I love connecting students who are ahead of pace and those who are behind. In early childhood, it’s fun and easy to develop special jobs such as Teacher’s Helper or Reading Master that help students who are ahead feel proud of their accomplishments and excited to work with their peers. My students who receive extra help through peer collaboration have always willingly accepted it. We spend a lot of time discussing what it means to be a helper (aka teacher). Much of that involves asking questions and sharing observations. I always say, “If you tell ____ the answer, then your brain is learning, but it doesn’t give them a chance to learn.” 

I also do school-wide collaboration across grades. Students who are far ahead of pace can go to a pre-K room and be the helper there. It is a very coveted job! I often try to pair students with their former pre-K teacher so they’re already comfortable in the classroom and have a rapport with the teacher. I also remember any siblings that may or may not be a good match.

In the other direction, I have middle schoolers come down to be with my students as helpers. Again, they are often former students of mine, so we already have a relationship, and they understand what to expect. We talk about what it means to help a kindergartener and how their developmental levels are different. Depending on the student’s needs and skill levels, I’ll let one of the middle schoolers run a small center or work 1-1 with a specific student. I also take lots of pictures of the collaboration to add more excitement and motivation to get to participate. 

Additionally, I spend a lot of time discussing the importance of learning with others. We talk about the fact that when you can explain your thinking to someone else, it helps you learn more. Often, the students who are far ahead of pace are academically strong but have many social skills as personal goals to work on. We write and draw those out to target what students should focus on so they understand that growth and help go both ways. 

We also talk a lot about a classroom family and our purpose in school, which is to learn and care for each other. When that is explicitly stated as a norm, it’s much easier to get students to participate. However, if a student prefers to work independently most of the time, I don't force collaboration on the student. In that case, I make sure to help facilitate peer collaboration, identify the barriers to success, and set goals for the work to gradually be released to the students so they can do it independently.

One-on-one instruction: One-on-one instruction is ideal for students who have watched videos, had peer support, and are still not quite grasping a concept. During a time when students are independent, whether that’s during self-paced learning or independent play, I pull students 1-1 to practice a skill. I base the student and their skills on the data I’ve collected. Additionally, there are times when I have students who have come into the school year with many fundamental missing skills or neurodiverse needs that, without 1-1 help, are likely to remain behind pace. 

I work with students for just a few minutes at a time and identify the frequency with which I see them depending on their level of need. I have a check box system for the student, the missing skill, and the date it was worked on. It’s a very simple routine and is great data to have if I ever need it to consider pursuing an evaluation. I always communicate to my students that once they demonstrate their mastery of the skill with me, just as with a mastery check, they will no longer need to do the practice. 

Small-group instruction: I base small-group instruction on skill levels and personalities that will work well together. I differentiate group size based on where students are with pacing. Kids who are behind pace will have smaller groups so I can spend more time working with them. I also pay attention to students’ fatigue throughout the centers they rotate through. If I notice my groups that are behind pace do best when they see me first thing, I’ll structure it that way. If I notice they need time to settle into rotations, I’ll let them start at an independent center. Often, the students ahead of pace who are selected to be helpers might “push in” to our small groups to support one student alongside me. Again, the content we work on is based on the data and what students need support with. 

In terms of routines, I have a visual chart that I use. Everything is laminated with velcro on the back, so it will last the school year and can easily be edited day by day. It shows student names, pictures of their faces, and possible groups they might be in, and labeled with pictures and words. The chart has arrows to show the direction they are going in, so any student who has trouble remembering the pattern can refer to it or reach out to peers for help. When first introduced, we pause between centers and point to where our bodies will go. We talk about what it means to clean up the center before they rotate, how to manage feelings if they don’t feel ready to transition, and where any materials need to be put away. I use a timer on my phone to keep track of the rotations, so when the alarm goes off, we all pause, put our hands on our ears, take a breath to re-regulate, and then make the quick shift.

Whole-group instruction: Whole-group instruction is exclusively left for reflections. At the end of the reading block, students have the opportunity to share their work and/or what they are proud of. I also might ask how they demonstrated a personal goal we’ve been working on, such as resilience, cooperation, or adaptability. We celebrate individual choices with a cheer. We also discuss how we did as an entire class. If everyone did something we are working on as a classroom community, we move a marble into a jar for the visual representation. Once the jar is filled, we brainstorm a way to celebrate our great choices.