Break Out Sections
I have always found small groups help students focus on course material.
Breakout sections can be useful, yes, but like any type of learning activity, success is not guaranteed.
One classic behavior pattern in small groups is that one or two members will perform the bulk of the work while the other group members will remain unengaged. This can happen even when the group size is as small as two.
One way to combat this type of behavior is to break the activity into two parts. The first part is developmental where students work together in a small group to develop some type of structural or organizational strategy to attack a problem. In the second part of the activity each student takes the strategy developed by their group and independently applies the strategy to a specific situation.
Any student who didn't engage during the group portion of the activity will be lost during the second portion of the activity. As an instructor you will observe, during the second portion of the activity, the student pestering their group-mates for the knowledge and understanding developed by their group during the first phase of the activity.
Breakout sessions can be very successful toward each student if it is made sure that each person within a group has a responsibility. Once each student is assigned something then as an instructor i use my body language and walk around the room and check with each student personally to make sure they are participating
