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1. One benefit that comes from small group discussions is that they give students an opportunity to ask thier classmates to clarify something for them, they may be more comfortable doing this compared to asking the teacher. It also gives students an opportunity to build relationships with classmates that they wouldn't otherwise talk to outside of the classroom. It also gives the students who do not contribute in big group discussions to feel more comfortable, while also allowing students who participate more in group discussions to hear from other classmates they might otherwise not hear from.

2. One of the most obvious challenges within small group discussions is making sure students are staying on task and knowing that they are correctly understanding what they are supposed to be doing. With that come the challenge of letting students choose their groups or having the teacher choose them. When students choose their groups they may feel more comfortable sharing, but also might get distracted more easily with their friends. When the teacher chooses the groups some students may not feel comfortable sharing, leading to little discussion actually happening within the group.

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1. There are many benefits to small group discussions.  First off, in small groups there are less people, therefor it can be easier for students to be more comfortable engaging in conversations. It is also beneficial in a way to build student to student relationships.  Students may be put in a group with someone they've never met and may instantly connect with another student over the topic being discussed.

2. I think the most common difficulty with small group discussion is classroom management. Students are more likely to come off topic, pull out their phones, not engage with the other students, etc... And because there is often only one teacher, this spreads their authority thin. Also, without large group discussion or lack of scaffolding structure, students can easily come to the wrong conclusions about certain topics not meant to be debated.

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1. Some of the benefits would start with the students feeling more personable in a smaller group. I believe many students feel intimidated when there is a large group, and they are much more reluctant to share with the group if the group is bigger. A smaller group has the advantage of making it easier to include a student and get their ideas. Some students need a closer connection that they simply can't get in a larger group.

2. Some difficulties with a smaller group is that you have to look after many groups rather than one large group. You can't be sure that each student in the smaller groups are interacting and sharing amongst each other and participating. It would be easier for a student to not participate and looking for others to facilitate ideas, which nulls the other students participation. You don't know what a student might be struggling with unless you work closely with that student.

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1. Some of the biggest benefits of small group discussion is that it gives students more time to think about and formulate a response to a question before they share with the class. Another benefit is that it allows students who do not like to talk in front of the whole class, to talk and share their ideas as well.
2. Some challenges of small groups is making sure that students are talking about what they are talking about and giving the appropriate amount of time for small group discussion. Picking the right amount of time so that everyone in each group gets to share, but not so much time that students sit there in silence or goof off and distract their classmates.

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1.) When in small group discussions, students may feel more comfortable talking than in large group discussions, this provides them with a different atmosphere than large group discussions and allows the teacher to be less of a presence to utilize social learning development.
2.) Some challenges of facilitating small group conversations are that it's harder to keep students on task as a whole class. Although it may be more comfortable splitting into small groups, small group discussions don't address misconceptions as effectively, especially if it's a class-wide confusion

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1.) There are many benefits that come from small group discussions. The biggest benefits are  that students are able to say what they are thinking and feeling about a topic. When students are in a bigger group students may have trouble finding a time to contribute what they want to. I know when I am in a big group I am the person who sits their quietly and listens to everyone else chime in with their information. But, in small group there is more time and less people so the conversations can be amongst everyone. It also gives the students and teachers a chance to bounce ideas off one another to get a broader prospective and think more about something they haven't thought of.
2.)The biggest challenge of facilitating a small group discussion is making sure all the students stay on topic and don't stray away into another conversation. Also, make sure students are working with different students each time so everyone is able to get to know one another. It also can be difficult in deciding how the small groups will share out everything they talked about.

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1.) I think one of the biggest benefits from small group discussion is the opportunity for each student to get to voice their opinion. Often in large group discussions, only a select few students get to share their thoughts before moving on to another topic/question. I also believe that small group discussions encourage students to share more than they normally would since they are not sharing to the whole class. I know from personal experience that I enjoyed small group discussion more than large group discussion. It allowed me to have conversations with my peers that I may not normally get to have in a large group discussion.
2.) I think that there are a handful of challenges with small group discussion. One of those challenges being that you, the educator, can't visit multiple groups at one time to hear what everyone is discussing. Building off of that, another challenge is keeping each discussion group on topic. I can say that when I was in small group discussions in high school, we often got off track and it was difficult for the teacher to check in on everyone.

