The Teaching Center
Small Group Teaching
John T. Benjamin MD
The Teaching Center
UNC Department of Pediatrics
The Teaching Center
Small group vs. clinical
teaching vs. large group
teaching
• Arbitrary differences
• Emphasis somewhat different but basic
tenets the same for all kinds of teaching
Examples of Small Group
Teaching
(My Personal Activities)
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Teach Attending
Inpatient Rounds
Morning Report (chief residents lead)
Pre-clinic talks for continuity clinic
Some noon conferences: at beginning of
hour. (merge large group and small group)
• This course
• ICM with 2nd year students
• Others?
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First Step: Pre-planning
• If asked to do small group teaching:
» Be aware of existing goals and objectives
of the educational coordinator.
» If none exist, develop your own
goals/objectives.
» Create any materials you might need to
get started with the group.
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Approaching the Small Group
1. Orientation day 1
2. General Approach to the Small Group
3. Be interactive-use different teaching
techniques
4. Summarize as go along
5. Review what has been said at end of
each session and beginning of next.
6. Don’t forget to give individual feedback
7. Evaluate what you have done
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1. Orientation – Day 1
• Ask for learners goals and objectives
• Determine needs of learners and what they
would value the most out of session.
• Set expectations- writeups/presentations/etc
• Mention feedback and the intention to give
feedback to each learner; when to be given.
• Determine if there are to be absences during
the course and when.
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2. General Approaches to
Consider
• Start out with fun exercise: px/case/etc
• Ask the right question: balance between
“pimping” and being interactive.
• Start with open-ended question and wait for
at least 3 seconds for answer.
• Be enthusiastic/ interested in learners’
feedback
• Utilize different teaching techniques
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3. Be Interactive
• Empty Vessel comparison: no way to teach
and no way to learn. Teaching is not telling.
• Involve the students – make them ask
themselves questions and answer their own
questions.
• Need to ask the right questions
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Teaching techniques that could
be used in small group
• Role Playing (Drs. Byerley/Liles- clinical
teaching; Feedback exercise; today)
• Buzz Groups (Dr. Hamrick- curriculum)
• Case Discussion (Let learner present)
• Mini-Presentation (3 minute student pres)
• Brainstorming (Dr. Liles- large group)
(www.pediatricsinpractice.org)
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Examples of other techniques
• Using auditory
senses (eg cough)
• Themes for the day
• Scavenger hunt for
physical findings.
• Demonstrations
• Notebook/flash card
• Teach at bedside
• 3 minute reports
• Phone call role
plays
• Learner shares 1
thing learned that
day from patient or
from rounds.
• Sign out exercise
• Unknown pictures
• Summarize at the
end of rounds
(inpatient) or after
seeing each patient
(outpatient)
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4. Summarize as Go Along
• Start session with unknown or something fun
• Then go to content. About half way through a
half hour talk either summarize yourself or
get learner to do it.
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5. Summarize at end of Session
• Repeat, repeat, repeat
• Summarize everything covered in 3
sentences. Ask: So what have we learned
today?
» Eg Continuity Clinic talks – needed to
review again every 3 months.
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6. Give Feedback
• Make clear on day 1 when feedback is to be
given.
• Then label it as feedback as doing it.
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Feedback – 5 minutes a week
• Organized in advance and predictable – not
just when things go wrong. Private setting.
• Start by saying: This is our feedback session.
• Then ask: “How do you think things are
going?” and then listen carefully.
• Sandwich not always necessary
• Be explicit and give examples
• Ask for it to be bidirectional
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Conclude Feedback
• By summarizing and giving a plan of action if
needed.
• If problem, identify specific time to meet
again in 3-4 days.
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Feedback vs. Evaluation
• These two terms are not equivalent.
• Evaluation is what is done at the end of the
experience with the learner. Feedback
should be happening as go along.
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7. Document Evaluations of
Your Teaching!
• www.med.unc.edu/oed/toolbox/welcome
• This website contains evaluation forms for
peers, students (learners) and selfassessments. Just click on the pdf files
• Remember, for your Teaching Portfolio, you
will need evidence of your teaching
effectiveness!
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Challenges to teaching small
groups
• Not all learners motivated- or engaged
• Different levels of learners at same time
• How bring the quiet student into the
discussions
• Dealing with the dominating or difficult
student
• You as teacher haven’t done good job with
needs assessment (this not always easy)
• Others?
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Exercises for Small Group
• Teaching same level and different level
learners. How approach differently?
» Exercise #1: Same level learner
» Exercise #2: Different level learners
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Exercise #1- small group
• Teach 3rd year medical students about colic:
» How do you follow outline (needs assessment
intro/discussion/conclusion/review?)
» How do you determine your effectiveness?
» 1 faculty member/ 1 “teacher” / 2-3 students
per group.
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Exercise #2- small group
• Teach different levels of learners about colic
on rounds. (3rd year students/ intern/ upper
level resident)
• 1 faculty member/ 1 teacher / 1 3rd year / 1
intern/ 1 upper level per group.
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Conclusion:
Small Group Teaching
• Must prepare (needs assessment, set
agenda day 1 and at beginning of each
session; ask right question – be interactive;
summarize as go along, review, give
feedback, get evaluations of what you have
done).
• Bias: most fun part of teaching in academic
medicine