Organization and Management of the Classroom: Lesson 3

Lesson 3:
Working in Small Groups

One of the primary challenges for teachers and paraeducators is finding ways to make instructional activities more effective and efficient. This lesson provides information on ways that teachers and paraeducators make instructional time in the classroom more productive and rewarding by working in small instructional groups. This might include individual tutoring, small group activities led by the teacher or paraeducator, or groups of students working together as peers to practice skills or cooperatively solve a problem.

Instruction in small groups increases the amount of instructional time that the teacher or paraeducator has to spend with each student during the lesson. This allows for increased interaction between the teacher/paraeducator and the students. Students feel more comfortable in asking questions, respond more frequently, and receive more corrective feedback. Students are also less likely to be distracted by alternative activities.

Small groups are also important in organizing the classroom because they allow multiple activities to occur simultaneously. Instructional activities can be tailored more specifically to the needs of the students in the group. This contributes greatly to the flexibility of the classroom schedule.

Paraeducators become an important component of the classroom by providing instruction with small groups of students. Paraeducators also contribute by working with the remainder of the class while the teacher works with small groups of students. For more information on working with small groups please visit Developing Instructional Skills.

Purposes for Groups

Small instructional groups are established for a number of purposes:

Reinforce learning which has been introduced in previous learning activities;
Provide additional corrective and supportive feedback to students while they are in the process of mastering a skill;
Promote discussion among students and between students and the educator;
Promote communication skills;
Develop cooperation; and/or
Introduce skills needed by one or more students.

Understanding the purpose of the group activity is important in determining your role in working with the group.

Strategies for Creating Groups

Teachers often rely on a variety of strategies for assigning students to groups. The choice of which strategy to utilize often depends on the particular purpose of the instructional activity and the characteristics of the students. The following are example of several strategies for assigning students to groups.

A common school goal is teaching students to work effectively together. Groups provide an excellent opportunity to effectively integrate students and teach social skills. When students contribute to common goals it breaks down barriers between students and contributes to the integration process.

Heterogenius Ability Levels: Groups are selected so that they include students of all ability levels and backgrounds. These can promote sharing of ideas, integration and cooperation.
Social Skill Grouping: Students are grouped in order to create an advantageous setting for developing social skills.
Integration: Groups are formed to allow selected students to be integrated with other students in the classroom. This provides the opportunity to learn from student's individual differences. This is also done to integrate students who are isolated.
Curriculum/Task Grouping: Students are assigned to groups based on where they are in the curriculum. Students are grouped so that they may work on similar skills. This is often done for the convenience of the group leader.
Random Grouping: New groups are formed by randomly assigning students to groups.
Enjoyment: Some groups of students enjoy working together and are productive.

Group activities may be either directed by the teacher/paraeducator or may be established so that students assist each other in learning the material. In both teacher/paraeducator led groups and peer groups, a specific lesson or activity is used.

Making Groups Effective & Efficient

Small instructional groups can be a highly effective method of instruction. Student groups can also waste teachers' and students' time if poorly organized and managed. In order to be effective, the size, duration, and composition of the group must match the task. In addition, the group activity must be carefully planned and communicated to the students. Students must be taught the skills necessary to work effectively in groups. Groups must be properly directed and supervised during learning activities. Finally students must be accountable for their own performance and the performance of the group. Paraeducators play a vital role in the successful implementation of small group instruction.

Group Size

Groups usually range from two to six students. Small groups of 2-3 students have several advantages. They require fewer "group skills" and are more effective when time is limited. Larger groups have other advantages, they allow for more integration and sharing a larger number of ideas. Teachers typically teach "group skills" first in smaller groups and then increase the size of the groups. Group size may also depend on the type of activity and the availability of materials. For example, small groups may be most effective for drill and practice type activities where the number of student responses is important. Research or problem solving activities may be more effective with more group members and more diversity of group roles.

Duration of the Group

The length of time which a particular group of students remain together varies greatly depending on the characteristics of the students and the type of task assigned to the group. Some groups may be assigned to research a topic and develop a report, a task which may take weeks to complete. Other groups may be formed for one day or period to complete a practice or review activity. Decisions about when to change group composition are often made by the teacher based on the purpose of the group.

