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Students are grouped/paired according to their birthday month (Manis, 2012). This technique has a variety of applications beyond that of a shared birthday. This grouping strategy can be tailored to any characteristic dependent on the needs of the students in the given class. The inclusivity of this technique is driven by the teacher in that groups can seem to be put together at random, however, based on a variety of characteristics, teachers can control how students are grouped. Some ideas of how to determine grouping include: color of clothing, hair style, shoes with or without laces, youngest in the family, etc.

Application in Kinder & 1st grade small groups:  Students are working on rote counting, subitization and counting on.  To practice these skills, students are asked to find a friend that is wearing the same colored shirt as they.  Depending on what students are wearing, grouping can either end or continue until the desired size is reached. The activity then continues with the pairs/small groups in a Rally Robin way with each student saying the what number comes next (Kagan, 2009).

Kagan Cooperative Learning. (2009). Round Robin/ Rally Robin: Cooperative Learning Resources. Retrieved from www.cooperativelearningresources.weebly.com

Manis, C. (2012). Cooperative Learning:  Great Grouping Strategies for Your Classroom. Retrieved from www.dailyteachingtools.com

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Students are each given a piece of a puzzle prior to the activity for the group.  Students create groups with the other pieces of their puzzle. Student grouping can be tailored to academic ability levels, language proficiency or any other attributes. This strategy is one that engages a variety of learners such as the visual and logical learners (Cagle, 2002). Dr. Kagan attributes high student engagement to this structure as it allows for an element of surprise until their puzzles are complete.

Application in 4th Grade small group: With students working on fractions, the puzzle piece technique really goes well with the lessons of this unit.  Puzzles are created from laminated color copied book covers.  They are cut into various sizes. For the small group  two different puzzles are cut into 3 pieces, for 6 total students. Once students have put together their group puzzle, this is the group that will work on their Fraction Pizza together.

Cagle, L. (2002). Cooperative Grouping strategies for classroom teachers. [pdf] Retrieved from https://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/file/view/Cooperative+Grouping+Strategies.pdf

Kagan, S. (1994). Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Resources for Teachers, Inc.

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Grouping Strategy: Pick a Word, Any Word

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Grouping Strategy: Pick a Word, Any Word

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Students are given cards prior to beginning a collaborative activity. In a small group setting (intervention), they would be given their card upon entering their small group classroom. Students are then to work with the student holding the card based on a predetermined category such as synonyms (Manis, 2012). This technique allows for the customization of cards which can be utilized in a wide variety of content areas and beyond vocabulary. For non-readers images may be used on the cards as well as for language learners. The extent to which this grouping strategy is applicable is truly wide and cross-curricular.

Application in ELL 2nd Grade small group: Math vocabulary is a primary focus of the 2nd grade small group, as this skill is spiraled all year long through problem solving.  The cards for this group focus on words that are most commonly used for addition and subtraction math expressions.  Cards are written with the words: difference, decrease, combined, altogether, 2 with add,  and 2 with subtract. Students are then grouped with the cards that match the operation of their vocabulary word. This allows for two small groups.  The small groups are further broken down to pairs, using the same technique with other vocabulary for addition and subtraction.

Manis, C. (2012). Cooperative Learning:  Great Grouping Strategies for Your Classroom. Retrieved from www.dailyteachingtools.com

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Grouping Strategy: Randomization of Student Participants

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Grouping Strategy: Randomization of Student Participants

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Student participants are chosen randomly during instruction in order to ensure different students are called upon. It supports the need to draw our attention to all students instead of the students that may always volunteer during discussion. This is useful in grouping students in partners as to ensure mixed pairs.  Dr. Seidlitz discusses the use of randomization to help engage all learners in an English Language Learner classroom (2008).  This is also applicable in providing a non-bias approach when selecting students as the process is truly random and every student participates in the selection process.

Application in 2nd Grade small group: Student names are written on wooden craft sticks from one end with a velcro sticker attached to it.  They are all then put into a tin bucket. During th lesson on coin identification, a student is randomly drawn and will proceed with the activity. The student chooses a coin from the "piggy bank" and will identify the name and value of the coin. That students craft stick is then placed upside down back into the tin.  When the teacher is choosing for the next stick, feeling the attached sticker helps to ensure new students are chosen.

