Whole Group, Small Group, or One-on-One: What Kind of Instruction Works Best?
Written By Abena Sey
September 1, 2023
Conferring with students helps a teacher gain insight about their students’ progress, and with this information, they can design lessons and activities tailored to their students' learning needs. During these meetings, a teacher provides instruction, assesses for understanding of the learning skills, and develops relationships with their students. Teachers can achieve this through whole group, small group or one-on-one lessons, and with careful planning and consideration of the activities and learning goals, all three types of instruction are beneficial. Below, you will learn what each instructional strategy is, the pros and cons of each type, and when to use them.
What Is Whole Group Instruction?
This is an instructional method where the teacher gives a lesson to the whole group. In this format, students complete the same activities together and there is no differentiation of the learning activities.
Pros:
-Efficiency in the planning and delivery of lessons
-Students can learn from one another and support each other during the lesson
-Students can practice respectfully participating in a large group lesson through listening to the contributions of their peers and waiting their turn to contribute
Cons:
-Serves the average learner, but may not meet the needs of students who are struggling or who are advanced learners
-It is not easy to evaluate each student’s level of comprehension or engagement during the lesson
-Due to the size of the group, it may be challenging keeping all students engaged during the whole lesson
When Is It Best To Use Whole Group Instruction?
-To present new material
-To review general skills
-To teach procedures and routines
What Is Small Group Instruction?
Small group instruction is when a teacher delivers a lesson to a small group of students. These groups may comprise students who demonstrate similar learning needs, such as support with mastery of specific skills or enrichment for students who are ready to advance. The small group usually consists of 2-6 students.
Pros:
-Easier to differentiate instruction
-Easier to evaluate your students’ level of comprehension or engagement during the lesson
-Easier to manage students’ behaviour in the small group
-Students benefit from reduced distractions from peers and more attention from their teacher
Cons:
-Planning multiple lessons and learning activities for each of your groups
-It may be challenging managing the rest of the class while you instruct your small group
When Is It Best To Use Small Group Instruction?
After your assessment of students’ comprehension and understanding of the material, use the data to form your small groups to:
-Re-teach specific skills to students who did not demonstrate understanding of the material
-Enrich students who demonstrate mastery and readiness to advance
-Work with students who are easily distracted working in a whole group lesson
What Is One-on-One Instruction?
One-on-one instruction is lesson delivery to one student by a teacher, instructional aide, or tutor. The lesson is designed for a specific student’s learning needs, and is conducted while the other students are engaged in independent work, or during a tutoring session.
Pros:
-The student receives the teacher’s focus during the instruction
-Lessons are targeted to the student’s learning needs
-Building a relationship with the student is facilitated in each one-on-one interaction
Cons:
-It can be challenging seeing all your students often enough during the week for writing / reading conferences or evaluations if the instruction is one-on-one
When Is It Best To Use One-on-One Instruction?
-A student can benefit from the support of an educational assistant or co-teacher to receive instruction and guidance tailored to the student’s needs
-Reading evaluations are easier to complete working with one student at a time
-For reading / writing conferences to target a specific skill
-To support a student that works best in a small group learning environment
There are benefits and drawbacks to each type of lesson delivery, but each type contributes to the teaching and learning process. Whole group, small group or one-on-one instruction should certainly be planned for with your students’ learning needs, time on task, and learning goals in mind. As you get to know your students, and they gain mastery of your classroom procedures and routines, implementation of each type of instruction becomes easier, and knowing which works best becomes intuitive. You can design your curriculum and instruction in a way that uses one or all three methods in the course of a day.
References
Green, A. (n.d.). One-on-One Instruction: Teaching Strategies. Institute of Teacher Aide Courses. https://www.itac.edu.au/blog/teaching-strategies/one-on-one
Meador, Derrick. (2023, April 5). Exploring the Value of Whole Group Instruction in the Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/exploring-the-value-of-whole-group-instruction-3194549
Vo, J. (n.d.). Flexible and Differentiated Learning. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-what-are-the-best-strategies-for-small-group-instruction/2021/11#:~:text=Small%2Dgroup%20instruction%20is%20when,of%20growing%20their%20academic%20skills.