Introducing Team/Group Work in Large Classes

Introducing Team/Group Work in Large Classes
In the last five academic sessions I have introduced all my classes both undergraduate and postgraduate to team/group work. The team work teaching, activities ensure maximum interactions between students themselves on the one hand and between students and teachers on the other hand. This method is geared towards an interactive approach and communicative operation in teaching, learning and studies.

The introduction of team or group work, in the past academic years is realized in the following ways:
1. Allow my students to choose a semester group essay topic, come and defend it in the class, carried out the work and report to the class.
2. In each lecture period, the last twenty minutes is for discussion of a weekly assignment, which is usually a particular text relevant to the topic of the previous week
3. From time to time I give my students some task – may be of debating an issue or research of some relevant materials in the library

In this academic session all the above would continue. Additional ways to make the team work more interactive and communicative to enhance students performance would be initiated. These will include:
1. Students usage and familiarity with the internet will be enhanced through the group work
2. On submission of weekly assignments and report on the semester paper, while I will be watching and monitoring the submission, the students will do everything by themselves – including one asking the other to answer questions.
3. Weekly assignments and presentation in a large class will be guided by the paper on “study guideline for effective performance by my students”
4. In the various groups, it is wise to organize pair work as those who are weak and lack the exposure of social interactions could easily adopt to group work.

Groups are formed at the beginning of the semester – my first class with the students. Usually group leaders are appointed/elected and they are numbered and called by the number of each group. However, from the last academic session they are called seminars. For example seminar No.1, seminar No.2, etc. This academic session, they would be named after the names of the leaders. For example, Seminar of Musbahu, Seminar of Dimas, Seminar of Maikano, etc.

According to Oxford Mini-reference Dictionary Seminar is a small group for discussion and research. So, take it that in your activities you become really seminars.

Looking and assessing the group work in the last three years I have noted how my students perform well in their examinations, in extra-curricular activities in the university and even after they passed out of the University. Two striking examples need to be mentioned. One is that the WTO Ministerial conference mock summit by students of Political Science is the result of the group work in my class of Pol4301. Secondly, one of the many groups formed during my teaching and which have already passed out of the University came and told me that they had gathered themselves again and registered for computer training in one computer centre.

Lastly, I want give a piece of advice to those of you who would refuse to participate in the group activities after they have registered themselves with the various groups formed. Please, don’t miss the group activities. There will be penalty for not participating in the group work.

M.M. Yusif
October, 2005