What is a school with Small Groups?
One of the most important indicators to analyze a school is the issue of group sizes. There are schools with small groups or large groups. When speaking of a small group of students, often refers to small groups.
What are Small Groups
They are small groups that can be between 8 a 12 students and their work method is personalized.
Active Learning vs Passive Learning
Small group, ensures that all students participate at all times. This allows there to be an equally active learning Permanently.
There is evidence that passive learning and that implies repetitions, tends to be easily forgotten in the short term. But a active learning, means that the student will evaluate and question, allowing you to obtain such knowledge for later similar occasions.
It is important to note that the active learning that is handled in these groups helps to promote meaningful learning.
When a student is in an active group, allows himself to evaluate the knowledge he has on a particular topic. Being part of a group, the student will look for how to revive the knowledge they already have, look for the faults that exist and later look for new knowledge to cover these faults or gaps.
If the student is in a passive group, you will probably not participate at all times and will not easily recognize these shortcomings on your own.
Acquiring Skills for the Future
According to book author Joy Crosby "Learning in Small Groups" from Ninewells Hospital and Medical School UK, mention that this method promotes the skills and abilities that students require in their professional life.
According to Crosby, the students "understand the difficulties that can arise when working in a team and achieve greater self-confidence through practice in expressing and defending their ideas. It also enables fluid communication, identification of priority tasks, the distribution of time and the practice of interpersonal skills”.
When there is a discussion on a topic, the student is greatly facilitates understanding of a topic. It is addressed in detail, it helps to formulate theories around this topic and the results will be better understood. This point turns out to be very interesting to understand especially complex subjects when advancing in high school and even in University.
Surely the student will remember much more a particular discussion that he had, than a repetitive and superficial series that he learned in a class. You are really making sure they understand a topic, and not that the content of a book is memorized. The same way, this type of methodology allows the student to do it not just for a grade, but for your general knowledge on other topics. Provides you with a working method to use in the future.
recommendations
Taking into account the fundamental characteristics of small groups in a school, allows us to visualize the quality of teaching that our child will have. We invite you to include this concept when you are looking for a school for your son / daughter.