Kindergarten Tips for Small Group Instruction
Learn How to Successfully Manage Learning Centers
Oct 22, 2009
Most teachers will agree that a greater amount of learning takes place in smaller number groups of children. Remediation and intervention should often be carried out with only three or four students at one time. However, many kindergarten teachers are reluctant to structure their classroom schedule to include small group activities. This hesitance is not related to a doubt in the success seen when working with fewer students at one time but with the fact that other pupils are not under direct teacher instruction during this small learning group.
Beginning a regiment in which the teacher is working with only a few children at one time can be a difficult task in the early primary school grades. However, when strategies are in place and organization is carried out, the time can prove to be both enjoyable and successful for the teachers and the students. These groups are great ways to teach reading skills and enhance literacy instruction.
Manage Students not Involved in Teacher Small Group Instruction
One key factor in monitoring young students not under direct teacher instruction is to ensure that everyone has a place to be and work to complete. Many successful kindergarten ideas include smaller independent groups. These groups rotate through stations or centers such as working on computers, completing assignments, and tactile activities. Assign each student to a particular group for each period.
Practice Moving From Learning Station to Learning Station
Do not expect the students to know where to go from the very beginning. They must be trained in the proper rotation structure. It is helpful to use the same pattern daily. Making a circle around the room often makes this process easier.
Choose a rotation pattern that matches the classroom layout. For example, learning centers may move from teacher to computers to seat work, to listening center. This would provide a teacher to meet with four small groups each day. The group sections can be 15 minutes each totaling 45 minutes for the entire group time.
Discuss Procedures Before Carrying Out Small Group Rotations
Before attempting to begin your rotation time, cover all possibilities of occurrences so that students know what to do without asking the teacher. Situations to address are restroom needs, water fountain needs, forgetting the directions, what to do when finished, where to put completed work, and what happens when a computer freezes.
It is a good idea to have a special basket for students to place completed work when finished. Have a tub of books sitting near the basket in which students can take a book to look at when their assignment is fulfilled. Always have a backup plan for computers. For example, if a child experiences computer issues, he or she should look at books during the remaining computer time. This will prevent the teacher from continuously leaving the group to work on a technology issue.
Carrying out small reading groups or intervention groups in kindergarten is not a difficult task. However, it does require planning, thought, and organization. Once students are accustomed to the routine, teachers are often surprised at how much work and improvement can be accomplished during this time. Structuring organized small groups can provide many opportunities for teaching children to read.
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