The development of personality in the school is in the framework of educational and extracurricular activities. A graduate of the initial stage of training should have certain skills formed: educational activities, self-control, introspection, self-esteem. What is required for this?
To successfully solve this problem, many primary school teachers and middle-level teachers of secondary schools include in the lesson (extracurricular activities) certain elements of group activity. Consider the distinctive features of collective learning, give specific examples.
Theoretical points
New federal educational standards target schoolchildren to acquire general educational skills. To acquire new knowledge, the student must have developed independent activity skills. To achieve this, a group form of organization of training helps. The child gets a chance for independent development, tries himself in the role of a researcher, becomes an equal participant in the educational process.
A teacher who uses the principle of developing training in professional activities, tries to educate active individuals. His students strive to acquire new knowledge, are able to lead a discussion, take the initiative.
Psychologists are convinced that it is the group form of organization of training that contributes to the development of cognitive activity of the child. Working in a small group, the guys improve their communication skills.
Destination
Group forms of education are necessary for the active inclusion of each child in the process of learning material.
Main tasks:
activation of cognitive interest;
improving the skills of independent activity (building an individual developing trajectory);
development of communication skills (building dialogue, the ability to hear the interlocutor)
Distinctive features
What characterizes the group form of training? The pros and cons of this method of education deserve separate consideration. Let us dwell on them in more detail.
The group form of training is a traditional way of increasing educational and cognitive motivation. Thanks to joint activities, anxiety is reduced among schoolchildren, the fear of being the worst student in the class disappears.
The group form of instruction in the lessons helps to improve the psychological climate in the team. That is why psychologists recommend that educators include this form of work at all levels of instruction.
Main disadvantages
Despite the fact that group forms of education imply the independence of students, their effectiveness depends on the skill and interest of the teacher. Among the minuses are:
the need for pre-school education of such activities;
expenses of a teacher of serious efforts to organize work;
the complexity of dividing a class into separate groups.
Not all children are willing to work in a team. Therefore, the teacher has to spend efforts to think through the forms of acquisition of OUN (universal learning skills).
Principles
The collective-group form of training is based on the following principles:
1. Taking into account the level of educational opportunities of each child.
2. Preparation of tasks of a problem nature.
3. Distribution of roles between team members.
4. Organization of communication within the group.
5. Reflection.
Group Creation Options
Group forms of training involve a preliminary division of the class into small cells. You can do this in various ways:
1. Division at will.
2. Random selection.
In the first case, the association of students is carried out by mutual agreement. In the event of a random division, the team may include children who, under normal conditions, do not communicate with each other.
This option allows the teacher to develop the participants' skills to adapt to different conditions of activity, to minimize interpersonal conflicts.
Activities
Consider the main types of group learning that are suitable for elementary school:
How to brainstorm? This tactic is used by the teacher to generate new ideas. This front-group form of training requires compliance with strict regulations.
Inside the group, the guys distribute the roles: timekeeper, secretary, presenter. After the completion of collective activity, students exchange messages, discuss them, ask clarifying questions.
Game "Continue the Thought"
It involves the fulfillment of various tasks by the guys "in a chain." Such group training forms are suitable for different academic disciplines. For example, you can use this technique to compose a story on literary reading.
A distinctive feature of this form is the formation of communication skills among children. In order to continue the answer, the student is forced to carefully monitor the version of his classmate. A teacher who uses this technique in his work, solves the problem of involving students in educational activities.
Treasure Search
Such collective-group forms of training organization are appropriate in the lesson of consolidation and correction of knowledge. The teacher draws up questions regarding the material studied. In order to answer them, the group can use any resources: notes in notebooks, Internet resources, textbook material.
If the guys successfully cope with the task assigned to them, they find "treasures". In addition to excellent grades, the teacher offers children to watch a training film regarding repeated material.
Snowball
Such group forms of education in primary school are used by many teachers. Work begins with the solution of a specific task. Each child performs it independently. Next is the work in pairs. Children exchange their answers, choose the best solution.
Then comes the pairing. Now, out of four decisions, the group must choose one. At the end of the lesson in the class, a general, most complete solution to the question posed by the teacher at the beginning of the lesson should be highlighted.
