Why Small Groups?
We are social beings.
Our students are social beings.
Think of your own professional development and what causes you to engage
more deeply… sitting and soaking in ideas independently? Or do you find yourself more engaged when given
the opportunity to connect and discuss ideas and application with colleagues? Often, it is a combination of approaches that
help us internalize our learning. The
same is true for our students.
We know that small group instruction, the opportunity for
students to work together with the support of a teacher, is effective practice
at any level. “Hattie’s (2009) research suggests
a .82 effect size boost in learning growth from the dialogue of group work”
(Mattos, 2016). Creating small groups
allows us to practice differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction is not intended to
result in completely individualized instruction for every student, but it is
intended to better meet the needs of the wide variety of students we serve. We see guided reading groups in primary
grades and strategy-based groups that can work in a variety of levels. Another way to create flexible groups is
based on student needs, as determined through formative assessment. Flexible grouping is not only great at any
level, it works in any content area!
Our formative assessment data provides a wealth of
information for us around what students are able to do and what misconceptions
they still have. When one creates groups
based on learning needs, it allows a teacher to more easily differentiate
content, process, or product for each group.
As groups work collaboratively on a task, it also allows the teacher to
insert him or herself with groups to coach, prompt, and cue according to their
specific needs (Fisher & Frey, 2014).
"These flexible groups gather students together who need
reteaching, additional time, or extending learning." The key to these groups is their flexibility, “we don't want
to enter into systems that result in long-term tracking,” but instead when we
create groups by target, by student, we are much more likely to provide
responsive instruction for our students (Mattos, 2016).
For example, when reviewing student summaries, a teacher
might see students who have all the key ingredients (main idea and supporting
details) but need help putting it together in writing. Other students might be able to recognize
supporting details but are having a hard time synthesizing a main idea. Still others might have the main idea but the
details they've chosen are irrelevant.
Each group has very different needs all based around the same
target. A teacher can design
collaborative practice for each group that will meet them where they are and
help them move forward, while planning to coach or provide the additional
instruction each group needs.
If you're interested in collaborating around needs-based
grouping and instruction to meet the needs of your learners, contact your coach
– we'd be happy to help!
Fisher, D. and Nancy Frey (2014). Better Learning
Through Structured Teaching. Alexandria: ASCD.
Mattos, M. (2016). Best Practices at Tier 1.
Bloomington: Solution Tree.