Supporting Learners With Small Group Instruction

It can be difficult to know exactly what students understand in the moment, especially in a whole-class setting. A correct answer doesn’t always reveal how a student got there—and an incorrect answer doesn’t necessarily demonstrate where their thinking may be breaking down. At Cedaredge Elementary School in Delta, Colorado, third-grade teacher Elisa Galvan builds small-group instruction time into her schedule to take a closer look and get a clearer picture of what her students are thinking.

Three times a week, Galvan pulls several students to a back table, grouping them based on what they need most. “I’m keeping a tally of who’s missing what,” she explains. “Is it rounding? Is it subtracting? What are they missing?” These short, focused sessions allow her to target instruction and respond to student needs in real time.

The group work occurs while the class is doing math centers, so everyone else has a specific task they are engaged in. Galvan calls three students to her table and begins with a problem the group solves together, listening closely as students talk through their thinking. As they gain confidence, she increases the difficulty. When a student begins to struggle, she doesn’t move on. Instead, she leans in—asking them to explain their reasoning and guiding them back through the process with carefully chosen questions.

This back-and-forth is central to the work. By asking “How do you know?” and “Why does that work?” Galvan encourages students to articulate their thinking, often helping them uncover and correct their own mistakes.

Jim Heal from Learning Science Partners explains why this matters. “Just because a student says, ‘Yes, I’ve grasped this,’ does not necessarily mean that they have,” he says. When students are asked to show their process and explain their thinking, teachers can better identify misconceptions and address them right away.

By making her small group instruction time more purposeful, Galvan is able to catch misunderstandings early—before they grow into larger gaps. For her students, these focused conversations provide the support they need to strengthen their understanding and move forward with confidence.

For more strategies to level up small group instruction, especially in elementary math, read Dani Fry Jackson’s article for Edutopia, “6 Strategies to Make Setting Up Small Group Work More Sustainable.”

This video is part of our How Learning Happens: Instructional Shifts series, which explores teaching practices grounded in the science of learning.