Whats the optimum group size for Shared Inquiry?
Groups that are sufficiently large are able to generate diverse answers to the basic question, and that’s good. If your group is very large, though, more than 20-24 students, for example, and you feel that not enough students are participating, try dividing the group in two. Some teachers conduct two discussions using different basic questions, or they have students take turns observing, taking notes, and summarizing the ideas they hear. Observing and commenting on discussion can help students develop metacognitive awareness of what discussion is all about. Very small groups (4-6 students) sometimes have trouble generating enough ideas, or enough divergent ideas. Usually, we recommend 8-12 students as a minimum, but a lot depends on how talkative your group is and whether, as a group, the participants tend to agree. If you have several shy students, a slightly larger group can give them time to feel more comfortable to talk. Sometimes, of course, you can’t avoid having a small group. T
