Bulletin Special Supplement Jun 1965

Se c t i on 5: Sma l l - g r o up t e a c h i ng L5.1 Both the Report of the Fulton Commission (p. 98) and, mor e strongly, the Report of the Committee on Teaching Methods , emphasise the need for small-group teaching (the term used is "tutorials"), in particular in the student's early years o f study. We in our turn wish strongly to endorse these recommendations; we begin by setting out our reasons, from which we deduce certain views on the kinds of teaching that may come under this heading. L5.2 We begin w i th students i n their first two years. Evidence submitted to the Committee on teaching methods underlined that, given the young men and women arriving straigh t f r om school, it was not easy in many cases for the teacher to elicit an active response to his teaching. Reference was made to students' passive note-making and note-learning, to their unwillingness at any stage, earl y or late, to take an interest in matters outside the syllabus, and to their reluctance to undertake work not obviously of help in preparing for examinations. Th is state of things implies also a reluctance to think critically, or to develop habits of independent work which the graduate is expected to possess when he faces the tasks awaiting h im afte r he leaves the University: qualities which (incidentally) the employer w i ll also look for in him, and which are essential in postgraduate work. There is moreover an obvious relation between this problem and the whole challenge of general education. We have already touche d on matters in which the problems facing the Chinese University are closely similar to those encountere d in universities in many other countries. Th i s problem is likewise encountered in most systems of higher education, and it has its roots in social and educational background features which have analogie s in other countries. T o be brief, there is wide agreement that the most effective remedy has been found in small-group teaching, in one f o rm or another. Why ? Because in a lecture, however good, it is possible for the student to remain a passive observer or note-taker: in a discussion, seminar or "tutorial" period, p r o p e r l y c o n d u c t e d , he is forced to be active; and his teacher, by prope r selection of material, can both ensure that he attains knowledge of the factual or conceptua l core of a topic and help h im to acquire for himself a critical and constructive attitude to its use in fresh problems or fields. Both these attainments are essential; without the second, the first is but a wasting asset , since the frontiers of knowledge advance ever y day; without the first, the second is insecure or unreal. L5 .3 But before we assume the problems in principle to he solved b y small-group teaching, and proceed to detail, we would wish to consider further the double aspect just mentioned. It is possible to use an hour w i th a small group of students to find out whethe r each of them has really understood a lecture or a set of readings connected w i th part of a course, to help them over their difficulties and to help them to continue their work in a more effective way. We w i l l call this kind of work "coaching"; and we attach no unfavourable sense to the word. I t is also possible to utilise such a period to make students think harder and further for themselves about the content of a lectur e or readings. We might call this "coaxing " In each case, this teaching is student-centred; in consequence, th e aim is to work at the level of th e student, not far above his head; to utilise his or her ideas and knowledge, extending these where possible but not bewildering h im by racing ahead of h i m; an d so to build strong foundations, the ground floor before the next floor, and so on, at the student's best speed, and not faster. L5.4 There is a further and even more important preliminary point. Passivity ca n certainly he overcome to a large extent by discussion properly conducted in small groups. But equall y important, perhaps more important for overcoming passivity, is the work which the student is required to do in preparation of the discussion-period. Now , much of the evidence submitted to the Committee, and also the report itself, (page 5, paragraph 11.b ) referred to the difficulty of finding time for tutorials w i th a staff-student ratio of 1:10. We acknowledge the great importance of this point. Indeed, our efforts in this section are directed towards studyin g the problem of how to make the best use of scarce and precious manpower. But these efforts must at the start take full account of the principle, which we regard as self-evident, that the student should devot e as much time to the preparation of the course as is needed to ensure the greatest usefulness of the teacher's effort and the fullest benefit to the student. L5.5 T o illustrate our approach and the importance of this assumption, we ma y take a simple abstract example, in which ten students follow o n l y one three-hour weekly course of lectures, doing two hours private study on each lecture. I f one of the three weekly lectures is replaced by fortnightly tutorial s w i t h groups of five students (each group in alternate weeks), the teacher's number of contact hours remains the same. He must o f necessity revise his syllabus, cut out some topics , retain essentials. We assume that in term-time he prepare s each lecture, even on a familiar subject; some time is therefore saved in preparing lectures (say a t least one hour a week) since they are fewer; but on the other hand additional time is needed each week (say two hours) if he demands written work f r o m five of the students each week and corrects it thoroughly . Suppose then that the students are now asked to d o two hours private work on each lecture, and that for a tutorial every fortnight they are each required to prepare work, taking (say) 12 h o u r s , spread over the fortnight . The following data may be compared; 32