Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Christina Mariscal
Children are unique in every way, from their gender, ethnicity, personality, and even the
way they learn, therefore, each child needs an individual or small group approach to obtain an
efficient learning experience. With it being said that each child learns differently at a different
rate, it might be impossible to even consider planning an activity for each individual child, but
planning for a small group of children, who their learning abilities are similar, might seem not so
impossible, and yet the outcome will be beneficial for all children and the educator. Planning and
implementing activities for small groups have many positive effects, such as children having the
opportunity to have learning experience adapted to their abilities and understanding. Planning for
the specific need of the child builds self-confidence and strength in learning strategies.
Furthermore, planning and implementing activities for small group also improves the childs
social, emotional, self-awareness development as it provides a regular time to interact with peers.
The childrens cognitive domain also expands and the child excels during small group activities
due to the interaction and discussion among their peers. Furthermore, there are many concepts to
Consider the objectives and the outcomes an educator wish to obtain by planning
activities for small groups. Think of the many ways why it would be beneficial to plan and
implement activities for small groups. First of all, by observing the child at play the educator will
identify the childs needs and interests as individuals, therefore the educator may establish
groups that involve children with the same interest and needs. How would this benefit the child
and educator? As the child is presented with material that he or she is interested in, it will be
more likely that the child focus and participate in the activity. In the article Planning and
Presentation it declares that we have seen that one of the advantages of small group teaching is
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that it provides opportunities for in-depth discussion, reflection and consolidation of learning
(para. 2); therefore, arranging the children in small groups will develop social skills among them.
The children will have the opportunity to share their ideas and knowledge with their classmates.
An article by the University of Waterloom, Implementing group work in the classroom expresses
that, group work can be an effective method to motivate students, encourage active learning,
and developed key critical-thinking, communication, and decision-making skills (para. 1), there
are students who have not yet develop self confidence and are too shy to speak in front of the
whole class, but as it is set with a group the child feels more comfortable to speak and share his
thoughts. With this being said, it is obvious that planning and implementing for small groups it
The characteristics of planning and implementing activities for small groups should be as
follow: establish how many children will be in a group. It is suggested that the group should not
exceed more than 6 children. Keeping a small number will benefit the children, due to the fact
that the educator will be able to dedicate to each child in the group one on one time. Having
small groups also allows the educator to focus on that small groups needs and not the whole
class needs. In the article The Why and How of Using Small Groups in Preschools by Bright
Hub Education it shares that when children work with only a few other children at a time, they
learn important lessons about cooperation, compromise and the give and take of conversation
(para 1). To children benefit of small groups as much as the educator. Another characteristic of
effective planning and implementing activities for small groups is for the educator to be well
prepared with the activity being presented to the group of children. Have the material and
information needed before the children arrive in their groups. By doing this the children will
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obtain more valuable time learning the concept presented instead of figuring out what is needed
to be done.
Determining the time and space for each group, is another characteristic of effective
planning and implementing small group activities. Allow children enough time to explore the
materials and to ask questions. The groups should not run longer than 20 to 30 minutes, as the
educator does not wish for the child to lose interest in the activity. Small group time is essential
to expand vocabulary among the children. There should be open discussion questions about the
material brought to the small group. Allow enough time for each child to give their feedback on
what is presented to them. What do the children think about their findings? How do the children
feel about the material and what they know about the material? Make sure as the educator that
enough space is available for each child to move freely. These are three basic characteristics of
planning and implementing small group activities; group should not exceed more than 6 children,
the educator must be prepared with a lesson, and the children need to be provided with enough
Planning lessons that are developmentally appropriate is also essential for effective group
activities. After deciding how the groups would be divided then the educator must plan
according to each groups needs. The educator must also consider if there is a child with
additional needs in her class how she will address the childs need along with the others in the
same group. Planning developmentally appropriate does not mean that the educator must plan a
different lesson plan for each group, but to modify it to meet the standards and the childrens
needs as a group. For example, if the educator plans a gardening activity for the class, in order to
meet each child need she would simplify it for the children who yet do not understand the
vocabulary involved or how a shovel is handled to dig a hole and plant a seed. For those children
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who are at a more advanced level the educator will present new higher vocabulary and
discussion questions. For the children whom are at a low learning level the educator will present
the activity as teacher directed, but for those children who are advanced the activity will be
presented as self exploration and discovery. The concept of the activity will still be the same for
all the children. It would just be modified to the learning ability of each child and its group.
After observing the need and the interest of each child it is important for the educator to
put her plans in writing. It is essential for the plan to be detailed as for the process of how the
lesson will be presented, what material will be needed. What will each child learn with the
activity plan? Having the plan in writing will be easier to implement successfully to benefit each
childs learning experiences. In the article What Does Developmentally Appropriate Means
states that, in the best-case scenario, teachers are able to personalize the way they teach the
same concept to each child. The goal of using DAP techniques is to give young children an ideal
learning environment (para. 5). Therefore, the goal of the educator to plan for small group is to
personalize the curriculum to best fit the groups need, but at the same time each individual
childs needs.
Overall, planning and implementing for small group activities has many positive
outcomes for both the educator and the students. It creates an environment in which the child
enjoys and learns at the same time. The educator learns more of a child individually when they
are observed in a small group rather than in a whole class. Having small groups helps children
build self esteem and confidence; therefore their cognitive, social, and emotional domain
References
Bright Hub Education. The why and how of using small groups in preschools.(2012). Retrived
from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-preschool/117188-using-small-
groups/
http://www.faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk/e-learning/small-group-teaching/planning-and-
preparation.
University of Waterloom. Implementing group work in the classroom. (n,d) Retrieve from
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-
tips/alternatives-lecturing/group-work/implementing-group-work-classroom
.
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