Why Learning in Small Groups Better for Children in Pandemic

At the state that the world is in, learning in small groups does not only have significant benefits on children’s growth but it can also help keep them safe from being in contact with one another. Having lost so many months of education, our children need an approach that can help them keep up and catch up actively.

Due to its learner-centred nature, experts found that children who learn in small groups have a higher possibility to achieve positive outcomes. We highlighted the benefits of small-group learning based on past research, and how we apply it in each skill-set of our Primary Enhancement Programme at IDRISSI International School in Johor:

1. Literacy

A recent study has been done on students who were identified as being at risk for later literacy difficulties, and the results showed that the literacy intervention done in small groups help boost children’s early skills and build a solid foundation for literacy learning.

2. Numeracy

Mathematics is one of the subjects that parents worry most about. In a study done on at-risk children for early numeracy difficulties, small group tutoring is efficient as children can participate in solving and discussing logic-based problems given.

3. Exploration

Science is all about combining exploration and comprehension in the world around them. Recent research has proven that learning in small groups helps children to learn more actively, which is an important quality when conducting simple experiments and discussion.

4. Social

In a research that studied children’s prosocial interactions, it was found that small group activities and collaboration could encourage children to communicate, where they could initiate a conversation, provide help and respond to peers.

As a new addition to international schools in Johor, IDRISSI introduced Primary Enhancement Programme, an interactive learning environment with 1-to-1 session to better track children’s progress and customise the solution. By letting them learn in small learning groups, we can identify the difficulty that they are facing and encourage their growth in a variety of ways. With a maximum of ten students per circle, IDRISSI Primary Enhancement Programme will help children with catch-ups that need to be done before they enrol into primary school.