Teaching Chemistry

Group Learning

Managing groups

At times it is necessary and/or useful to sort a class into two or more groups. There may be different syllabus topics required at Higher or Ordinary level. You may wish to support one group at a time. It provides opportunities for students to work at their level. Managing a class working in two groups needs planning. Things to consider:

Time

Teaching one group rather than the other for a topic means that the second group could feel isolated. Possible options:

  • Invite students to remain with class and participate/listen
  • Teach the topic e.g. particle chemistry in parallel with a rota of practical work. This means that the students spend half the week on particle chemistry/other work and the remainder doing an assigned practical.
  • Teach 3 or 4 periods a week to one group and the remaining period spend on the second group with the students in the first group doing alternative work. [Back to top]
Classroom management

While working with one group the other group of students could:

  • Join in/remain with the class
  • Work silently at the back of the class (individual work)
  • Work in groups at the back of the class (group work)
  • Work in the school library/spare classroom
  • Be excused from class for the time

Any chosen option needs to agree with standard school practice. [Back to top]

Possible strategies for work

Whatever classroom management option adopted, the students will need to do some work. This could be work allocated by the teacher or planned by the teacher and students. Here are some suggestions.

  • Invite students to participate/listen/remain with class – the topic may be exciting and may expose them to the wide wonder of chemistry, they may need, welcome the support being given to a group of students
  • Identify with the students areas that need support e.g. ask students to review concepts and skills and identify where they need help. They could then work through some appropriate materials e.g. revision worksheets, language exercises such as reading from a different textbook, writing reports, answering exam questions, or practical work. Agree plan of work with students and monitor work.
  • Ask students to research areas related to chemistry e.g. careers, STS, websites. If doing the LCVP there might be a link with the career investigation. The research could use books, the Internet and take place in the class or possible the school library. Then on completion of the research the students could present the information to the rest of the class on a poster or by an oral presentation.
  • Invite students to do a small project on aspect of the syllabus. The research could use books, the Internet or be practical in focus and take place in the class or possible the school library. Then on completion of the research the students could present the information to the rest of the class on a poster or by an oral presentation. [Back to top]
Planning

The planning needed covers the time, the classroom management, the strategy identified as most suitable and the response of the students. When these are sorted the major work in planning is developing appropriate support materials. This may take some time but once developed can be used again and again. One idea would be to develop a range of resources from which students at both OL and HL can select those that help them. This could be a topic approach to revision e.g. mechanics. A revision sheet could ask students to use their textbook or another to check terms, definitions, look up equations. The sheet could then have some sample numerical problems (identify as appropriate to OL or HL), an appropriate practical or a graph and some STS. [Back to top]

Student agreement

This is important. Identify a range of suitable strategies/ options, discuss them with the students. Then make and agree a programme of work. Their agreement is the key to the success of any plan.

Issues

Managing group work can be demanding for teachers and students but it can be seen as an opportunity not a problem. It provides the students with time to think, reflect and can help them process all the ideas and the skills that they have met during the course. It also provides teachers with an opportunity to engage with and value all students. However, it will be important that whatever is planned for with and/or by the students is assessed in some form. The students will need feedback from the teacher on the work done during the time. This does not have to be graded but it may take the form of comments on submitted work or a conversation about the work done. [Back to top]

These are some suggestions/comments.

Marion Palmer

Dublin Institute of Technology © 2002