The use of small groups
within our classrooms has a number of advantages. For starters, we know
that students tend to learn more when they actively work to construct knowledge
as opposed to when they are fed the information. We have also learned
that co-constructing knowledge within a
group tends to be even more effective and powerful. Additionally, we have learned that mixed
ability groupings offer a number of benefits, bringing together students with a
diversity of learning styles and backgrounds for a common purpose. And
then there is the development of those “soft skills” of teamwork and problem
solving, we often hear the business community and private sector tout as
critical to their operations.
Still, using small groups can be
messy. Our Type A students aren’t often fans because they know that they
could probably do the work in half the time if they could just do it on their
own. And more than a few students bemoan a grading system that might
allow a slacker to benefit from the hard work of fellow group
members.
None-the-less, students are pretty well
accustomed to the practice of small grouping, especially those who have come
through the STEM programs at VMS, where many of their big projects are based
around the model.
Considering both the baggage and the
benefits of small groups, it is probably best to be strategic with how we use
them. Here are a few ways I have incorporated them into my lessons.
Flex Grouping: This is the
practice of dividing students into groups based on their specific needs.
They differ from the ability grouping of the past in the sense that on any
given unit, you might have different combinations of students due to the fact
that they are struggling with specific concepts or skills. Flex grouping
works really well for subjects that have discrete parts that can be isolated
and developed. I might use them for
grammar and writing units where I can categorize students by areas of need: a group working on run-on sentences, a group
working on capitalization, a group working on sentence structure, a group
working on sentence variety etc.
Green Mitt / Red Mitt: For
this, you will need five or six pairs of green and red oven mitts. (You
could easily do this with little paper signs that say “agree” or “disagree” as
a less expensive option.) Break the class down into groups of four or
five. Give each group one green mitt
(which will represent “agree”) and one red mitt (which will represent
“disagree”). You begin by asking the first group a given question. They have a chance to answer the
question. The rest of the groups will
discuss the answer and either hold up the green mitt or the red mitt. If
they hold up the red mitt, they must provide the correct response. Points can be divided out to groups that
answer the question correctly. You then move on to group two and ask a second
question.
Reading Hats: I like doing
reading hats when I want a class to really read a text more deeply. Here
is how it works. I assign the class a
reading and divide them into groups.
Each member of the group is then told to read that same passage (on
their own) using a different “hat”. One person should wear the hat of
“questioner”. Their job is to develop
five or six questions around the text.
One person wears the hat of “summarizer”. One person wears the hat of “investigator”
(their job is to answer the question, “what is missing from this text”).
One person is to wear the “organizer” hat.
Their job is to discuss how the author organized the text. One person is to wear the “purpose” hat. Their job is to identify the main idea,
theme, or purpose of the text and provide evidence of it. One person is the “style editor”. Their
job is to discuss the various shortcomings and strengths of the author’s writing
style.
Slide Presentations: I’ve
frequently used small groups to present various concepts or ideas, but the
affordances of Google Slides and iPads have made this so much easier to manage
and execute. I divide the class into groups and give each group a concept
or idea to research / discuss and present to the class. I then create one slide show with a slide
designated to each group and share it through Schoology. The slides will
be a template of what I want them to cover in their presentations-- usually
divided into four or five parts so that every group member has a
responsibility. I give them maybe 20
minutes to research / discuss and populate their slide before we begin
presentations. I used to do this with the big whiteboards (and sometimes
still do when I feel that we need to put away the technology for the day), but
the digital version is pretty slick and the slides are much easier to read. It
is also easier to scaffold the structure and content of the presentations by
doing it this way.
Group Quizzes / Tests /
Papers: The logistics of this can vary depending on the situation,
but sometimes completing assessments as a group provides a more unique and
meaningful learning experience than if the student were to do it on their
own. In talking with Dan Seppala, the group test is used from
time-to-time in pre-calculus. They use
the group test as the second part of an assessment, where the students are
placed with others who have scored approximately the same as they did on the
first part. Students then work together on the group test, again making
meaning and learning collectively. I
have also worked with students on group papers, where students are divided into
groups, and then each one is responsible for one part of a five paragraph
essay: one writes the introduction, one the first main idea, one the second
main idea, one the third main idea, and one writes the conclusion.
As mentioned earlier, it
might be best to be selective in the use of small group activities.
Making good instructional decisions means that we consider whether the
particular lesson fits that approach or whether we have just done group work or
whether a given group of students would work better alone than in collaboration
with others or even whether they need to learn to work with others.
Ultimately, having small group activities as part of our repertoire gives us
more options for how to best address our students at any given time.
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