Expert Groups
1. What are Expert Groups?
Expert groups usually contain three to five students who are expected to work interdependently to achieve a common goal. As a pre-reading strategy, each expert group will become well-versed in a topic for the purpose of presenting their findings to the entire class before diving into a new and potentially complicated topic. For example, a teacher may create four expert groups prior to reading William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. One expert group (Group A) will watch a video about The Globe Theatre; a second group (Group B) will research online the time period in which the play was written; a third group (Group C) will learn about the author by reading a biography or article; and a fourth group (Group D) will view a PowerPoint presentation on Shakespearean Sonnets. You may notice that the difficulty of the subject matter increases with the group letter, making expert groups an effective instructional tool for differentiation; moreover, the way in which the expert groups decide to relay their information is up to the group itself, leaving room for creativity. As a reading strategy, the class will be given a common text; however, each expert group may be required to look for something different within the text, including, but not limited to, text features, vocabulary, literary techniques, tone, etc. As a post-reading strategy, expert groups may be asked to respond to and/or reflect upon different aspects of the text or unit, create a final assessment, provide feedback on the text or unit for the purpose of guiding the teacher’s future instruction, write a poem or song that summarizes the text or unit, create a video or presentation on the text or unit, etc. This strategy can be modified for use in any grade for any subject.
2. Why Would I Teach This Strategy?
Expert groups are valuable in that they provide interdependence in the classroom and lend itself naturally to differentiating instruction since learning experiences can be differentiated by content based on student readiness and interests. This strategy is beneficial because the format can be learned and practiced by students so that it becomes routine; then, it can be modified for use as a pre, during, or post-reading strategy; additionally, the groups’ tasks will change depending on the content to be learned and shared. What is most important, perhaps, is that students are required to teach what they have learned, so the accountability factor is high, making students work that much harder and learn that much more.
3. How Would I Teach This Strategy?
I would use this strategy in my ninth grade English class to introduce a new piece of literature within a thematic unit. Oftentimes, students are bombarded with information at the start of a novel and the lessons tend to be teacher-orientated. Expert groups allow students to take ownership of information and teach it to their peers. I would extend this strategy into a Jigsaw activity, in which home groups would also be assigned and what a student learns in his/her expert group will be shared with his/her home group. This ensures that each student has become proficient in a topic so much so that he/she can then teach it to the members of his/her home group. When setting out to read John Steinbeck’s novella The Pearl I would create four expert groups and four home groups (assuming that I have 16 students); then, I’d make sure that the expert groups were based on ability, while the home groups were as heterogeneous as possible. By doing so, weaker students could become experts in a simpler topic, like an author study, while advanced students could tackle more difficult concepts, like the oral story-telling tradition in Mexico. For further differentiation, the mode in which information is transmitted can be altered to suit the interests and abilities of the group. A video may work well for some students, while an article might be best for others. I would be sure to circulate the room to monitor participation and understanding along the way, but I would ensure that the lessons were student-centered.
Credit to: Helen Brannelly-Wils
1. What are Expert Groups?
Expert groups usually contain three to five students who are expected to work interdependently to achieve a common goal. As a pre-reading strategy, each expert group will become well-versed in a topic for the purpose of presenting their findings to the entire class before diving into a new and potentially complicated topic. For example, a teacher may create four expert groups prior to reading William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. One expert group (Group A) will watch a video about The Globe Theatre; a second group (Group B) will research online the time period in which the play was written; a third group (Group C) will learn about the author by reading a biography or article; and a fourth group (Group D) will view a PowerPoint presentation on Shakespearean Sonnets. You may notice that the difficulty of the subject matter increases with the group letter, making expert groups an effective instructional tool for differentiation; moreover, the way in which the expert groups decide to relay their information is up to the group itself, leaving room for creativity. As a reading strategy, the class will be given a common text; however, each expert group may be required to look for something different within the text, including, but not limited to, text features, vocabulary, literary techniques, tone, etc. As a post-reading strategy, expert groups may be asked to respond to and/or reflect upon different aspects of the text or unit, create a final assessment, provide feedback on the text or unit for the purpose of guiding the teacher’s future instruction, write a poem or song that summarizes the text or unit, create a video or presentation on the text or unit, etc. This strategy can be modified for use in any grade for any subject.
2. Why Would I Teach This Strategy?
Expert groups are valuable in that they provide interdependence in the classroom and lend itself naturally to differentiating instruction since learning experiences can be differentiated by content based on student readiness and interests. This strategy is beneficial because the format can be learned and practiced by students so that it becomes routine; then, it can be modified for use as a pre, during, or post-reading strategy; additionally, the groups’ tasks will change depending on the content to be learned and shared. What is most important, perhaps, is that students are required to teach what they have learned, so the accountability factor is high, making students work that much harder and learn that much more.
3. How Would I Teach This Strategy?
I would use this strategy in my ninth grade English class to introduce a new piece of literature within a thematic unit. Oftentimes, students are bombarded with information at the start of a novel and the lessons tend to be teacher-orientated. Expert groups allow students to take ownership of information and teach it to their peers. I would extend this strategy into a Jigsaw activity, in which home groups would also be assigned and what a student learns in his/her expert group will be shared with his/her home group. This ensures that each student has become proficient in a topic so much so that he/she can then teach it to the members of his/her home group. When setting out to read John Steinbeck’s novella The Pearl I would create four expert groups and four home groups (assuming that I have 16 students); then, I’d make sure that the expert groups were based on ability, while the home groups were as heterogeneous as possible. By doing so, weaker students could become experts in a simpler topic, like an author study, while advanced students could tackle more difficult concepts, like the oral story-telling tradition in Mexico. For further differentiation, the mode in which information is transmitted can be altered to suit the interests and abilities of the group. A video may work well for some students, while an article might be best for others. I would be sure to circulate the room to monitor participation and understanding along the way, but I would ensure that the lessons were student-centered.
Credit to: Helen Brannelly-Wils