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Small groups are beneficial because it can give students a chance to work through their ideas before bringing them to the group. If the group validates their idea, then they will be more likely to share their idea with the class. A challenge is making sure that the whole class is engaged and learning. It can be hard as a teacher to make sure everyone is engaged in the lesson.

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1) One of the biggest benefits from engaging in small group discussion is the ability it gives students to be able to express their thoughts and opinions. In front of the whole class many students would rather not have to share/talk in a discussion, but inside small groups it makes the students much more likely to share. From the educators perspective small group discussion allows for you to hear the opinions of those students who do not feel comfortable sharing in front of class.

2) Some of the biggest challenges that arise while attempting to facilitate small group discussion is keep students on task. When students are engaged and excited about a topic this is much less difficult, but if they are not interested or multiple group members refuse to engage it will easily kill conversation. If this is happening throughout the class it becomes even more difficult to refocus the students.

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1. One of the biggest benefits of small group discussion they really get to talk about the ideas that they have without being worried of what some other students might think. It is a true chance to build relationships between students with almost forcing interaction.

2. Some challenges there might be are that students won't hear all of the ideas. Even if someone in a group brings up a good idea, they might not always share it to the class. Also, not every group is going to be productive and doing the work they are supposed to be doing. It is not easy tracking that as an educator, because usually you are helping group to group. It is easy for students to become side tracked and have different conversations other than the material.

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1. One of the biggest benefits from small groups discussion is the opportunity for students to share in a discussion. Many students can be shy when talking in front of the whole class thinking they may be wrong, but by talking to a small group of their peers first, this can help students see if their opinions are acceptable and similar to others. Another benefit for small group is the amount of discussion being shared. Similar to my last point, the students that are shy when speaking in front of a large group are more likely to share in a smaller group. Also the logistics of a smaller group allows for more discussion with a smaller group of people than a discussion with the whole class. This can be seen with students staying quiet because they are trying to be courteous for their peers to speak first.
2. A challenge for small group discussion as an educator is keeping track that students are engaged in productive discussion. Many students may not go in much detail with their answers and breeze through the questions leaving a lot of void time and students being sidetracked. If I jump into small group discussion I could ask what a group has been talking about and if the students gave a shallow answer I could ask students to give me more detail, like "Is there anything else you want to add?" or "tell me more". Another challenge can be the amount of small groups because a classroom size can be very large and there are a lot of small groups to keep track on.

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One of the biggest benefits of small group conversations is the space students get to share their ideas to only a few people instead of in front of an entire class. Small groups are often less stressful than full classroom conversations, and allow for a more casual tone with less judgement. This is good for talkative kids, who have a captive audience for their opinions, and shy students, who speak more around less people. As a kid I disliked large groups and preferred small group discussions, mostly because I was able to make friends and talk to my peers without a teacher directly monitoring me. As a teacher, I want to make sure that my students stay on topic without veering off. I don't think intense monitoring is the answer, and instead I want to make sure I have engaging questions and give them exciting topics to discuss. I don't want to use small group discussions for difficult concepts or brand new information; I want to use them so that students can debate, bounce ideas off of one another, and have an interesting conversation based on what they've been learning. Though I can't filter out every off-topic conversation, I know if I keep the questions engaging, that the conversations will be fun and interesting enough to keep them stimulated and create very deep conversations.

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1) One of the biggest benefits that students get from small group discussions is that every student gets a chance to speak and to be heard. They also may feel more comfortable speaking or sharing with others when in a smaller group. Educators benefit from small group discussions because they get to hear from all of the students, thus allowing them to get to know the students better. They may also be able to better gage where the student is at in terms of content being covered in class.

2) One of the biggest challenges of small group discussions is that carrying on a conversation might be trickier. For example, with less students, there are less opinions to be heard and voices to participate. So there may be more silence or breaks between talking.

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1. One of the biggest benefits that students get from small group discussion is feeling more comfortable to voice their thoughts and opinions. When students are placed with fewer students I think that they are more likely to share and contribute versus in front of a large group. I also think that some students enjoy speaking in front of the class so they can be the speaker of their group's observations. I think that small group conversations are beneficial for educators as well because they are able to walk around the room and hear ideas that may not have been shared if the typical classroom setting was occurring.

