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There are two schools of thought around the ideal size of student-centered learning groups.

According to Rhoades (2013), the ideal group size is four students. In groups of four, if students need to do pair work, they are already either seated next to or across from one another. In addition, if the group expands in size to five or more students, it becomes more feasible that one or more student(s) may pull back from the discussion or activity (p. 29).

However, Rance-Roney (2010) suggests that there is no ideal group size, but rather, the instructor ought to focus on the needs of the individual students. "[A] group of reticent students may be capped at three to force all to speak, while a larger group of six dominant students will receive valuable practice at social turn-taking" (p. 21).

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Fixed grouping of students consists of long-term, well-defined groups which last for the duration of a project, semester, or year. Fixed grouping is a viable grouping option due to the inevitable emotional cohesion the group will form from multiple, at-length discussions and contact.

Over time, students who may have otherwise never spoken to one another in their learning environment will develop a sense of understanding for others unalike themselves, fostering tolerant and trusting relationships with one another. The benefit of such a deep relationship establishes security and saves the instructor time in assigning groups (Rance-Roney, p. 21).

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Flexible grouping is probably the most common grouping strategy teachers employ at all levels. This style of grouping depends upon shifting the grouping dynamic for each task based on the teacher's understanding of his or her students' abilities.

Flexible learning allows teachers to make randomized groups in an instant by, for instance, counting off numbers based on the desired amount of groups. If a task requires more planned effort by the students, the instructor may elect to choose the groups beforehand and assign his or her students based on their separate abilities related to the task on-hand.

This sort of grouping is not as socially developmental as Fixed Grouping due to the ephemeral nature of the groups, but it allows students to get to know the rest of their classmates over time (Rance-Roney, p. 21).

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Students of all ages enjoy feeling a sense of autonomy over their classwork, as well as a sense of leadership in their efforts during their activities. Assigning different roles to each student within a group can effectively manage the results the instructor is hoping his or her students yield.

In many cases, groups are limited to four students, in which each chooses to be the scribe, reporter, vocabulary monitor, and time monitor.

· The scribe is responsible for note-taking and organization of ideas.

· The reporter will shares concepts with the entire class at the end of the activity.

· The vocabulary monitor compiles new, relevant vocabulary which occurs during their discussion.

· The time monitor facilitates time management in order to prevent the rest of the group from falling behind.

These roles can be interchangeable or last for many weeks. Rainbow learning promotes active interaction amongst all partners through their assigned roles (Rance-Roney, pp. 24, 26).

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Whole-Group Responding through Hand Signals

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Whole-Group Responding through Hand Signals

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Nagel, Hooks, Fraser, and Cornelius (2016) elaborate upon the need for teachers to quickly and efficiently understand the level of comprehension of a task while teaching, in order to confirm whether or not they can move along within their daily topics (p. 244).

Hand signals can be used in a variety of ways depending upon the activity. One example derives from group discussion, where students hold up one finger to express the desire to add to another student's idea, or two fingers to contribute a new idea.

Another type of signaling involves levels of comprehension. Students hold up one finger for lack of understanding, two for "I think I got it", up to four or five to declare absolute understanding of the topic.

This communication strategy permits the instructor to swiftly grasp the level of engagement in his or her classroom without singling any children out (Nagel, et al., p. 245).

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Students choose learning teams of three or four, counting off so each student is numbered one, two, three, or four. They then diverge into expert groups with students of the same number in order to learn about a topic in profundity.

Once students have adequately discussed what they have gleaned from their expert groups, they return to their original group of three or four students to share their newfound information and fill in learning gaps about the theme of the day. (Srinivas, n.d.)

Of course, this promotes team-building with not only friends from their original group, but with other students in the expert groups.

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As the name suggests, students pair up in Timed Pair Shares for a predetermined amount of time. While the students discuss their topics, the teacher can follow different discussions around the room to ensure understanding by all students (Klowes, 2011).

Timed Pair Shares can be especially helpful for students who have trouble formulating thoughts about new ideas, as their partner can initiate the discussion during their timed interval, allowing the shy or unsure student to build upon whatever his or her partner stated.

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Stand Up, Hands Up, Pair Up is a simple collaboration strategy in which students get out of their desks (stand up), raise their hands in search of another partner (hands up), and place their hands together with another student whose hands are also in the air (pair up) to create a momentary small group.

This strategy is useful when students have a lot of different ideas to share with one another. The instructor can tell the students to share one idea at a time and move on to another student once a concept has been mutually understood. This allows students to process and review information, and is a simple way for instructors to wrap-up a lesson (Klowes, 2011).

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Klowes, G. (2011). The essential 5: A starting point for Kagan cooperative learning. Retrieved from https://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/research_and_rationale/330/The-Essential-5-A-Starting-Point-for-Kagan-Cooperative-Learning

Nagro, S. A., Hooks, S. D., Fraser, D. W., & Cornelius, K. E. (2016). Whole-group response strategies to promote student engagement in inclusive classrooms. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48(5), 243-249. doi:10.1177/0040059916640749

Rance-Roney, J. A. (2010). Reconceptualizing interracial groups: Grouping schemes for maximizing language learning. English Teaching Forum, 1, 20-26.

Rhoades, G. (2013). Minimizing the chaos through cooperative classroom management. English Teaching Forum, 4, 28-34.

Srinivas, H. (n.d.). Four collaborative learning strategies. Retrieved from https://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/strategies.html