Group interaction in teaching is a method of teaching where the educator or the teacher divides, the learners into small or mini-groups for the purpose of solving a problem. This method requires the learners to come together to execute a task you will offer to them. Now that we are in the midst of this pandemic where we are advised to stay a distance from each other how do we carry out this method of teaching as teachers. This article has look at some of the importance of group interaction that will be truncated due to the pandemic.
Advantages of group interaction in teaching.
Group interaction makes teaching flexible as the teacher can cover a lot of topics within a given period of time. Most teachers employ this method of teaching to help them cover their topic. Teachers always divide their students into groups and share the topics that are to be taught within the session or semester among the groups. Each group is always having a leader and a secretary. After the work, students come to present their work to the whole class, these helps learners to learn much within a specific time and the teachers to complete their course outline. But now coronavirus has taken over the world making people be afraid of themselves so how do we carry out group work in our schools.
It helps students to learn leadership qualities. Students who are always leaders in their various groups develop leadership qualities such as self-confidence, innovation, honesty, and many more as they lead their group to find solutions to problems. All these qualities help these students to be able to partake in other programs in their various communities. Does that mean because of coronavirus all these qualities that the students can acquire during group studies will not be met?
Group interaction in teaching also encourages the active participation of learners in the teaching and learning process. As students are given group work to do, each member is supposed to contribute his or her idea on the topic under discussion. Even those introverts are required to say something as they are in a small group. These learners get involved in the teaching and learning process. At times students learn better when they learn with their friends.
Group interaction in teaching also helps learners to develop self-reliance rather than the over-dependence on the teacher. When students are put in groups to learn they develop the feeling of doing things themselves to get the solution to a problem rather than the complete dependence on their teachers for everything.