Mosaic
What is this collective form of learning activity? The topic of the lesson is divided by the teacher into several separate parts, they are distributed between groups. The guys get a list of sources, training materials that they will need to study the proposed topic.
As soon as the group copes with the task, it is reorganized. In the new teams, the guys exchange the information they find, answer questions, draw conclusions.
Reception "Zigzag"
This form of collective work is used not only by primary school teachers, but also by middle-level educators. The class is divided into groups of 3-5 people to work on material divided into separate fragments.
The guys working on the same issue, but included in different groups, exchange information between themselves found. Then they return to their teams, teach the rest of the group members the new skills that they themselves have acquired. The other team members work similarly. At the end of the lesson, a general result is summarized, those questions that caused the greatest difficulties for the children are clarified.
Teacher Activities
What should a teacher do during group activities? A teacher using this form of work in educational activities can perform various functions:
control work in groups;
organize the educational process;
evaluate results;
take part in the work of groups;
offer a variety of solutions;
serve as a mentor or information carrier.
How to organize high-quality and effective work in groups? To solve this difficult task, the teacher must:
perceive group work as a creative process;
Demonstrate to the children the importance of their activities;
to give equal attention to all students, not distinguishing one group;
allow students to independently acquire new knowledge.
Among the mistakes made by teachers, the biggest is the desire to answer the question if the child does not. This tactic of the teacher leads to a decrease in the cognitive activity of students.
How to choose tasks for group activities
Questions should be such that each member of the group can make a personal achievement (creating a situation of success). The application would be appropriate:
tasks requiring a significant amount of work;
questions involving the use of different skills of each member of the group;
tasks of a creative nature, accompanied by the generation of a large number of unusual ideas.
The work offered by the teacher should be interesting for students. Tasks are selected taking into account the individual characteristics of the students.
Psychologists recommend paying special attention to problematic issues, allowing to maximize involve the younger generation in the process of acquiring new knowledge, skills.
Useful Tips
We offer several recommendations for teachers who want to use group work in their professional activities.
1. No need to force children to work in one cell, if there is no mutual understanding between them.
2. The duration of the group activity should take into account the age of schoolchildren (15 minutes for students in grades 1-2, 25 minutes for 3-4 grades)
3. The collective form of work involves an exchange of views, so there will be no absolute silence in the class.
4. It is impossible to choose as a punishment the ban on the participation of the child in the work of the team.
Group training does not give quick results. Before moving on to complex material, the teacher must work out with his pupils an algorithm of activity using simple examples. It is important to be patient so that in the next stages the students do not have problems.
With this option of training, it is supposed to divide the class into small groups (3-6 people), which will carry out joint activities. Working in small teams, students acquire introspection skills. This form helps the teacher to develop in children a cognitive interest in the taught discipline. Collective action contributes to the development of universal learning skills.
To summarize
Group learning develops relationships between children and a teacher, as well as between members of the same group. A teacher who uses this form of training in his work brings diversity to the traditional system. The guys get the opportunity to independently acquire knowledge, adjust it, set their own tasks.
Only at first glance does the impression that the teacher does not need to prepare for a lesson in which he plans a group activity. In practice, the situation is completely different.
First, the teacher must study the teaching material, armed with different sources, choose those tasks that children can handle (take into account individual characteristics). Also, when organizing group training, the teacher should know the initial level of abilities and knowledge of students, the relationship between classmates.
It is advisable to select tasks of a problematic nature so that children have the opportunity to express their point of view, exchange opinions with other groups, and select the right answer.
Why does group work have so many supporters among school teachers? This training option has a significant number of advantages. In addition to the acquisition of universal training skills, children learn co-operation skills. When discussing a specific problem, students learn to respect the opinions of other people, listen to their point of view, defend their position, and make arguments.
With the correct organization of group work, you can count on the development of creative thinking, increasing self-esteem, self-esteem of each child.
Currently, group forms of educational and cognitive activities are relevant. Teachers use them to create optimistic mood in the team, to maintain the independence of schoolchildren.