Seidlitz, J. (2008). Navigating the ELPS: Using the new standards to improve instruction for English learners. San Antonio: Canter Press

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Collaborative Learning Strategy: Rally Coach

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Collaborative Learning Strategy: Rally Coach

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Students are partnered up and take turns teaching one another the content.  Partners can be grouped based on any predetermined factor such as knowledge of content, language proficiency, personality. This learning strategy helps to contribute to "improved social skills and cooperativeness" ( Clowes, 2011).

Application in 5th Grade morning small group: Students will teach one another the process of converting customary units of weight to metric units of weight. Students were given an animal to choose to add to their Zoo project. After researching the weight of both male and female of their animal, they are to note the weight in pounds. However, the animal trailer we are utilizing is scaled to kilograms. How do we go about converting our animal's weight from pounds to kilograms.

Clowes, G. (2011). The Essential 5: A Starting Point for Kagan Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing. Kagan Online Magazine. Retrieved from  www.KaganOnline.com

Kagan, S. (1994). Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Resources for Teachers, Inc.

Kagan, S. (n.d.). Rally Coach [Online Image]. Retrieved February 1, 2017 from http://drcarson.wix.com/cit673project1#!kagan/albumphotos3=3

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Students begin by partnering with another student and one student discussing a given topic for a predetermined allotment of time.  They then switch roles with the other student adding to the discussion while the other listens. Gavin Clowes, a Kagan trainer, describes this strategy as one of the "Essential 2" of Kagan structures.  Aside from  the academic support it provides,  this structure also effectively supports the improvement of students' "conflict resolution skills" (2011).

Application in 5th Grade afternoon small group: Students are beginning to work on measurement conversions. To revisit the unit of measurement we begin with weight and the real-life applications of utilizing weight measurements.  Why would bridges in town need to have their weight limits posted? How might this affect drivers carrying heavy cargo? Students are asked to think about the question then pair with their shoulder partners to have a discussion.  After a few minutes of student discussion, they are given the opportunity to share out with the table group.

Timed Pair Share. [Online Image]. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/research_and_rationale/330/The-Essential-5-A-Starting-Point-for-Kagan-Cooperative-Learning

Kagan, S. (1994). Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Resources for Teachers, Inc.

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Collaborative Learning Strategy: Numbered Heads Together

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Collaborative Learning Strategy: Numbered Heads Together

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Students are numbered off by table group. Students collaborate on a solution together and the teacher calls out a number to share with the larger group. The students experience shared learning by initially working together on a given activity.  Calling out on students can cause anxiety in the diverse classroom or group.  By utilizing effective Kagan structures, social skills are embedded into the techniques and provide for an improvement in student relationships and classroom engagement (Kagan, 1994).

Application in 3rd grade afternoon small group: Illustrate the steps of using the Area Model when multiplying a 2-digit number and a 1 digit number. Pose the question 26 x 3 on the white board. Have the group of students work on the problem using the strategy of an Area Model, using the previously created anchor chart for reference as needed.  When students are finished working, a student is called by rolling a number cube for the corresponding numbered student to share out.

Numbered Heads Together. [Online Image]. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.wawasanpendidikan.com/2014/10/metode-pembelajaran-nht-numbered-head.html

Kagan, S. (1994). Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Resources for Teachers, Inc.

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Students work on individual pieces of the activity that they then collaborate with the entire group to have a finished product (Andrini, 1991).  The assigned activity can be differentiated based on ability and the tasks can correspond with student needs.

Application in 5th Grade afternoon small group: Students will work together to identify relateable benchmarks within each unit of customary/metric weight measurement of weight.  Students are each given a unit from tons, pounds, ounces, kilograms and grams.  Individually, they are to find real world examples to be able to use as a benchmark for reference for each of the units of measurement. As a group, students share with one another forming an anchor chart for the unit of study.

Andrini, B. (1991). Cooperative learning and mathematics. San Juan Capistrano, CA: Resources for Teachers, Inc.

Scott, A., (n.d.). Weight Anchor Chart: Customary and Metric. [online image]. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/173459023123954315/