Purpose-Driven Small Groups

Small groups offer more than just an opportunity for teamwork. Small group instruction, which usually occurs after a whole-class lesson, gives students time to ask questions, work out misunderstandings, and refine skills. Because of this, small groups can significantly enhance the educational experience. 

Benefits of Small Groups

• Active Engagement: Small groups create an environment where students actively engage in discussions, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Students gain a deeper understanding of healthcare concepts and learn to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios.

• Collaborative Learning: Collaboration is a fundamental skill in healthcare. Small groups facilitate peer-to-peer learning, allowing students to share diverse perspectives and exchange experiences.

• Skill Refinement: In healthcare, practical skills are paramount. Small groups provide a basis for hands-on skill practice. Whether it's suturing techniques, patient communication, or diagnostic exercises, students can refine their abilities in a supportive setting.

• Personalized Guidance: In small groups, you can offer tailored guidance and feedback. This personalized attention helps identify individual learning needs, allowing you to address gaps and provide specific assistance where required.

• Critical Reflection: Small group learning encourages students to reflect on clinical cases, ethical dilemmas, and treatment approaches. 

Leo, our enterprise software platform, is designed to streamline learning in healthcare education. Whether it’s small group, whole-class, face-to-face, or virtual, Leo can help you incorporate various methods of instruction and set your students up for success.

Incorporating Small Groups 

• Set Clear Objectives: Define the purpose of each small group session, whether it's case discussions, skill workshops, or problem-based learning. Clear objectives help students know what they should be learning. 

In Leo, you can link your session objectives and materials to a course or an event so they can be shared across the various small groups. And with Leo’s central calendar, students can access materials, consume content and receive important updates in one place.

• Create Diverse Groups: Groups with diverse backgrounds, skills, and perspectives mirror the real-world healthcare environment, where interdisciplinary collaboration is key. Leo helps you create small groups ahead of time and allows you to easily adjust as needed to achieve that balance of learners in any small group. 

• Use Active Learning Techniques: Interactive methods such as role-playing, case-based discussions, and simulations prepare students for realistic scenarios. 

• Offer Immediate Feedback: Real-time feedback is critical whether small group learning is conducted in a face-to-face environment or online. 

With Leo, there are many ways you can provide real-time feedback. Discussion boards are great for online small group collaboration. And, in Leo, evaluations and assessments, such as the Group Readiness Assessment Test (GRAT), can be sent directly to each student’s Academic Portrait, allowing both you and your students to view their results for immediate remediation.

Teaching with small groups offers several advantages for students in healthcare education, from skill refinement to collaborative learning. Purposely aligning small group learning with your curriculum can boost student success. Contact us today to learn more about how Leo can help you improve student outcomes with small groups.