Mrs. Elrod received her bachelor’s degree from Shorter College in Early Childhood Education and obtained a master’s degree from Jacksonville State University in the area of Leadership (P-12). Mrs. Elrod also has endorsements in the areas of Reading, ESOL, Gifted, and Math.
ESOL Team: You offer a great deal of group work opportunities in your classroom. How do you determine how your groups are formed?
Mrs. Elrod: I use a variety of ways to form groups depending on the activity and how well students have mastered the skills needed in order to complete the task. Sometimes I will group based on strengths and weaknesses of skills; other times I may let the students create groups or have them choose a color-cube. I try to mix the students up as much as possible, so that they are not always with the same team or with a friend that they may rely on more than is needed.
ESOL Team: How do you ensure that they are using academic language and content objectives, and that comprehensible input is taking place or happening during group work?
Mrs. Elrod: I do a lot of walk around monitoring and just listening...not talking. If I see that a group may be struggling with the task discussion I may offer a question to further the student's involvement. We do a lot of checkpoints, especially in writing. I am lucky to have a team of wonderful teachers during the class when my ESOL students are served which allows us to meet more often with the students as a one-on-one or small group of 2 or 3 students. I also sometimes do a ticket out the door to check the students' understanding or confusions. I feel that my classroom is one that is safe and inviting, so the students will not hesitate to ask questions or for clarifications.
ESOL Team: I noticed that the groups are student-led with very little input from the teacher. How are the student leaders chosen and what benefit do you see from having them conduct the groups as opposed to the teacher leading and directing the group work?
Mrs. Elrod: At times I will choose a leader, but this year using the more student-led small groups has naturally brought leaders to the front. Some students that have always sat in the background have really stood out as taking a leading role. I believe using the student-led small group discussion format has brought forth more of a risk-free environment for the students, as well as just always making sure the classroom is a safe "it's okay to make a mistake" environment. I have seen the confidence of the students grow in just the small amount of time that I have used this approach and would recommend it to everyone. Be prepared though for your classroom to have noise because it is not a quiet zone when using this approach.