Small Group Instruction

By Julia Favata

Workshop

What is Small Group Instruction?

Small group instruction is used to reteach or even preteach a lesson. It is used for teachers to meet with students and provide additional teaching and practices that struggling students may need to master important skills or understand key concepts.

What Does The Research Say?

Small Group Instruction...

Offers an environment for teachers to provide students extensive opportunities to express what they know and recieve feedback from other students and the teacher.
allows for instructional conversations which are easier to conduct and support with a small group of students
is shown to allow students in small groups in the classroom to learn significantly more than students who were not instructed in small groups
is proven to be more superior to one-on-one instruction
has benefits, which include more efficient use of teacher and student time, lower cost, increased instructional time, increased peer interaction, and opportunities for students to improve generalization of skills

"A teacher in a differentiated classroom does not classify herself as someone who already differentiates instruction. Rather that teacher is fully aware that every hour of teaching, every day in the classroom can reveal one more way to make the classroom a better match for its learners."

-Carol Ann Tomlinson

Key Terms

Inquiry-based Learning

An approach that emphasizes the students role in the learning process. Students are encouraged to explore the material, ask questions, and share their ideas.

Project-based Learning

A method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge.

Productive struggle

The state of engagement that enables students to work through increasingly challenging problems and new problems that they have never seen before.

Exploration

A learning approach which helps children learn through curiosity and inquiry.

Share and Reflect

Systematic reviewing process for teachers which allows students to make links from one experience to the next.

Engage and Inspire

The degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when learning which extends to the level of motivation they have to progress.

Strategies

Implications For Practice:

Teacher lead small groups - A teacher could create an activity for students to engage in and then observe what they do, asking probing questions to learn how they're engaging in the task. By doing this, it can lead to better planning and instruction on the teachers part. It is also an opportunity to assess and clearly identify what students have already learned.
Flexible Grouping - This is a way to provide additional support to students without having to find time to change your daily schedule to pull students aside. This way teachers can use a variety of grouping formats at different times, determined by such criteria as students' skills, prior knowledge, or interest. Flexible groups may be particularly valuable for students with LD who require explicit, intensive instruction in reading as well as opportunities for collaborative group work with classmates who are more proficient readers.
Student lead small groups - This procedure allows students to take turns assuming the role as the leader and guiding reading instruction through question direction and answer facilitation.

Differentiation

Informal Assessing - As a child responds to directions, the teacher is continuously assessing for understanding in a variety of ways. Such as, oral responses, tracking to check for one-to-one correspondence when a student is reading...etc.
Scaffolding - Breaking down the task into do-able chucks and then using what the students know to help them figure out what they do not know.
Providing multiple opportunities to practice - materials are ready, appropriate level and flexible
Allowing for immediate and corrective feedback - this best practice strategy of providing extensive personalized feedback is especially effective in small group verses whole group
Building student confidence as they experience success - because of the small group setting, teachers can enhance motivation and provide opportunities for each student to experience success resulting in greater student involvement and increased confidence.
Building relationships - potential for developing positive attitudes and making connections to deepen the bonds between teacher, student, and classmates

Assessment

Small Group Reading Instruction Assessment

Nonsense word reading (standardized) readingsimplified.com/reading-test

Used to compare a students progress with other students of the same age
encourages students to rely on their sound-based decoding skills to tackle a word, rather than relying on memory
You can give a student a test like this by showing them a list of nonsense words such as mant, sost, glamp, spren, and so on
By keeping score as you go you can find out if the student is flying through the CVC or the CVCC words
continue to increase the difficulty level and stop when you reach the point when the student is unable to read the nonsense words in any given level

Quick Assessment (word ID) readingsimplified.com/reading-test

Used to identify a child's word identification level
Give students a list of graded words and test them to see how well they do with those words
A great way to get an accurate estimate of a students reading ablilty and is designed to indicate a child's ability (or inability) to read words at each grade level
results will help you find appropriate reading materials for each student

Reading Rate (That relates to Word ID above) readingsimplified.com/reading-tests

Relates back to their performance or the outcome of the previous word identification test
Once you determine a child's word identification level and discover what grade level words they can read, you should give them that level passage to check the reading rate
It is important to always give the student a reading rate passage at their word identification level. As a teacher you need to base your choice on the student's word ID. Then, choose a graded passage to give to the student to read aloud.
You need to give the child time to read the passage, all you need is one minute of words read correctly. Then, compare the results to the norms.

Anchor Charts

4th Grade: Guided Math

3rd Grade: Guided Reading

Kindergarten: Phonics Instruction

References

Miller, A. (2020, July 13). Strategies for Improving Small Group Instruction. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/strategies-improving-small-group-instruction
Small Group Alternative Lesson All Differentiated Reading Instruction: Reading First. (2017, March 10). Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://studylib.net/doc/13720641/small-group-alternative-lesson-all-differentiated-reading...
Small Group Instruction: How to Make it Effective - Teacher Professional Learning: Literacy, Math: MTSS. (2019, May 14). Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.corelearn.com/small-group-instruction-blog/
Submitted by louiz (not verified) on June 1, & Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 11. (2013, November 14). Grouping Students Who Struggle With Reading. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/grouping-students-who-struggle-reading
What Matters Most in Small Group Instruction? (2019, December 27). Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://roomtodiscover.com/small-group-instruction/

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse