CHAPTER II THEORETICAL RIVIEW
B. The Concept of Small Group Instruction
1. The Concept of Small Group Instruction
1 Cannot be said to understand even simple conversation.
B. The Concept of Small Group Instruction
Make the students speak easy, Harmer states that getting the students to speak in the class can sometimes be extremely easy.14 In a good class atmosphere, students who get on with each other, and whose English is at an appropriate level, will often participate freely and enthusiastically if we give them a suitable topic and task. However, at other times it is not so easy to get students going. Group can be a technique to make the students speak and the students not feel alone when they are speaking in front of the class.
Jane Westergaard states that a small group instruction made up of individuals with shared needs who will benefit from the opportunity to work with, and learn from others in order to develop skills, knowledge and attitudes.15
Small group instruction if the member of group are three or more and upper limit of perhaps ten or twelve. The way said by Margaret Hough that it is usual to define a small group instruction as one whose numbers are three or more and with an upper limit of perhaps ten or twelve. Two people could not be said to constitute a group since their relationship is to each other only.16
14 Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, (United Kingdom:
Pearson Longman,2007), Fourth Edition, p.345
15 Jane Westergaard, Effective Group Work with Young People, (New York: Open University Press, 2009), p.6
16 Margaret Hough, Groupwork Skills and Theory, (London:Hodder & Stouhton, 2001), p.3
Each student in a classroom has needs and abilities that are unique. Usually the most salient individual difference that you observe is a range of proficiency levels across your class and, even more specifically, differences among students in their listening, speaking, writing, reading, and abilities. Small groups can help students with varying abilities to accomplish separate goals. The teacher can recognize and capitalize upon other individual differences (age, cultural heritage, field of study, cognitive style, to name a few) by careful selection of small groups and by administering different tasks to different groups.
b. The Characteristics of Small Group Instruction
There are many factors that can be used to characterize a small group instruction. Consideration of these elements will have determined not only the content of a teaching session but also the process by which learning achieved. For a small group session to be effective both the teacher and learners should have awareness about these factors:
1) Group Size: conventionally a small group is between 3-12 participants in size. The size of the group will affect the characteristics described bellow dynamic of the group and fluidity of discussion among group members. Group size will influence the teaching style and delivery method chosen and
may even rule of small group methodology as the most appropriate modality.
2) Group Dynamic: there are many theoretical models describing the interactions of learners which each other and which a facilitator and the rules the learners will assume in small group, for example: in the clinical environments, seniority and specialty may alter in group dynamic to a much an extent as the personalities of the individuals themselves.
3) Discussion Style: can broadly be either convergent (or closed-or teacher centered) in convergent session the facilitator acts as the conduit through which discussion and ideas flow and dialogue occurs between him or her in each learners with a moderate amount of practice, most facilitators are able to control the direction of discussion and reach pre-determine and point.
Martha in summary of citing internet sites said that the characteristics of small group instruction is used to generate ideas in preparation for a lecture, film etc; summarize main points in a text or reading; asses levels of skill and understanding; reexamine ideas presented in previous classes; review exams, problems, quizzes, and writing assignments; process learning outcomes at the end of class;
compare and contrast theories, issues, and interpretations; solve
problems that relate theory to practice; and brainstorm applications of theory to life.17
c. The Goal of Small Group Instruction
Group has goals, which can be defined as something that the group hopes to achieve. A group may be striving to reach targets such as sales results, or it may be trying to work out a suitable policy for the achievement of employment equity in the organization. It is important that these goals are realistic and attainable, otherwise the group may disintegrate.
In a small group students can be encouraged to talk, think and share much more readily than in a larger group. Communication is at the heart of small group teaching of any kind and a crucial first step is the willingness of the students to speak to the tutor and to each other.18
There is merit in making the core goals of small group teaching explicit to the students and to explain the value of „talking‟
about what you are „thinking‟ to others in terms of their personal and intellectual development.
