The College Classroom as a Small Group: Some Implications for Teaching and Learning

Janet Mancini Billson

62 citations0/0 files storedTeaching Sociology

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Higher Education Research Studies Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods Innovative Teaching Methods

Abstract

Although sociologists and education specialists have analyzed many aspects of the college learning experience, little attention has been directed specifically to applying principles of group process and development to the classroom situation. Yet, classroom groups exhibit dynamics common to laboratory or training settings established expressly for the purpose of analyzing group processes (Thompson 1974, p.17). Recent research on student success and persistence suggests strongly that both are highly correlated to the student's level of involvement in college activities and relationships (Astin 1985; Tinto 1982). Learning, achievement, and retention appear to be socially-rooted phenomena. If it is assumed that a college education is not restricted to mere acquisition of facts or skills, but encompasses personal development, examination of values, learning to think creatively and analytically, and improving communication skills, then attention is warranted to group-building techniques that expand student/student and student/teacher involvement in academically appropriate ways. Furthermore, improved communication and high levels of classroom participation are desirable as much for their humanity as for their effectiveness in transmitting and analyzing knowledge, or for improving retention rates (McCroskey and Sheahan 1978). Deeper awareness of small group processes can enhance teaching effectiveness of college faculty through improving their ability to raise student participation levels, increase individual and group motivation, stimulate enthusiasm, and facilitate communication in the classroom. Principles of small group interaction that can be applied to any classroom, regardless of subject matter, are

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1969Management of organizational behavior 1951Some effects of certain communication patterns on group performance.1982Limits of Theory and Practice in Student Attrition 2010Communication in the Classroom 1958Speech Production and the Predictability of Words in Context 1976The college classroom: Some observations on the meanings of student participation.1967The Sociology of Small Groups 1960Patterns of role dominance and conflict in parents of schizophrenic patients.

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