Embedded HLP - How to Teach
HLP 17
Use Flexible Groupings
The use of student groupings of various sizes and for a range of purposes is part of every educator’s repertoire. Educators deploy student groups to provide a setting for new instruction, group work, review activities, and everything in between. As some students require intensive instruction to support their needs, they can expect to be placed into targeted instructional groups. The use of flexible groupings offers educators options for designing and delivering instruction or promoting student active learning/ demonstrations to suit specific goals. However, it is not merely the size of the group that makes the difference in learning or other performance. In addition to the reduced number of students, educators must provide evidence-based or other effective teaching practices (such as explicit instruction) for meaningful outcomes to occur. Group configurations and sizes should be the result of deliberative educator collaboration, informed by data and student goals, to ensure a tight match between demands of the curriculum and student learning or other needs.
Related Publications
HLPs in Special Education Instruction Laminated Guide (#5)
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HLP 17 Information
The authors of the original research synthesis for HLP 17 Use Flexible Grouping correctly summarized that the evidence base for this practice is difficult to disentangle from other HLPs and specific practices (McLeskey et al., 2017). This is because decisions about group size, composition, and pedagogy to occur within the group are all made with colleagues (HLP 1), with input from families (HLP 3), with a range of data sources (HLPs 4 and 6), and with the use of instructional practices such as explicit instruction (HLP 16) or other intensive approaches (HLP 20). In research terms, detangling the unique variability contributed by different aspects of what happens pedagogically given groupings of various sizes and makeup is difficult (Nelson et al., 2022). The same is true for many of the HLPs in this text. However, this does not mean flexible groupings is ineffective or that it should not be used.
This HLP is as essential to the repertoire of educators (general, special, etc.) as any other (Maheady et al., 2023). Students with disabilities rely upon specially designed instruction (SDI), being given extra time to process new content, and having lots of chances to successfully learn (Kennedy & Boyle, 2021). Use of small groups is a common accommodation and instructional setting to ensure the SDI is delivered as prescribed (Colón et al., 2022). Numerous studies, particularly from the intensive instruction domain where small groupings are a major feature of the intervention, demonstrate positive learning and behavioral gains for students learning in these situations (Losinski et al., 2019; McKenna et al., 2015; Stevens et al., 2018; Wanzek et al., 2018).
Students thrive in environments where they feel supported, successful, and respected by teachers and peers. The use of flexible groupings can help facilitate student success by pairing them with peers with similar academic profiles to help demonstrate everyone is on the same level. At the same time, working with higher achieving peers in other groups as informal mentors and supports can also be motivating. Use of groups gives educators options for facilitating students’ intersectional needs and preferences. This can include pairing students who are new to the school and country/language together for their assignments and learning. Educators can also make pairings or groupings to ensure all students are exposed to new ideas, e.g. mixing groups according to cultures, backgrounds, and intersectionalities, which can help expose both to new ideas.