The goals of small group instruction can be described as follows19:
17 Reineke, Martha J. Summary of Citing Internet Sites. In-Class Discussion, (Online), (http://www.uni.edu/reineke/guidelin.htm, downloaded 20 March 2018, at 14.11 WIB).
18 Kate Exley and Reg Dennick, Small Group Teaching: Tutorials, seminars and beyond, (Canada: RoutledgeFalmer, 2004), p.3
19 Ibid, p.4
1) The development of intellectual understanding: by clarifying concepts and theories through discussion and accepting and seeing interrelationships and connections.
2) The development of intellectual and professional abilities: by thinking and problem solving, e.g. analyzing, evaluating evidence, logical reasoning and synthesizing.
3) The development of communication skill: through discussion practicing giving explanations, listening, questioning, presenting and defending a position and giving constructive feedback.
4) Personal growth: by taking part in debate and discussion students can test their values and attitudes while developing self- esteem and self-confidence.
5) Professional growth: through close and focused exchanges with teachers and peers in the discipline, students become aware of the models of thinking, the accepted standards and the values and ethics of the discipline or profession.
6) Support for independence: by preparing for and taking part in small group teaching discussion and activities, students accept their personal responsibility for the progress and direction of their own-learning.
7) The development of group working skill: working in group gives an opportunity to practice a variety of group management skills and group roles including leadership, planning and organization,
giving support and encouragement to others, setting tasks, monitoring progress.
8) Reflective practice: by reviewing and reflecting on their actions students can learn from their successes and failures and so develop their skills and understanding and plan future learning.
d. The Procedure of Teaching Speaking Through Small Group Instruction
As the teacher, surely teacher must have a technique to teach the students, but every technique has the procedure when the teacher will use this technique to teach. In line with this, when the teacher teaches speaking with groups, the teacher should pay attention with the procedure. Teacher uses small group instruction as the strategy to deliver the material. It is widely known that in speaking, the active participation is needed by the students.
According to Jeremy Harmer, when we decided the student work together in group. Should be follow the procedures as follows:
1) Before: when we want students to work together in pair or groups, we will want to follow an engage-instruct-initiate sequence. This is because students need to feel enthusiastic about what they are going to do, they need to know what they are going to do, and they to be given an idea of when they will have finished the task.
2) During: while students are working in pairs or groups we have a number of options. We could, for instance, stand at the front or the side of the class (or at the back or anywhere else), and keep an eye on what is happening, noting who appears to be stuck, disengaged, or about to finish. In this position we can tune in to a particular pair or group from some distance away. We can decide whether to go over and help them.
An alternative procedure is often referred to as monitoring. This is where we go round the class, watching and listening to specific pairs and groups either to help them to ask or collect examples of what they are doing for later comment and work.
3) After: when pairs and groups stop working together, we need to organize feedback. We want to let them discuss what occurred during the group work session and, where necessary, add our own assessments and make corrections.
e. The Benefits of Small Group Instruction
The benefits of small group instruction can be described as follow20:
1) Individualized learning: Small-group instruction allows teachers to evaluate students‟ learning strengths and tailor lessons to
20 Tiffany, 4 Benefits of Small Group Instruction,(https://info.4imprint.com/enews/4- benefits-small-group-instruction/, downloaded on 01 May 2018, at 10.00 WIB).
them. For instance, teachers may break down concepts not easily understood or breeze though lessons that students firmly grasp.
2) Confidence: Some students struggle to participate in front of the entire class. The one-on-one attention they receive from small- group instruction activities can boost the confidence of students who may otherwise have a hard time joining the conversation.
3) Opportunity for feedback: Small-group instruction is ideal for providing frequent and personalized feedback. There is more time for students to ask questions, and it promotes feedback that goes far beyond a simple letter grade.
4) Collaboration: Small-group instruction activities encourage teamwork, inclusivity and collaboration. Students no longer blend into the background of a large classroom-small-group instruction means everyone participates and is working toward the same goal.
C. Theoretical Framework and Paradigm