Running a Small Group

How to lead a focused, productive small group under teacher direction

For paraprofessionals assigned to lead small-group instruction

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| The frameLeading a small group is one of the most valuable -- and most underutilized -- things a para can do. When a para runs a well-structured small group, the classroom teacher can work with students who need the most intensive support, students in the para's group receive more instructional time, and everyone benefits. But a small group led without clear structure, a defined purpose, and a plan for behavior and data is not instruction -- it is supervised work time at best. This brief covers what it takes to run a small group well. |

Starting right: what you need before the group begins

A para should never be told to take a group without knowing the answers to these questions:

What is the learning objective for today? What skill or concept are students working on?

What materials are needed and where are they?

What is the instructional sequence? Is there a script, a program manual, or a lesson plan I should follow?

What is the error correction procedure when students make mistakes?

What reinforcement is appropriate?

How do I record data, and what does the data collection tool look like?

What do I do if a student has a behavioral challenge?

If you do not have answers to these questions, ask the teacher before the group begins -- not in front of students after it has started.

Group composition and pacing

Group size

Effective small groups for students with learning needs typically include 2-4 students. Larger groups reduce the instructional benefit -- each student gets less individual attention, errors are harder to catch, and behavior management becomes more challenging.

Homogeneity

Students in the same group should be working on the same or adjacent skills. Running a group where one student is working on letter sounds and another is working on fluency means that half the group is off-target during every part of the lesson. If you notice this mismatch, report it to the teacher.

Pacing

Small groups should move at a brisk pace. Slow pacing is a significant driver of off-task behavior -- students disengage when they are waiting. Keep transitions between activities short, have all materials ready before the group starts, and keep your explanations brief. The students should be doing more talking and responding than you are.

Behavior management in small groups

Precorrection

Before the group begins, briefly remind students of the behavioral expectations: what sitting looks like, what to do when it is not your turn, how to ask for a break. Do not wait for problems to occur to clarify expectations.

Active engagement as prevention

Most behavior problems in small groups happen during waiting time. The more you keep every student actively responding during every turn, the less opportunity there is for off-task behavior. Choral responses, individual response cards, whiteboards, and turn-taking that moves quickly all keep engagement high.

Differential reinforcement

Specifically acknowledge students who are following expectations, especially at the start of the group. Name the behavior: you are sitting with your eyes on me. This signals to other students what you are looking for and reinforces the student who is doing it.

When behavior escalates

Have a plan before the group starts. Typical options: a brief break within the group, a visual cue for the student, a planned ignoring procedure for low-level behavior, or a signal to the classroom teacher that you need support. Do not attempt to manage a significant behavioral crisis while also running a group -- one or the other will suffer.

Differentiation within the group

Even a well-matched group will have variation. Common in-group differentiation strategies:

Provide a more challenging item to the student who is ready for it while others complete their portion

Use a lower prompt level with the student who is closer to independence

Assign different amounts of independent practice based on where each student is

Do not differentiate in ways that make the differentiation obvious and embarrassing. Smaller adjustments delivered naturally (asking the student at a higher level the harder question first) are less stigmatizing than giving one student clearly easier materials in front of their peers.

Data and accountability

Small-group data is the teacher's window into what is happening when they are not there. At minimum, record:

Which students attended

Which objective was addressed

Each student's performance -- accuracy rate, prompt level, fluency score, or whatever the teacher has specified

Any significant behavior events

Return the data to the teacher promptly -- the same day, at the designated time. Data handed in a week later cannot inform tomorrow's instructional decisions.

Scenarios

Scenario A: The wandering group

A para pulls a group of three second graders to the back table. She has a set of decodable books but no lesson plan. She has the students take turns reading pages while she listens. When they finish, there are 10 minutes left. She is unsure what to do, so she has them color in a worksheet. No data is recorded. When the teacher asks how the group went, the para says they did their reading. This is not small-group instruction -- it is supervised free reading with a worksheet. The fix: the para needed a lesson plan, a defined objective, a data tool, and a follow-up activity before the group began.

Scenario B: The tight group

A para pulls three third graders for a SIPPS lesson. Before the group, she reviewed the lesson sequence, had her word cards organized, and printed the data sheet. She starts with a 2-minute review of previous phonics patterns (fast paced, choral response), moves to new word decoding (one student at a time, error correction used), then decodable passage reading (each student reads one sentence, para tracks errors). The group runs 20 minutes. She hands the completed data sheet to the teacher at the end of the block. This is what productive small-group instruction looks like.

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| Try this | Watch out for |

| Get clear answers to all planning questions before the group starts -- not during | Starting a group without a clear learning objective and instructional plan |

| Keep the pace brisk to maintain engagement and minimize wait time | Letting the group turn into open reading time because it feels productive |

| Record data every session and return it to the teacher the same day | Recording no data or approximate data because the session felt like it went well |

| Know in advance what you will do if a student's behavior escalates | Trying to handle a serious behavioral escalation alone while still running the group |

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| Bottom lineA small group you lead is a classroom the teacher cannot see. The quality of your preparation, your pacing, and your data make the difference between instructional time and supervised downtime. |

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