Generalizing Skills: Making Group Instruction Meaningful

Generalizing skills into group instruction is successful when students are taught the skills needed to participate in group settings. Skills such as: observational learning, joint attention, attending, modeling and social skills are all skills needed to participate in group settings. Students are first taught foundational skills, then given supported practice of these skills in small group settings and finally opportunities to participate in larger group settings. Providing students with the opportunity to generalize a skill that was taught in a more structured environment is the key to successful generalization.

Click the image below to download a Generalization Board Template. This template will communicate to staff what specific skills to generalize during group instruction.

In addition, here are 5 tips for successful group instruction:

1. Pre-plan activities and instructional materials.

2. Engage learners with active participation.

3. Focus on teaching skills for “group learning” such as: waiting, turn taking, peer interaction, attending to teacher instructions.

4. Differentiate task requirements based on student developmental levels.

5. Provide visual and environmental supports to promote independence. The STAR Media Center Theme units provide countless pre-planned activities, instructional materials, and visual supports in order to make your group activities meaningful!