If the learning experience is configured for small groups, it will contain a Small Groups badge on the experience card.
This means that at some point in the experience, students will work in small groups (usually of 3-5 students) to complete a portion of the learning experience.
Defining Small Groups
Small-group experiences in Exploros allow educators to enhance collaboration and targeted learning by dividing students into smaller groups. When a learning experience contains Small Groups, you define the groups of students that will work together when assigning the experience. You do this as follows:
Use the left-hand menu to navigate to the specific class you want to assign. NOTE: You cannot configure Small Groups from the All Classes assign option. This assign option is for bulk assigning and does not provide an interface for setting small groups or reading groups per class. If a class is grayed out, it indicates that small groups have not been configured yet for that class.
Click the blue plus button to assign.
During Step 2 of the Assign Process, a small-group configuration grid will appear. You can use this grid to:
Adjust the number of groups (minimum 2, maximum 10).
Assign students to the groups by clicking a group square beside each name, ensuring that every student belongs to one group and each group has at least one member.
Once Small Groups are configured for a particular class, they will be remembered for the next assignment. Once configured for a particular class, you can assign that class from the All Classes menu option as well. However, if you want to edit the students in a given group, you need to assign through the specific class. If small groups have not been set up for a class, it will appear grayed out in the assignment interface. After the initial setup, the class becomes available for selection from the "All Classes" view for future assignments.
Teaching Small Groups
You can see which student is in which group in your dashboard by the colored icon to the left of each student's name. You can sort the student list by Small Group, Name, or Progress.
When teaching the learning experience, the teacher notes will instruct you when to organize the class into small groups and when to have students return to individual work or class-wide work.
Tips for Small-Group Work
After assigning students to small groups:
Ask students to move and sit with their assigned groups.
Assign one student in each group to serve as the note-taker and submitter, or allow the group to choose this person.
If possible, have only the submitter keep their device open. This prevents students from accidentally overwriting one another’s responses.
Before submitting, all group members should work together to discuss the question, conduct research, take notes, and develop their response.
The submitter should enter the group’s agreed-upon answer.
Each small group should submit only one post. The post will represent the entire group, and every member will receive credit. Remind students that although one person submits the response, everyone is expected to contribute to the discussion and preparation.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Why Are Classes Grayed Out When Assigning Small-Group Experiences?
If you notice that some classes are grayed out during the small-group assignment process, it’s an indication that small groups have not yet been configured for those classes. To address this:
Open the specific class that is grayed out.
Configure the small groups following the steps outlined above. Once small groups are properly set up for the class, it will no longer be grayed out. Additionally, the class will then be available for selection from the "All Classes" view for future assignments.
NOTE: If you are working synchronously remotely, it is a good idea to tell students in advance who the note-taker will be for their specific group. Otherwise, all students will try to answer the small group post at once and may write over one another in the process.