Re-imagining Small Group Learning
Education is tough, demanding work. With all of the demands on time, increased district initiatives, added pressures, and the oodles of meetings...it's a day-to-day juggling act. And, yet, it’s so worth it! That’s because when you see a kiddo's face light up because she makes a connection or figures something out that was tricky, when a group of kids share hot reads or book recommendations for their book stacks, or when a kiddo comes bursting through the door to tell you about a cool science experiment or about his painting that made it into the art show, it fills you with pure JOY! Proximity is what makes all of this happen. It’s a fact – the closer we get to our students’ thinking and their work, the more we can learn about their wants and needs as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, historians, thinkers, creators, and doers. Once we are "in the know", we can design learning opportunities that meet those wants and needs.
This workshop is designed to give an overview of the 5 teacher moves Julie describes in her book, What Are You Grouping For? How to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers—Not the Book (Corwin, 2018). Participants will learn practical tools and actionable steps essential for launching and sustaining the management of small groups that can be applied to all content areas. Through classroom examples, participants will learn about the 5 moves that work together to support students’ independence through small group learning—kidwatching, pivoting, assessing, curating, and planning—and will leave the session having a clearer understanding of the why and how behind small group learning opportunities.
