“Now take a couple minutes at your table to discuss this scenario and after that we’ll share our thoughts with the whole group.”
Do you feel a little bit of dread in your heart when you hear those words as a student in a Bible study? Some learners love breakout groups. They dive right into the conversation because it helps stimulate their thinking. They’re eager to hear other people’s comments because it feeds their creative thought process. Other learners, though, squirm uncomfortably just waiting for the moment when the three-minute collaboration is finally over, and they can get back to learning.
Maybe they’re nervous because they don’t want to say something that’s overly obvious, not well-worded, or just plain wrong. Maybe they’ve been embarrassed in a similar situation before. Maybe they don’t work well under the pressure of having to bring something to the conversation. Maybe they don’t mind talking but just need a little time to analyze the situation before they’re ready to talk about it. There are a number of reasons why people might be hesitant about collaborating.
That doesn’t mean we should never have breakout groups for our learning activities. Remember why we do them:
- Adult learners bring experience to our classrooms, and many of them love talking about the things they’ve experienced. They love to apply their previous knowledge for solving issues the teacher presents to them.
- Some learners are “talk learners” who work through their thoughts by verbalizing them in real time.
- We grow by listening to others as they bring thoughts that never occurred to us or as they express their thoughts in a more concise way than we could on a topic. (It’s also true that on a given day, on a given topic, we might be the ones who contribute the thoughts others hadn’t thought of.)
We lose those benefits if we lose collaboration activities. So, let’s use them—but with a few things in mind to help folks who don’t consider group work their cup of tea.
- Build in reflection time. Give adult learners one minute to think on their own (no table talk) and then ask them to share their thoughts with tablemates for two minutes.
- Be specific in your directions. Don’t just say, “Discuss [this problem].” Ask them to express their initial reaction to a statement, analyze pros and cons, or brainstorm a list. Give them questions to guide their group discussion. “Your job really is to answer these two questions about this scenario . . .” Good collaborative activities require careful planning and design by the instructor.
- Use technology if you’re so inclined. The educational website Nearpod has a “sticky note” message board component. If your learners are tech-savvy, ask them to post their thoughts. (Sidenote: Are any of your adult learners bringing their laptops to class? Could you encourage them to try it out?) With Nearpod, the collaboration comes when every member of the class can see the sticky note every other learner has posted. The teacher also has the ability to make only certain notes available for highlighting purposes.
- Finally, if they don’t want to, don’t make them. Adults are independent. They have had time to figure out what works and what doesn’t work for them in the classroom. If you force them to participate, they might get turned off from the class altogether. Give people the option, at least sometimes, of working on their own or partnering up with tablemates. Even those working on their own will gain collaborative benefits when they hear the answers that come from the other groups.