Social and group dynamics of class

As educators, we sometimes tend to forget the social and group dynamics of class. Instead, we tend to focus on content matter and lesson objectives and forget that class is also a social construct that involves students as people, and that as people, we naturally want to feel a part of the group and a connection to the others around us. Therefore, one thing to always consider in each class is inclusivity. In other words, the teachers should consider if all the students feel included in class.

It is easy to resort students to passive mode and not consider their participation in class. Problems may arise when students are not engaged with the subject matter or possess limited ability compared to other students. As a result, these students will naturally participate less because they will be shy to ask or answer questions or volunteer to share opinions or show off their chops.

Still, it is important to make all students feel they are a valuable member of the class, even if their ability limits their contributions. One way to include students is to give them roles or tasks or interaction opportunities that validates the value of their existence.

Here are some other ways to get students involved in class that do not rely solely on their level ability.

Instructions Assistant

Have students give instructions between each task. For example, perhaps some students are doing discussion practice standing a rotation station. The next task may ask students to sit in groups and go over problems on paper. To make the transition, someone (usually the teacher) must tell the students to stop the current activity and transition to the next one. To spice things up, and get others included in the lesson, ask a student to give the instructions for this transition. To make things easier for the student, you can write the instructions down beforehand and have them read it aloud to the group.

Videographer

Sometimes it is beneficial to video sections of the lesson. For example, you might want to video the explanation of a concept or point, or video samples of group interaction, or video student presentations. Assign a student to film the segment in question. While it might seem counterintuitive to have a student film something when they should be participating or taking notes, usually input (and intake) will be just as rich as the student focuses on recording the active.

Boardwork

If you have a lesson plan and prepared boardwork, ask a student to write it on the board. Often you will find that some students have talent in drawing and their penmanship and artwork will add new spice to the class and make boardwork more visually appealing or noticeable.

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