Why Small Groups Work Best for Reading Instruction and Intervention: Part 1 of 2

An elementary teacher recently told me she felt like a ringmaster, trying to manage a three-ring circus! 

She knew whole-group reading instruction wouldn't work because of the wide range of skills in her classroom. But she felt exhausted by planning for multiple small groups, discouraged by the amount of time students were left to work independently, and unsure how to align her groups to the interventions students received outside of the classroom. Fortunately, there is an alternative.

Target Instruction

The primary advantage of small groups is the ability to focus instruction on the skills students need to learn next. When everyone in the group is at roughly the same place on a skill continuum, the teacher can customize the learning so no time is wasted teaching something the students already know or don’t yet have the prerequisites to access. When all students in the group have mastered the same prerequisites and are ready for the same next skill, instruction can move at an accelerated pace, which is a key factor in preventing and intervening with reading difficulties.

Monitor and Adjust

An additional advantage of small groups is the ability to more closely monitor students and adjust instruction in real time. Teachers can be more responsive to student needs in small groups. It is easier to keep students engaged, provide immediate, affirmative, and corrective feedback, and adjust the number of responses needed for each student to reach mastery. In small groups, teachers can customize the learning process in ways that just aren't possible in a whole group.

Like the teacher mentioned here, you might be convinced of the benefits of small-group instruction but reluctant to take on planning and managing multiple small groups in your classroom.