Do you struggle with groupings and organizing instruction that meets the needs of all of your students? We tend to get students with a wide range of needs and levels in special education classrooms. It can be a real challenge to organize groupings and meet everyone’s needs. Here are 3 different types of instruction I use in my self-contained classroom.
Whole Class Groupings
We start our day with two whole class groups. The first 15 minutes of our day is a center that the whole class can enjoy. It is usually a combination of fine motor and play. Examples of our centers include blocks, legos, coloring with markers, etc. This allows the staff to get lunch orders, take students to the bathroom, start sensory diets and motor programs. Afterwards, we have morning meeting which is a whole class activity. Click the picture below to read more about how we organize and run it.
Small Groups
In my classroom, we use small group instruction the most. I generally have 2 to 3 small groups going at the same time. I split my students up based on the skills the group will be targeting instead of grade level. I then look at the group and decide how many teaching assistants the group will need and if the group will be led by a teaching assistant or me. Here are some examples of our small group instruction.
We do direct instruction during work centers every day. The centers are each 30 minutes long with a 3 minute break in the middle for “cash in” or reinforcement time. Click the pictures to read more about our work center times:
One to One Instruction
