1. Small group instruction

Many of us are aware that small group instruction is a useful tool within our teacher toolbox, but the most important aspect is how we categorize our students. Step one begins with evaluating all the characteristics of my students. To name a few, I consider:

• Communication abilities
• Motivation factors
• Personal and therapeutic goals
• Strengths and/or weaknesses of each student in relation to the subject
• Cognitive ability
• Adaptations required for the lesson

After I consider these aspects for each student, I place my students into small groups based on common characteristics and adaptations. For example, if I have three students who use an eye-gaze device for communication, I will group them together. I will also group students based on their therapeutic goals and/or cognitive levels. Grouping in this way will assist my team and I to focus on those specialized needs and promote more engagement.

2. Motivating instruction

Grouping students based on their motivation is a powerful tool I often use. After I have grouped students based on similar characteristics and adaptations, I then consider what motivates them to participate within a lesson. This helps me plan and deliver a lesson that’s sure to get their attention. For example, I may have students who prefer hands-on activities and experiences. I also may know that one of their occupational therapy goals is to stack blocks, incorporating fine and gross motor skills. So, when I deliver a math lesson on addition, I would set up an activity involving that skill, that ends in students solving simple addition problems.

3. Using learning stations

Once my students are properly grouped, I then maximize the use of my room. While I plan my lessons, I thoroughly evaluate the setup of my lesson to meet the needs of my students and their groups. I plan the setup of learning stations that will make instruction easier and meet the goals of my students. An easy way to implement this is the use of the sensory bins I incorporate within my lessons and in our learning stations. Many of my students have sensory needs, so I tend to make a sensory bin for every lesson, to incorporate activities that can meet those needs and help students to focus on the lesson. Check out course sixteen in our micro-credential series, Physical Movement and Sensory Integration, to learn more about how we work to integrate movement and sensory needs within the classroom.

When learning sight words, a great bin to create is one with shaving cream for letter tracing or foam letters for identification and spelling. Applied within a lesson, I would have the students trace out the letters of their new word, with or without assistance, based on their cognitive level and physical ability. The bin could also be used by pulling the foam letters out of the shaving cream (or material of your choice) to identify them and form the word.

Learning stations allow small groups to be more effective, engaging, and help us organize based on the needs of our classroom.

These three strategies are just a few easy and valuable tips to implement within your classroom! If you are interested in learning more on personalized learning, look at our micro-credential. We are here to be your learning resource and exceptional education experts!

Savannah Moffett, Exceptional Education Teacher & Content Creator