Teaching Students To Work in Groups

One key to effective groups is to recognize that students need to learn the skills necessary to work in groups. These skills must be identified and specifically taught to students.

Basic group skills include:

Identifying the purposes of the group;
Taking turns & cooperative behavior;
Presenting practice materials;
Following directions;
Correcting errors;
Providing supportive comments and assistance; and
Recording performance.

These groups skills require specific instruction and practice just as other classroom skills and knowledge do. Students need the opportunity to learn necessary knowledge and group skills in steps which include:

Teacher identifies and explains skills necessary to work in groups;
Teacher models behavior;
Students practice working first in small groups with well defined activities;
Teacher/Para provides clear knowledge of the expected outcomes of the group activity;
Teacher/Para reinforces students using group skills; and
Students move to larger and more complex groups as skills increase.

Clarifying Group Activities

The effectiveness of group activities is dependent on the clarity of the directions provided to students. As noted in the previous sections, the teacher and the paraeducator must clarify the purpose of the group and the activities to be completed. They must also monitor and support students working in groups.

All members of the groups should:

Know the purpose of the group;
Know the rules for the group activity;
Have a way to contribute to group activity; and
Have skills for working in groups or the opportunity to learn/practice these skills.

Actively Involving All Group Members

Group activities must actively involve all members of the group. One of the central purposes of small group activities is to increase the amount of time students spend actively interacting with the learning material and increase the amount of interaction with the teacher/paraeducator. During group activities it is important that :

All members of the group have an important and identified role;
Leadership of the group is shared (when it is a peer group activity); and
The success of the group is dependent on all members of the group.

The literature on cooperative learning suggest that groups should be set up to create positive interdependence by establishing mutual goals, dividing the work among all members of the group, dividing materials and resources among group members, assigning different roles to individuals in the group and by providing group rewards. The following strategies contribute to the involvement of students in group activities:

Question students frequently. This increases students opportunity to respond. Ask students to respond in unison. Ask students to respond randomly;
Ensure that all students participate;
Use signals and prompts to indicate transitions to new activities;
Be enthusiastic; and
Reward correct student responses often.

Lesson 4: Maintaining Learner Involvement contains further information on keeping students involved in lessons.

Accountability

Accountability for learning is especially important in group activities. Each member of the group should be expected to participate and contribute to the group activity. The groups and the activities should be designed so that each student has the potential to be successful regardless of his/her current skill level. Group activities should be designed so that each student is held accountable for both what he/she learns and for the success of other members of the group. Often students earn points both for their own performance and for the performance of the rest of the group. Paraeducators play key roles in monitoring the effectiveness of group activities.

Monitoring Group Effectiveness

Monitoring group effectiveness provides both accountability and the opportunity to learn additional skills for working in groups. Often students are asked to spend time discussing the activities of the group and identify ways in which the group can operate more effectively. Secondly the teacher and/or paraeducator monitors the group and provides feedback on its effectiveness. The paraeducator may be asked to contribute by observing and recording: the participation of individual group members, observance of group procedures, appropriate interactions among group members, and the performance on the academic tasks. For more information on techniques for observing and recording behavior in the classroom please refer to Unit 6: Observing and Recording Student Performance.

The Role of Paraeducators in Small Group Instruction

Roles of the paraeducator in promoting effective groups include:

The paraeducator must be aware of the purpose of the group activity and accurately convey this to the group.
The paraeducator must be familiar with the planned activity and convey this to the group.
The paraeducator should assist in teaching students appropriate group procedures.
The paraeducator should prepare necessary instructional and work materials prior to group activity to facilitate smooth delivery of the activity.
The paraeducator should develop skills for initiating and carrying out instructional activities efficiently.
The paraeducator should reinforce students for appropriate group behavior and for learning.
The paraeducator keeps track of students contributions and participation in the group.
The paraeducator monitors and records student performance.
The paraeducator provides the opportunity for students to ask questions.
The paraeducator works to increase students attention and time spent actively engaged in learning activities.

Project PARA 311 Barkley Center Lincoln, NE 68583-0738 (402) 472-8737 para@para.unl.edu