2. As educators one of the biggest challenges of small group conversations is making sure that there is productive talk occurring. If students are placed with fellow friends there may be off topic conversations and it would be hard for a teacher to make sure all of the group conversations are on track.

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1)Some of the biggest benefits that come from small group discussions would include that it allows for the flow of ideas, allows for connection between students, and is student led which increases participation. These are helpful to the teacher and the students because having a comfortable place to express your thoughts on a topic allows for you to share and others to learn. small group also brings connection between students because working in a smaller groups makes students closer and have to work together cannot wait for others to answer in the class. And lastly slightly relating to the last point, it is mostly student led as they are going by each question and thinking about their answers as a group the teacher is not overhead the whole time, they work on their own a lot.

2) Some of the biggest challenges of facilitating small group discussion include making sure each group is on task, and that each group actually is understanding the questions and finding the answers. I know it is easy for students when the teacher walks away to just talk about anything but school, so this is where the teacher challenge comes in of keeping each group focused. Another challenge is listening in and attempting to hear if the student discussions are correct, or on the right track.

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1) There are many benefits that come from small group discussions. They help to expand on concepts learned in class, increase motivation, and hear different perspectives and things that stood out to their classmates. Doing so helps students have an overall better idea of the topic and have more practice using the academic language. Small group discussion also tends to lead to more class participation and is a good way to build up students social skills.

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1) There are many benefits that come from small group discussions. They help to expand on concepts learned in class, increase motivation, and hear different perspectives and things that stood out to their classmates. Doing so helps students have an overall better idea of the topic and have more practice using the academic language. Small group discussion also tends to lead to more class participation and is a good way to build up students social skills.

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2) Facilitating small groups as a teacher can be difficult. With students split off into groups, it can often lead to behavior problems, being too loud, and not staying-on-task. It is hard as a teacher to make sure that every group is staying-on-task and making the most out of the time they are given for discussion, so this proves to be challenging. Another challenge is that small-group discussion typically are more informal, so students may not be using as much academic language.

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1) One of the biggest benefits to small group conversations for the students are that they are given an environment in which there is less stress for them to express their ideas.  There's also more room for them to take on new perspectives and ask questions they might not always ask in a large group setting. THis also provides teachers more of an opportunity to observe their students having conversations and build better relations with students.
2) One of the biggest challenges to small group conversation is making sure all the groups are able to stay on topic and to keep the noise levels down. A lot of students find this opportunity as a time to catch up with friends and goof off, so it can be hard for them to have a conversation about what's being talked about in class. There's also a big issue of having enough time for small group conversations.

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Benefits and Challenges of Small Group Conversations

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Benefits and Challenges of Small Group Conversations

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1. Biggest benefits of small group discussions: easier to connect with students (vice versa for students with teachers). The better connected students are to teachers, the more they likely they will buy into the class and the lesson. Small groups also allow students to say more; they have more opportunities to speak since they don't have to share the floor with a large group.
2. As educators, some of the biggest challenges of small groups is having to be apart of each discussion. It's also hard to make sure every group is staying on task, as it is common for students to get off track in small groups.

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1) small group discussions can be beneficial in many ways for both the students. Each groups conversation will be unique and a lot of new ideas are talked about. It’s easier for students to bounce ideas off of each other when working in small groups. It also eliminates anxiety for students who don’t like to talk in front of the whole class.
2) The biggest challenge is making sure conversations stay on track. Depending on how many group you have, it can be hard to observe all the groups at once. Some students will talk about other things and others won’t talk at all, so finding that happy medium and making sure all discussions are on topic is key.

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1) Small group discussion is extremely beneficial in many ways. One way is that it can reduce anxiety of speaking in front of large groups of people, which is something that many kids struggle with. Educators also benefit, as it gets more students engaged overall and leads to high quality discussions amongst students themselves. It also allows more variety of instruction/learning for both educators and students, leading to more interest in the activity at hand. This in turn creates overawll better student learning of the topic. 

