Supplemental instruction (SI)
Supplemental instruction (SI) is a pedagogical method used in several courses at the University. It is a voluntary addition to other teaching and does not replace lectures or teacher-led practice sessions.
What is SI?
In short, SI means that students gather in study groups outside the regular schedule. SI meetings take place under the leadership of an experienced student who has previously taken the course, a so-called SI leader. Their task is to guide the students through the study material and to get the students to take responsibility for their own learning.
By varying approaches and group exercises, the SI leader gives the students their own tools to solve the problems. The SI leader’s main task is to be a sounding board for the group and not to give the answers. This is to make the students realizs that the responsibility for learning lies with them.
SI is based on a good connection between teaching teachers and the SI leader, and the SI leader training emphasises the importance of not stepping into the teacher’s role. It is the SI leader who manages the SI meeting together with the study group without the teacher’s presence. This means that the students are given the freedom to ask all kinds of questions without being assessed.
Should questions remain after a group meeting, these are handed over to the teacher so that they can be brought up during regular teaching.
Why SI?
SI is most suitable for use in courses that have a lot of withdrawals or that are considered difficult by the students.
SI should be used at the beginning of the education to have the greatest effect. In addition to a greater understanding of the subject in the course, a good study technique is also established. The learning takes place in a positive environment in collaboration with other students, which makes it easier to absorb the study material in a better way. The teacher gets a more active group of students who are less dependent on tutoring and who also better understand their own role in learning.
By avoiding unnecessary failures, better study results are achieved, which reduces dropouts from the education. A better understanding of the subject also provides a more stable foundation for subsequent courses. SI is a good investment because the student gets better study results and thereby increases the number of students who finish the courses.
Background
SI was developed at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, USA, in the early 1970s, and came to Sweden in 1994. Today, SI is available at over 1,500 universities worldwide, and since 2005 also at Halmstad University. SI is applied to many different courses at the University.
The method is now also applied in many primary schools and upper secondary schools.
