, learner's objectives, or outcomes for each session.

 

3

Find out how knowledgeable participants are about the subject matter.

 

4

Do not set yourself up as an authority (even though you may be one). Talk less and listen more to increase participation. Don't give a mini lecture. Decisions should be made cooperatively through discussion.

 

 

6

You may initiate a discussion by setting a problem, by asking an open-ended question, or by beginning with a controversy. Invite the participants to speculate. Allow them to play with ideas.

 

5

Don’t rush to cover all the content. It is more important to be effective than efficient. Use praise often and recognize minority opinions.

7

Allow periods of silence to occur. The participants may be thinking!

8

Summarize the discussion at the end of the session. It is important to summarize what really was discussed and not just use a pre-prepared summary.

10

Summarize when a clear breakthrough in learning has occurred, a key learning point is discussed, or an important piece of expert opinion is explored.

9

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