The Extraordinary Educators Podcast
Best practices, tips, and stories to help you be extraordinary in your classroom and beyond, featuring Curriculum Associates' Director of the Educator Community Sari Laberis.
The Extraordinary Educators Podcast
Using a STEAM Approach in Small Group Instruction with Jasmine Applewhite
Ever wondered how a middle school classroom can transform into a hub of engagement, where students are not just listeners but active participants? Join us as we sit down with Jasmine Applewhite, a dynamic STEAM teacher from Mississippi, who's revolutionizing middle school education by incorporating small group instruction with a STEAM twist. Her unique approach merges science, technology, engineering, art, and math with seventh and eighth-grade ELA, fostering an environment where differentiated learning isn't just a goal but a reality.
In our latest episode, Jasmine doesn't just share her methods; she gives us a glimpse into the heart of her classroom, where collaboration and customized learning take center stage. Discover how she manages to keep her cool while juggling multiple small groups, ensuring each child's needs are met without falling prey to stress or burnout. From setting up effective group routines early on to utilizing the same materials in diverse ways to target different learning objectives, Jasmine's insights are an invaluable resource for educators at any level looking to enrich their teaching strategies and create an absorbing learning experience for their students.
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Hi everyone, Welcome to the Extraordinary Educator Podcast.
Speaker 4:I'm Danielle and I'm Sari this week we are joined by the amazing Jasmine Applewhite, who is a middle school esteemed teacher in Mississippi.
Speaker 3:And it's so exciting to talk about small group instruction in middle school. What, what.
Speaker 4:Exactly. Jasmine provides such a great perspective and mindset around this and also some really great advice and tips for you to use, no matter what you teach. So here is our conversation with Jasmine. Welcome Jasmine. Thank you so much for being here with us today. Thank you, thank you, guys, for having me.
Speaker 3:Of course, Jasmine. So tell us a little bit about your classroom and some things that you're really passionate about right now in your practice.
Speaker 2:Well, I am a seventh and eighth grade ELA STEAM teacher, which means that I integrate science, technology, engineering and art and math into my classroom, and that's one of the things that I really enjoy doing, and one of the ways that we're able to do that in class and kind of complete all of our ELA is through small groups. I'm very passionate about small groups and using them in my classroom and also finding ways to keep my students engaged and to collaborate.
Speaker 3:So let's unpack that a little bit if you don't mind, because I know that small group instruction is a high impact practice, but you are in middle school, so how do you think about approaching small group instruction and what are some of your best practices around using small groups in particular?
Speaker 2:Well, with it being middle school, one of the things that we do, that we do use already for, is to use the instructional groupings to make our groups. So what we do, what I do in my classroom, is I take my small groups and I have four small groups and, based off the instructional grouping and what students need the most, that's the group that they're in. So as I'm planning these groups, I may differentiate all of my lessons. So with one small group we might be targeting vocabulary more well, another one we may be targeting informational texts. So when I'm doing it that way, I'm reaching my students but I'm also being able to kind of keep them engaged on what they need.
Speaker 4:Thank you so much for sharing that, and definitely all very true. I'm curious if I'm a teacher wanting to test out small groups in my middle school classroom or an elementary teacher who maybe doesn't utilize small groups as much as I want to. It can seem kind of daunting to think about planning for multiple groups, especially with middle school, but then multiple classes, so we're getting to like nine groups of small instruction, for example. How do you go about? You sound very calm and at ease when you're talking about this type of stuff. What is your planning kind of process like, or behind the scenes, in order to make this all happen, but not in a way that can produce anxiety or burnout for you?
Speaker 2:Okay. So one thing that I do is I may use the same text for all of my groups. We may be doing the independent practice in my independent group for my ready workbook and then my group that needs more help with vocabulary. I'm going to use that same text and we're going to pull vocabulary from that text. So I'm not going and getting more material, I'm using the same material that I have to expand on it. And let's say that I have a student that we're doing informational text but they're struggling with central. I deal with informational text. Well, I'm just going to go to tools for instruction and see how I can take those tools and apply it with the same text that we're using. So I'm not overly planning. I'm kind of using my resource to expand.
Speaker 3:That is wonderful and the resources that she's talking about. We can make sure that we link in the show notes a little bit more information about that. So can you talk to us a little bit about the managing of small groups in your classroom, because I hear from a lot of middle school educators that they don't have time or they're worried about teaching small groups because of behavior. So how do you approach that in your instruction, dr?
Speaker 2:Well, one of the very first things we do in the beginning of the school year. I start the school year with my small groups. So after the first day, one of the procedures that I teach during that second week is we get into our small groups and we'll we have a set time. So I teach at the beginning of my class and then we have a set time. We go into small groups. That allows everybody to we work work on one particular activity a day. So if one group is doing one activity and I'm doing a teacher-led center with that group, well that's the group that I'm going to work the most with that day.
Speaker 2:So it's not a lot of rotating and moving around. I kind of have to tailor it to where I'm targeting middle school students. They're going to move around, they're a little more active. They're going to move around, they're a little more active, they're going to talk more. So keeping them in the same group and what I do is my groups never change. So that's the area that they sit in, my center material, my station material. It rotates throughout the room so it kind of keeps the room a little balanced.
Speaker 4:Got it, Got it. Thank you for explaining all of that. I think sometimes the logistical pieces can seem overwhelming. So with that, are there any before we close out, last tips or parting advice you have for educators who want to do more with small groups in their classroom.
Speaker 2:I would say just not to get overwhelmed and use the material you have to get overwhelmed and use the material you have. I use sometimes I work with, like I said, the ready work, but independent practice. I'll take discourse course and put in another small group. My other small group may be doing a writing activity, but it's all from the same text, so I'm not overwhelming myself but I'm also reaching the students that I need to reach. So I would just say pace yourself and work to reach your students and don't let it become something that's going to overwhelm you.
Speaker 3:Stage advice for middle school educators everywhere. Well, jasmine, we appreciate you so much for being on the podcast. Unfortunately, that is all the time we have for today, but thank you for doing what you're doing, and it's so cool that you are a STEAM teacher and focused on ELA what, what.
Speaker 2:Thank you guys, I enjoyed this.
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