Small group video conferencing

Definitions & Key takeaways

Small group video conferencing refers to a virtual meeting where a small number of individuals, typically less than 10, participate in a live video and audio call over the internet. Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams are some of the most popular platforms used in video group conferencing. Before using small group video conferencing, it is important to have a reliable internet connection and set ground rules.

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Hi, my name is Amin Azam. I'm a psychiatrist by training and at heart, a passionate educator.

I work at three San Francisco Bay Area Health Science Universities and also at Osmosis. Today, I'd like to talk to you about how to effectively manage small group learning via video conference.

I'm gonna break up my advice into three domains, things to do before during and after the session. Number one, before the session practice yourself.

It's a good idea to create a test video conference session and familiarize yourself with the specifics of the platform that you're using.

One tip would be to use multiple uh of your own devices to simulate having multiple learners or partner with your colleagues to help you tech test the technology.

Also before the session, it's a good idea to communicate to your learners, what you expect of them before the session starts.

So you might also advise your learners to do a test run of their technology before the session. Declare if you need participants to use a screen larger than a cellphone.

For example, if you intend to share your screen and also expect students to engage with each other concurrently, then a cellphone screen is just not big enough, remind everyone to prepare and behave professionally.

For example, dressing appropriately for a school or educational setting, being in an appropriate place where you can speak or they can speak without any background distractions or background noise during the session.

Um There are several different domains to think about to optimize your efficacy. First.

In terms of running the session. One strategy is to queue up or stack the next speakers so that they know they will speak next.

So for example, we're gonna go to Nancy first and then to Jordan. And then once Jordan speaks, you'll say, OK, Jordan, you're next and then we'll go to Marwa, of course, remind everyone to mute themselves when they're not talking, using the chat feature.

I encourage you to use this for questions or getting more involvement without people talking over each other or interrupting each other.

Remind users that they can use the chat to speak to everyone or that they can send private chats to individuals on the call.

Remember however, that when the speaker is sharing their screen, they may not be able to see the chat feature concurrently.

So declare that to the learners before you start sharing your screen. So they're aware that you're not simultaneously watching the chat feed in terms of student engagement.

There's several tips I have for you. First of all, put the cameras on to engage fully present learners.

In fact, you should tell them to only turn off their camera if bandwidth is causing an issue and choppiness. But let them declare that explicitly in the chat feature, have students randomly check in by having the presenter say type yes in the chat if you hear this and this really reminds them that you're asking them to attend to what you're doing and engaging throughout the session.

As students are checking in to or joining the meeting, you can ask everyone to check in socially. This efficiently uses the delay time while you're waiting for additional learners, the usual 10 minutes after the hour type thing.

But it also can currently forces students to tech test their technology, make sure their speakers are working and their microphones, working, et cetera, et cetera.

Another tip would be to rename the audio, only participants phone numbers with their actual human names. So that way video participants know who's on the phone.

You might even consider inviting the students to rename themselves. So in their participant name, they can not only name themselves but put in parentheses where they're physically located during the session.

You might also consider asking a student volunteer to scribe the session either in the chat feature or somewhere else like in a shared document.

And that way you're capturing a log of what the dialogue was for after the session is complete. Next, in terms of managing multitasking, look, we all try to multitask all the time and we are equally guilty of it as our students.

But the science of learning will tell you that we're learning less when we multitask and we're not, it's not sticking as long.

So I want to encourage you to encourage your learners to single task for a change of pace. In fact, you might even wanna explicitly say, please don't fold laundry, please don't work out concurrently.

Please don't write other emails. My goal is to be fully present with you during this session and I'm asking you to respectfully be fully present with me as well.

In fact, you might explicitly declare that and that way you're role modeling for them the best of professional behavior in online synchronous video conference learning three after the session is complete, we ask our learners to reflect on their performance.

So I'm inviting you to reflect on your performance as somebody facilitating a small group video conference so we can continuously grow as educators.

So uh I would invite you to consider any of the following frameworks. The plus delta, what are things I did well and what are things that uh need to be improved?

The stop start key framework? What are things that I should stop doing in future video conference sessions?

What are things I will keep and what are things I should start? What's my key takeaway or carry forward into my practice?

What's the one thing, one thing that I will do differently? The next time I try small group video conference uh sessions and then lastly solicit feedback from your learners.

Let's be bravely asking our students what uh to give us feedback on how we can improve our efficacy as video small group facilitators.

So you can try any of the frameworks I mentioned above. Plus delta stop start keep key takeaway.

One improvement doesn't matter the framework but have a framework so that you can use it better yet. How about you ask our students to give us the old feedback sandwich that we ask and that we give to them when we give them feedback.

So for those who don't know that I don't know who in the in the educated world wouldn't know the feedback sandwich. Just to remind you bread is something as well meat or tofu.

If you're a vegetarian is something that you could do better and bread is something you did. Well, so good feedback is important about sort of making sure that good behavior is uh uh continuing.

Cause if we don't tell our learners or if they don't tell us what we did well, then we won't necessarily continue the good stuff too.

So ask your students to give you a feedback sandwich on ways you can improve, to be a more effective small group leader of facilitating video conference, small groups.

All right. So as a quick recap, there are several things you can do to effectively facilitate small group learning via video conference before the session practice the technology yourself and communicate your expectations to the learners during the session.

Think about how you will run the session. Use the chat feature, encourage student engagement and manage multitasking after the session.

Reflect on your own performance and solicit feedback from your learners. I hope that was helpful.

If you don't have the resources you need at your school or if you have questions, please reach out to us at partnerships at osmosis.org.

Happy educating.