The place of groupwork practice within the lecture theatre: Promoting self-directed learning, student reflection and orbital communication via the entwined endeavours of teaching, role play and facilitation

Abstract: HE is increasingly encouraging rhetorical notions of student centred learning, where the value of pedagogic content is sited upon the student, who is likely to be the novice. Such circumstances place tension upon the lecturer to fulfil policy directives whilst also promoting their discipline. This paper argues that such a predicament can be addressed via the inclusion of groupwork and role play within the lecture theatre, so as to reconcile the interplay between teaching and facilitation. The paper illustrates its argument via lecturer and student reflections; promoting a beneficial form of pedagogy which provides opportunities for students to share lived experiences so as to encourage reflection upon theory learnt. The pedagogy also allows for students to engage in and thus understand group dynamics and groupwork practices so as to be better placed to evaluate their own learning. Keywords: facilitation; teaching; orbital communication; co-construction of knowledge; self-directed groupwork; large groups; higher education; role play