An accommodation changes how information and concepts are presented or practiced ensuring that each student has the opportunities and support needed to learn. Accommodations do not reduce the learning expectations and should be chosen based on the student’s individual needs and not applied arbitrarily to all MLs. Accommodations are not to be viewed as an advantage to the student; accommodations provide access to the content for the student.
Accommodations:
- Provide access to grade-level curriculum;
- Alter the environment, not the curriculum;
- Do not change the learning outcomes;
- Happen in the content-area classroom; and
- Should not impact grading, though how learning is assessed may change.
Description
Small group instruction is beneficial for multilingual learners because it
- lowers the affective filter*
- allows for more individualized instruction because a student's needs are better met in the smaller setting
- gives a student more opportunities to talk, therefore increasing language development
Examples:
- Small groups that last between 10-15 minutes per group
- Groups are explicitly planned and grouped
*The “affective filter” is a term made popular by Stephen Krashen, a famous American researcher on language acquisition, during the 1980s. It is an attempt to describe how a student's attitudes or emotional variables can impact the success of learning a new language.
|
Teacher |
Student |
 |
The teacher is working with small groups of students on a specific concept. |
The students attend to the task with the teacher in the small group setting. |
|
Teacher |
Student |
 |
"Today, I will work with _____ group first. Please bring ______ to the small group area." |
Because students are in smaller groups, they feel more comfortable asking,
"Can you show me that again?" |
| Recommended Domain(s) |
Recommended Level(s) |
| Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing |
All Levels |
Scaffolding
When should the accommodation be removed?
The Small Group Instruction accommodation may be removed when the student is no longer needing support for that specific concept. Many classrooms utilize small group instruction as a common practice and as a best practice for learning. If you have questions, or feel your ML requires a change in their ILAP regarding this accommodation, please reach out to the Multilingual Learner Program Specialist (MLPS) in your building to discuss the student's needs.
