In this second post in the series following “Supporting Multilingual Learners with The Station Rotation Model,” we’ll explore how teachers can use their station to differentiate instruction and support. We will establish the benefits of a small-group instructional experience for our multilingual learners and explore practical, research-based strategies that educators can use to structure this small-group time.
The Benefits of Small Group Instruction for Multilingual Learners
Differentiated Instruction Based on Needs or Skills
Small group instruction allows educators to group students based on a variety of factors. They may group them by a specific instructional need. For example, in a class composed of early language learners, one group of students may require focused support in identifying and naming everyday classroom objects using sentence frames, such as “This is a ______.” Another group may be ready to describe those same objects using color, size, and function, like “This is a yellow pencil used for writing.” Teachers working with a class that has more advanced language skills can do the same thing. One group of students may require support in distinguishing between literal and figurative language in a text. Another group may need assistance in decoding multisyllabic words and understanding key vocabulary before engaging with the same text.
Rather than presenting the same vocabulary, concepts, skills, or language structures to all students in a whole group setting, small group instruction allows teachers to adjust the complexity of the task, the level of support, and the scaffolds they use (e.g., images, sentence frames, examples) to meet learners where they are in their language development. This ensures the instruction is more accessible and meaningful.
Recent research in the Journal of Education and Academic Settings (Abdulpatta, 2025) also highlights the significant impact of differentiated instruction on the motivation and engagement of multilingual students. A study found that students exposed to differentiated instruction reported higher levels of interest in learning, increased motivation, and more goal-oriented behavior. The study revealed that tailoring instruction to students’ readiness levels and interests created a more supportive and adaptive learning environment, fostering confidence and persistence in learning another language. This reinforces the value of differentiated instruction not only as a means of being responsive to diverse learning needs but also as an essential element in cultivating learner agency and sustaining motivation over time.
Small Group Reading Instruction
Small-group reading instruction is a powerful way to support multilingual learners’ language development. In their article “Small Group, Big Impact: Reading Instruction That Works For MLEs,” Gonzalez and Huynh (2025) explore the many benefits of working with multilingual learners in small teacher-led groups to help them become more confident and proficient readers. They highlight that in small groups, students benefit from proximity to both the teacher and their peers. This allows them to hear sounds and words more clearly, observe mouth movements, and engage more easily.
For example, in an elementary classroom, one group might focus on foundational reading skills, connecting letters to sounds, recognizing sight words, or building fluency through shared reading. Another group may work on applying reading strategies, like identifying main ideas or making inferences. In a secondary classroom, one group might meet with the teacher to practice identifying nonfiction text features and summarizing key ideas, while another group engages in a guided discussion of a short story or article, using prompts to build comprehension and connect ideas.
Whether students are working on decoding, fluency, or analysis, small-group reading instruction allows teachers to select texts at an appropriate level for each group and prompt, scaffold, and respond in real time. This helps multilingual learners develop the confidence and skills they need to become independent readers, which is critical to their language development.
A Safe Space for Risk-Taking and Real-Time Support
One of the most important, yet often overlooked, benefits of small-group instruction for multilingual learners is the emotional shift it creates. In a whole group setting, students who are still acquiring English may hesitate to participate out of fear of making mistakes or being misunderstood. But in a small teacher-led group, where the pace is designed to meet the group’s specific needs and the pressure is lower, students are more likely to take risks, ask questions, and use their new language. This environment lowers students’ affective filter, or the internal barrier that can block learning when students feel anxious, stressed, or self-conscious. When multilingual learners feel seen, supported, and safe, they are more open to learning, speaking, and engaging.
Small group settings also dramatically increase opportunities for interaction and feedback. Instead of waiting for their turn to speak (if they get one) in a large class discussion, students in a small group have more chances to talk, listen, ask questions, and build meaning together. Teachers can respond in real time, offer personalized feedback to all members of the small group, and tailor the explanations and tasks to challenge students within their zone of proximal development. Activities such as structured partner talk, cooperative learning strategies, collaborative problem-solving, or role-playing provide students with authentic opportunities to use language in context. This not only builds confidence but also deepens their understanding of the content. It’s in these moments of connection with peers and coaching by the teacher that real language development happens.
In-Practice: Bringing These Benefits to Life at the Teacher-led Station
To help teachers translate these benefits into action, I would like to highlight three instructional strategies discussed in my new book, The Station Rotation Model and UDL: Elevate Tier 1 Instruction and Cultivate Learner Agency. Each of these instructional strategies is aligned with one of the core benefits highlighted above.
Differentiated Instruction Based on Needs or Skills
Instructional Strategy: I Do, We Do, Pairs Do, You Do
This gradual release model is especially effective for multilingual learners because it builds confidence through modeling, shared practice, and teacher guidance before students are asked to work independently.
This strategy is far more effective in a small group than in a whole-class setting because the teacher can adjust the texts, tasks, support, and speed based on the needs of the group. It is also possible for the teacher to observe and engage all students in a small group to get a more accurate picture of what students understand and can do. This invaluable formative assessment data can then be used to further differentiate the process.
Teachers might use this strategy to:
- Introduce and practice using key vocabulary with the aid of visuals, sentence frames, and repetition.
