Step 6: Diversifying Small Groups to Enhance Learning

Student diversity creates great potential for classroom learning, given the different expertise and experience students bring with them. But that diversity only contributes to learning when instructors create dynamic ways for students to interact with a wide array of peers. To help her students learn from their classmates, Gretchen Brion-Meisels asks her students to engage with many different peers in a class meeting and intentionally mixes groups along differences, such as age, nationality, and professional interest. Mixing students up in these ways helps her “build a strong community where students trust each other and also value each other's voices in order for learning to happen between and among students, instead of just from student to me and student to me.”

Profiled: Gretchen Brion-Meisels, Lecturer on Education, teaches "Partnering with Youth in Educational Research and Practice" to 23 students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Takeaway Tips

Give students specific criteria for forming groups to help them interact with a wide range of peers. You might ask them to group based on where they’re from, as Brion-Meisels does, or by their academic concentration. 

Consider your class size and pacing when building in opportunities to mix students up into different groups. In larger classes especially, be aware that frequent switching of groups may change the momentum of a class section. Be intentional about when you are asking students to make a change to ensure it serves their learning. 

Related Resources

Vanderbilt’s “Group Work” tip sheet offers examples of cooperative learning activities along with tips for fostering positive group interactions. (Download)

This HGSE handout on discussion protocols gives a lot of great structured protocols for small group work. 

The nonprofit IDEA shares strategies for getting your students to engage in dialogue with peers whose experiences and views may differ from their own. 

Reflection Questions

In general, how do students form groups or partners in your class? How much diversity of thought/experience/knowledge/background are they currently exposed to from their classmates?

How might you use the techniques highlighted in the video to encourage students to interact with a variety of classmates during class?

Intentionally grouping students as they frequently switch discussion partners helps them learn from the diversity in the classroom. In the next video, we’ll see a different technique for using small groups to create inclusive classrooms.

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