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1) Small group discussion is extremely beneficial in many ways. One way is that it can reduce anxiety of speaking in front of large groups of people, which is something that many kids struggle with. Educators also benefit, as it gets more students engaged overall and leads to high quality discussions amongst students themselves. It also allows more variety of instruction/learning for both educators and students, leading to more interest in the activity at hand. This in turn creates overawll better student learning of the topic. 

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2) One big challenge as an educator can be getting students to stay on track. In a normal classroom, there are a decent number of small groups when broken off into discussions. However, there is only one teacher, and we can't listen to all of the groups at once. This leads to a difficulty in getting students to focus.
Nate Pillow

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Small group discussion is an important aspect in education for many reasons. One main reason being that a promotes a more comfortable environment for students and encourages student engagement and providing a “safe environment”. Additional to that, it helps build their social and communication skills as well, which is important especially for partner activities or projects. Challenges that arise in encourage and utilizing small conversation, is maintaining conversation that is on task. Another challenge may be a lack of conversation happening as well.

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Small group discussion is an important aspect in education for many reasons. One main reason being that a promotes a more comfortable environment for students and encourages student engagement and providing a “safe environment”. Additional to that, it helps build their social and communication skills as well, which is important especially for partner activities or projects. Challenges that arise in encourage and utilizing small conversation, is maintaining conversation that is on task. Another challenge may be a lack of conversation happening as well.

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1) Small group work is a positive opportunity for students because it allows them to take an active role in their own education while explaining things in their own words. Groups develop communication skills as well as problem solving skills. Students create new connections to classmates and they are active participants in their own education. It is shown that mastery of a subject can be shown when a student can teach something to another person. This is a more likely scenario to occur when working with a small group. It also represents more perspectives. 

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1) Small group work is a positive opportunity for students because it allows them to take an active role in their own education while explaining things in their own words. Groups develop communication skills as well as problem solving skills. Students create new connections to classmates and they are active participants in their own education. It is shown that mastery of a subject can be shown when a student can teach something to another person. This is a more likely scenario to occur when working with a small group. It also represents more perspectives. 

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2) A struggle that can occur with small groups is that students can get off task. The supervision is not as serious since it is like independent work from the teacher. Teachers can also have a difficult time identifying what their role is in these scenarios. Students may also remain silent.

Kennedy Bussan

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1) I think there are several benefits for educators to use small group discussions with students. One benefit to small group discussion is that more students are able to share their opinions and have their opinions heard. Sometimes in larger group discussions, not everyone is able to contribute as much to the conversation at hand. Another benefit to small group discussion is is that the discussion can go a lot further in depth with a smaller group of students.
2) There are a few reasons facilitating small group discussions could be difficult. One reason is that if not all students are prepared to participate, it may become a very short or weak discussion. Also, the conversation may become very one sided if other students do not feel comfortable speaking up.

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1. I think that some of the biggest benefits that students can get from small group discussions is that every voice within the group is more than often heard. Whereas, in large group discussions it can be challenging to hear from everyone due to time constraints. In addition, some students may feel more comfortable speaking within a smaller group setting. As the teacher moves from group to group, they too, will be able to hear every voice speak.
2. I think that some of the biggest challenges for facilitating small group conversation is keeping students on track with what they should be discussing. During small group time, student conversations have the tendency to wander since the teacher is not always listening in.

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1) According to Zwiers, there are numerous benefits for students and educators from small group discussions. Small group discussions provide students with the opportunity to share their ideas in a low-risk setting. Small group discussions also enforce collaborative work skill, which are extremely useful for students in the future. Moreover, small group discussions consist of repetition, which allows students to practice listening, academic language, and ask their own questions. For teachers, small group discussions encourage Common Core Standards.
2) Educators have difficulties facilitating small group discussions. For example, students do not produce academic language automatically and can stray from the agenda while in their groups or pairs.

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1. One of the biggest benefits students can get from conversations is learning about how a peer does something. When students converse with each other, they are able to hear new ideas and evaluate those ideas for themselves. Another benefit is the ability to practice using language to discuss concepts they are learning in school - the more they talk about it, the better they will understand it.
2. As educators, one of the biggest challenges of facilitating small group conversations is ensuring that students are actually interacting and learning deeply through these conversations. Another challenge would be ensuring that all students in the group have a say - which could be done by assigning each student in the group a role to play.