Group Development

Back to Online Tutoring Mini-Course

Online activities are one aspect of strategic tutoring which promote group learning and result in less online tutoring time. Group activities should have the following characteristics:

• authentic and relevant learning activities
• can take any form of structured participative group work online
• are based on one key topic or question to make online e-moderating easy and to provide motivation, engagement and purpose

Worksheets, online bulletin boards, and threaded discussions are examples of tools which can be used for such activities (see Edoboard: The Tutors Online Toolbox). Effective group learning activities may include an illustrative title, a stimulus or challenge, invitations to learners to post messages, postings to which others can add, and summaries, critiques or feedback from the teacher.

Return to: Unit 2 - Methods of Pedagogy