Instructional Strategies - Group Instructional Activities and Independent Instructional Activities

 

Instructional Strategies - Group Instructional Activities and Independent Instructional Activities

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

Instructional strategies are the approaches, strategies, or techniques used by an individual teacher to deliver the materials during the lesson to keep students engaged and acquire varied skills. It is used so that students become independent and strategic learners (Alberta Learning, 2002). Different teachers use different strategies to motivate and help their students stay focused during the learning process. In doing so, they employ proper monitoring, assessment, and dissemination of the information process. This essay will discuss two instructional activities, such as group instructional activities and independent instructional activities.

A. Group Instructional Activities

Group instructional activities are one of the teaching techniques in which students are made to work in groups to complete the assigned tasks together based on the direction given. Group activities can be in the form of small group discussions or whole-class discussions (Alberta Learning, 2002). Interaction and collaboration are the main essences of this activity, where discussion and sharing of ideas and opinions take place (Green IT, 2013). Moreover, they are also involved in collaborating on their skills, interests, and perspectives for problem-solving and assessment purposes (Williams, 2021).

An Example of Group Activity in the Classroom

While teaching Act IV of the play, “The Merchant of Venice,” students can be divided into groups and asked to have a role-play based on the trial scene in the court of Venice so that students can have a clear picture of the 16th-century Venice Court of Justice. While preparing for the role-play, the group needs to explore the costumes, dialogue in simple English, and the critical summary at the end of the role-play. By engaging them through these activities, not only are group collaboration and discussion promoted in the classroom, but also are explored through the decision-making process, interaction, research, and creative writing.

Why and when may a teacher choose to incorporate a group activity?

A teacher uses group activities to motivate students and promote active learning so that they can enhance their decision-making and critical-thinking skills through communicating with their group members (The University of Waterloo, n.d.). It is also used to develop the necessary social skills that are necessary for life, whereby students will learn to organize their thoughts while interacting (Green IT, 2013). This can be conducted while giving them the group project, role-play for the play or story, class debate, etc. The reason for the teacher’s decision to use this method is mainly because this is a learner-driven activity whereby the intensive student’s involvement is considered through making observations, hypothesizing the concept, investigating, and generalizing ideas for common consensus. By doing so, learners not only become interested in learning but also become curious about the process of investigating and solving problems. It leads to an increase in productivity, creativity, efficiency, and perspectives.

The Benefits and Limitations of Group Activity

This method is one of the proven methods that ensure my students are always engaged with complex tasks. Students can learn through skill sharing, which influences the choices of instructional practices. Moreover, they are also exposed to wider and more diverse perspectives during the learning that lets them collaborate and refine their ideas while discussing. It leads them to develop teamwork with a greater sense of responsibility. Most importantly, they are also involved in providing and receiving feedback while handling complex problems (Carnegie Mellon University, 2022). On the other hand, it also has its limitations. The most vital limitation of this activity is the unequal participation of students during the group activity. Students who are shy and less straightforward often fail to participate, and the dominating students may not give opportunities to such students. A huge discrepancy in the group can lead to failure in achieving the learning outcome. On the other hand, sometimes, individual needs can be overruled by the needs of the group, which often demotivates some members of the group.

B. Independent Instructional Activities

This activity is an individualized activity in which students select their topic and work on it. Mostly, they are engaged in defining the problem through research and the gathering of information to show their learning experience through the application of their skills (Alberta Learning, 2002). Although they work on their own, they are guided and supervised by their teacher. If they are not supervised, there is every chance that students may not take the task seriously, and learning may not happen well.

An Example of Group Activity in the Classroom

For the poetry lesson, asking students to conduct independent research on the interest areas of the different poets while writing their poetry would enable them not only to know the areas on which they focus on their writing but also to learn to appreciate the literature and its true essence by showing their skills in researching and sharing with their friends in the classroom.

Why and when might a teacher choose to incorporate independent instructional activities?

A teacher uses this activity in the classroom mainly to promote self-improvement in students through individualized initiatives (Green IT, 2013) and to improve their attitude toward independent learning because when they are at home, there won’t be anyone to guide them. On the other hand, the teacher gives such activities to involve students in analyzing the information for the final product so that they excel in understanding the content areas and making connections to real-life situations (Alberta Learning, 2002). Sometimes, individual research can be conducted while studying the content through literature, especially in the English classroom. By involving students in this activity, the teacher can create a forum for students to share their ideas in the classroom and get appropriate feedback on their learning. It would also enable teachers to evaluate their students to measure the desired learning outcomes individually through student-teacher conferences so that they can be reinforced based on their needs.

The Benefits and Limitations of Group Activity

This method helps students in many ways. Firstly, it lets students know how to learn themselves, preparing them to have a better understanding of the process involved in learning (DeNeen, 2013). Moreover, they learn to focus on their studies based on the process of learning and not simply the learning goals by managing their time and also focusing on other required skills they are interested in. On the other hand, it does have its limitations. The students may fail to choose the appropriate learning materials and may develop a high level of dependency upon the teacher, which often bores them. They may get confused while learning and selecting the information due to the diverse information. In most cases, it is often seen that students end up directly copying from their friends and completing their tasks, so the assessment may not be valid. In such cases, proper monitoring and supervision from teachers are required for effective learning outcomes.

Conclusion

Regardless of whatever strategies the teacher employs, the monitoring, guiding, and appropriate assessment process are concerns. It all depends on the readiness and acceptance of the teacher. Both group and independent activities are valuable and proven strategies that can help students to the extent of fulfilling the instructional objectives. The teacher should also be aware of the learning styles of the learners because it matters a lot during the learning process and acquiring knowledge. However, we know that students learn well when they are involved or engaged during the learning process, as lectures often bore them.

References

Carnegie Mellon University. (2022). What are the benefits of group work? https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/benefits.html

DeNeen, J. (2013). 10 Reasons Why Educators Should Encourage Independent Learning. https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/other/teachers-or-facilitators-10-reasons-why-educators-should-step-out-of-the-way-and-encourage-independent-learning/

GreenIT. (2013). Instructional Strategies. https://literacybasics.ca/training/instructional-strategies/

Instructional strategies. (2002).  Alberta Learning, Health and Life Skills Guide to Implementation. (https://education.alberta.ca/media/482311/is.pdf

University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Implementing Group Work in the Classroom. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/alternatives-lecturing/group-work/implementing-group-work-classroom

Williams, K. (2021). Group Work Benefits and Examples. https://study.com/academy/lesson/group-work-in-the-classroom-definition-benefits-examples.html