Expert Groups and Home Groups
Both Expert Groups and Home Groups are related to the Jigsaw Groups teaching strategy. Often they are used to create a partial Jigsaw but this type of grouping can be an on-going practice that lasts much longer than most Jigsaws. Although pure jigsaw grouping is an excellent teaching strategy the reality in most classrooms is a modified jigsaw where the use of expert groups or home groups provide a basic structure but perhaps do not carry through to a true "jigsaw" activity.
Expert Group - every member in the group becomes well-versed in a particular body of knowledge or skills. The experts are then able to share with other individuals, other groups of students or even the entire class.
Home Group - every member in the group is a support person for every other member of the group. The group members work together to ensure that each member of the group has mastered the concept or skill being taught. Members of a home group must be able to work well together and must build a trust relationship within the group.
Formation of Expert Groups
- students who share a set of skills or interests are
well-suited to the establishment of an expert group. In many cases the
experts already know something about the topic but they are generally
the group first taught the new skill. As the rest of the class is learning
and practicing the new material the members of the expert group act a
peer coaches or even peer teachers. The formation of the expert groups
will differ depending upon the desired learning outcomes. If students
are to be discussing personal issues the students may be grouped for optimum
comfort levels. If students are to be developing interpersonal skills
the individuals may be mismatched intentionally to spark opportunities
to practice new skills within the group.
Formation of Home Groups - students can be placed in home groups in a number of different ways but in all cases the group dynamics are of more concern than the subject area knowledge or skills each member brings to the group. It is important that students develop group work skills within their home group through simple exercises before putting the members in situations where they might run into conflict over the subject matter. Home groups should only be maintained over long-term projects. Short-term assignments should see students re-grouped to allow maximum interaction and understanding within the class as a whole.
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Best Practices: Pieces of the Puzzle Copyright 2003 Regina Public Schools and Saskatchewan Learning |
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