Teaching in small groups is beneficial due to greater potential for:
participation
deeper sharing
ministry to one another
accountability
Effectively Facilitate to Get the Benefits Out of Small Groups
Whether actual small groups or breaking a large class into small groups for discussion, teachers need to know how to effectively facilitate small groups in order to experience the benefits. Train teachers in the following:
- Establishing goals for using small groups
- Preparing adequately for group time
- Arranging seating and setting up an environment conducive to meeting the goals
- Extending warmth and welcome to group members
- Encouraging relationship building (body life) among group members
- Understanding group dynamics
- Knowing the right kinds of questions to use
- Learning how to keep a discussion going
- Learning how to keep a discussion on track
- Promoting maximum participation
More Teacher Training Resources: Small Groups