Flexible Grouping
Overview
Flexible grouping is a classroom practice that temporarily places learners' together in given groups to work together, with the purpose of achieving a given learning goal or activity. These groups are adaptive and can account for learners' changing needs and interests, based on instructor observation, formative assessment, and learner feedback. Encouraging learners to move flexibly between groups allows them to bring their own strengths to the class and gives them the best opportunity to be able to learn with and from each other to strengthen Social Awareness and Relationship Skills among learners. This practice supports all adults, including those with learning disabilities and multilingual learners, by allowing them to participate in the group along with their peers and colleagues to showcase their strengths and learn from others with intentionality.
Use It In Your Learning Environment
Flexible grouping can look many different ways, including small groups of two learners and up to six learners, and may or may not include direct instructor facilitation. They can be made up of learners of varying skills and abilities, or may be based around learners who have similar strengths or interests, depending on the goals and outcomes, and can support learner Motivation. When learners understand that they are expected to contribute to the collective learning because their voice matters, and that their experiences, interests and strengths are valued and an asset to the classroom it fosters a Sense of Belonging. Teachers should be regularly monitoring learner outcomes and restructuring groups as needed to best support the learning goals.
Technology can be used to help determine learners' strengths and skills to help group and regroup on a regular basis and to assess outcomes. Technology can also support collaboration within small groups, for example, using shared documents to work on collaboratively while providing learners with the supportive tools they may need to engage with the content within their group, such as text-to-speech or translation tools.
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Cooperative Learning Strategies
Beginning meetings with check-ins and maximizing opportunities for informal check-ins, whether live or online, can foster a sense of Belonging while building Social Supports.
Adult learners can self-organize into groups called communities of practice to engage in longer-term examination of a topic to build deeper understanding.
Giving learners the opportunity to share their knowledge, skills, and understanding with others strengthens learning and increases Motivation while also building Social Supports.
Learning in social contexts has been shown to have significant effects on comprehension of material and retention of new information into Long-term Memory.
Bringing learners' everyday literacy practices such as text chats into instruction provides regular, low-stakes practice communicating with authentic audiences.
