This activity proved to be an eye-opener to me. When I started teaching the adult group of ladies, I became aware that they needed more individualized attention if they were going to succeed. I am aware of the benefits of small group strategies but I felt that my hands were tied as far as space was concerned and I opted to limit my use of them. This reading got me thinking about what I could do with my class to bring about the desired changes in behaviour and I resorted to group work. Lucky for me, the class had gotten smaller at the start of this term due to the migration and other commitments of some students. I assessed the space again and I realized that the small group method could work. I planned it and tried it and it worked beautifully. The students did not want to leave on those days. It was great and there were a number of lessons learnt in the process, namely:
- Students like the idea of being responsible for their own learning
- Students like to interact with others in the classroom
- It is important to give students the opportunity to show their potential
- A teacher is able to assess individual students in a small group situation like the jig saw approach
- Proper planning is key for the effective execution of the jig saw method
- It is important to build on the students' experiences in order for learning to be meaningful
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