- Model how to respond to reading comprehension questions using evidence from the text and illustrations.
- Support students in constructing compound and complex sentences.
- Teach a grammar concept, like past tense verbs or subject-verb agreement, with real-time checks for understanding.
- Walk students through a math word problem, modeling how to identify key information and explain their reasoning.
- Practice retelling or summarizing.
- Model writing tasks, like personal narratives or analysis of literature, with guided support.
Small Group Reading Instruction
Instructional Strategy: Concept Attainment
Concept attainment is a powerful strategy that helps students develop their understanding of a concept by analyzing examples and non-examples. This strategy is effective for multilingual learners because it promotes conceptual understanding, analytical thinking, pattern recognition, academic vocabulary development, and speaking and listening skills. It is especially effective in a small group setting where the teacher can guide students to notice patterns, clarify misunderstandings, and adjust examples based on students’ proficiency levels.
In a whole-group setting, this strategy can feel rushed or inaccessible to students who are still developing English proficiency. In a small group, the teacher can scaffold the cognitive and linguistic demands of the task, offer real-time support, and give students the space to test their thinking out loud with their peers.
Teachers might use this strategy to:
- Teach the difference between fact and opinion using simple, leveled sentences.
- Help students distinguish between the features of a summary and a personal reflection.
- Introduce grammatical patterns such as adjective order, verb tense, or plurals.
- Explore text structures, like cause and effect or chronological order, using sentence strips or short passages.
- Examine examples of incomplete versus complete sentences or strong versus weak topic sentences or claims.
- Identify characteristics of different genres of writing, such as informational texts, fables, or argumentative writing.
A Safe Space for Risk-Taking and Real-Time Support
Instructional Strategy: Formative Feedback
Formative real-time feedback is one of the most valuable tools a teacher has for supporting language development. However, it is nearly impossible to provide feedback as students work in a whole-group setting. In a small group, by contrast, the teacher can listen or read carefully, respond immediately, and tailor feedback to each student’s level of language proficiency.
This strategy not only supports accuracy and growth, but it also creates a low-stress environment where students feel safe trying, revising, and trying again. That space for risk-taking and revision is critical for multilingual learners as they develop their academic and language skills.
As teachers provide formative feedback to support students as they work, it is crucial that they use asset-based language to affirm what students are doing well, build on their strengths, and frame mistakes as opportunities for growth. Feedback should highlight progress, reinforce effective strategies, and offer clear, supportive guidance that helps students take the next step in their learning. This approach not only boosts confidence and strengthens the student-teacher relationship but also positively impacts the students’ belief in themselves as capable learners.
Teachers might use this strategy to:
- Provide immediate feedback as students practice using new vocabulary in conversation.
- Gently correct grammar or pronunciation errors in real-time using modeling, sentence frames, and example sentence strips.
- Guide students as they write or revise a sentence or paragraph using shared editing routines.
- Prompt students to elaborate on or clarify their ideas during a small-group discussion.
- Offer targeted support as students practice speaking or presenting in English.
- Respond to misunderstandings in the moment to prevent confusion or misconceptions.
Wrap Up
Small group, teacher-led instruction offers multilingual learners a space where they can receive targeted instruction and support, build their confidence and relationships with the teacher, and take meaningful steps forward in both language development and content mastery. Using research-backed instructional strategies in a small-group dynamic, teachers can differentiate instruction effectively, create space for authentic interactions, and respond to learners’ needs in the moment. These small group experiences lay the foundation for greater independence and ownership in the other station in a rotation.
What’s Next in This Series?
This post focused on the why, or value, of using the station rotation model to meet the needs of multilingual learners. In upcoming posts, I’ll share specific strategies and classroom examples to help you design practical and accessible stations for your students. Here’s what is ahead in this series!
- Part 3: Designing for Self-Direction at the Online and Offline Stations—Ways to support early language learners in navigating independent and collaborative tasks with confidence, using routines, visuals, and other supportive strategies.
- Part 4: Cultivating Self-Regulated and Strategic Learners Over Time—Metacognitive and reflective routines designed to help multilingual learners develop agency, set goals, monitor their progress, advocate for their needs, and think about their learning.
This series is all about making the station rotation model work for multilingual learners, ensuring that the learning meets their specific needs.
If you want to delve deeper into designing inclusive, student-centered learning experiences, check out my new book, The Station Rotation Model and UDL: Elevate Tier 1 Instruction and Cultivate Learner Agency. This book guides teachers in using the station rotation model to put Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into action in their classrooms, making learning more accessible, engaging, and effective for all students.
The Station Rotation Model and UDL: Elevate Tier I Instruction and Cultivate Learner Agency is available now! I’d love for you to check it out, share it with a colleague, and let me know what resonates most with you. If you have any questions about the book, please post a comment!I
School leaders interested in using the book for a staff-wide study can place a discounted bulk order for 10 or more copies. If you and your teachers need additional support, I offer customized professional learning that is hands-on, practice-based, and tailored to your team’s needs. Together, we can support your teachers in developing their UDL practice, differentiating instruction more effectively, and elevating Tier 1 instruction. We can even utilize the Station Rotation Model to create space for Tier 2 support and Tier 3 intervention within general education classrooms. And, we can explore how this model can help us position students as active agents leading their own learning!
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