Larry Ferlazzo is an English and social studies teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif.
The new question-of-the-week is:
What are your recommendations for how best to set up and organize small groups in classroom instruction?
In Part One , Valentina Gonzalez, Olivia Montero Petraglia, Jenny Vo, and Jennifer Mitchell provided their suggestions.
In Part Two , Irina McGrath, Ph.D., Cindy Garcia, and Serena Pariser offered their commentaries.
In Part Three , Julia Stearns Cloat, Nancy Garrity, Laura Smith, Christina Krantz, and Luiza Mureseanu shared their ideas.
Today, Laura Robb, Kimberly Ann Rimbey, Ph.D., Debbie Diller, and Paul Tarasevich wrap up the series.
Author, teacher, and consultant Laura Robb has taught grades 4 to 8 for more than 40 years and continues to coach teachers in elementary and middle school. The author of more than 40 books on literacy, Robb writes blogs; creates podcasts with her son, Evan Robb; and speaks at national and state conferences:
Ms. Wilton, a 6th grade math teacher, assesses students’ progress with algebraic equations. All but five students can solve equations for an unknown, and Ms. Wilton creates a plan to support the group of five over three consecutive days by setting aside 15 minutes of her 45-minute class. She plans to reteach and provide extra practice, so she can monitor the group’s thinking as they solve equations. The remaining students are in three groups that watch a Youtube video to review the process and then complete enrichment or extra practice by teaming up to help one another.
Ms. Wilton explains: “It’s worth taking time to support small groups, as most students improve with reteaching and extra practice. I observe how they problem solve through their think-alouds and use this information to adjust how I support them.”
This numeracy story illustrates that besides the guided- and/or strategic-reading groups ELA teachers organize, there are other pressing reasons to pull small groups together and provide supports and interventions for students in all subjects. Helping students understand a challenging concept or process early in a unit can result in enhancing understanding and in all students experiencing success.
Finding the Time
Teachers often feel pressure to move on with a topic even when one to six students require additional support. “I don’t have the time,” or “If I stop, I won’t complete all of the required units,” are comments teachers repeatedly share. However, it’s possible to pull small groups to ensure that your teaching reaches all students, especially when you target interventions and take no more then 15 minutes of class time over one to three consecutive days. I suggest consecutive classes as this provides focus for your modeling and concentrated practice for students.
You can find more time to support students by flipping the learning. Create a video of the lesson you teach and have students watch at home. Doing this allows you to model, think-aloud, show how you solve specific problems, interpret texts, compare, contrast, etc. At home, students can watch the video many times and come to class with specific questions, allowing you to clarify a concept and/or process. In addition, students have class time to practice with you as their guide and supporter as well as collaborate with peers to deepen their understanding. Moreover, flipping your class provides opportunities for you to observe students at work, interact with them, hold impromptu discussions, and assess their progress.
Formative Assessments Monitor Students’ Progress
You can monitor students’ progress using a variety of assessments throughout a unit of study. It’s best to assess often so you can catch small misunderstandings before they transform in big learning obstacles. When the purpose of assessments is to inform your knowledge of students’ progress, tell them that these are checkups that help you support their learning. Be a careful listener and observer during mini-lessons and when students practice independently with a partner or in a small group. Consider using the seven assessments that follow as guides to your instructional decisions:
Listen to questions students have during mini-lessons and while they practice during class. Do questions reveal confusion or a need for clarification?
Observe students’ body language while you present a mini-lesson and think aloud to model a process. Do students avoid watching the lesson or are they engaged in another activity?
Observe students’ practice following a mini-lesson. Circulate among them. Are they able to complete the task using your demonstration notes independently?
Learn from homework. Did students successfully complete homework or does it indicate a need for extra help?
Have a brief meeting to discuss what students feel confuses them or the kind of help they believe they need. Can you group students with similar needs or do you feel the entire class need reteaching?
Ungraded assessments can be used for frequent checks on the level of students’ understanding. Can you move to the next concept or part of the process?
Exit slips show what students remember and understand after a lesson followed by student practice. Would students benefit from extra practice at this point or can you move forward?
Listening to and observing students occurs throughout class and enables you to identify those who might require immediate support. Avoid overusing quizzes or exit slips. Instead, continually circulate as students work and offer on-the-spot help, which can clear up many confusions.
Closing Thoughts
Keep the primary reason for using small groups for interventions during a unit of study at the forefront of your mind. Knowing your why and acting on it by providing support can increase every student’s knowledge and understanding of the concepts, literary elements, text structures, and notebook writing in your units of study.
