I think that there are times to group students by ability, such as small groups. There are other times that it is important to have heterogeneous groups. It depends on the lesson and activity.
In particular, I think that reading groups are a good example for grouping students by ability. An important component is that they are fluid groups, that change as students' needs change. These groups can be based on reading level, or specific instructional needs such as phonics or reading comprehension.
It is important that classes are not grouped by ability. These larger groups should be heterogeneous, so that students are exposed to different levels of ability.
Overall, I think that grouping should only be a portion of the day. Most of the day should be mixing students into different groups. Also, all students should meet in small, homogeneous groups, not just students that are struggling.
I believe that in a least restrictive inclusive environment, that teachers should keep the configuration of student groups fluid. In our 4th grade classroom, which is a co-teaching model with 3 permanent adults, we regularly mix the student groups according the task and skill level needed for the lesson. It is a time consuming task to plan each lesson this way, but the benefits to the students have been wonderful. Granted this is much easier when there are 3 teachers, however we have found with the 8 struggling readers and several ADHD students in our room that they are making good progress when placed in groups with more advanced students. Even though each student has their favorite friend in the class, all our children have grown together as a caring learning community. One boy in particular stands out to me as a great example. Brady is one of our more advanced students and sits across from Sam who has some significant learning disabilities. Without being asked, Brady completes his assignments and then shifts his chair around and pitches in to help explain concepts to Sam. The boys have made a good friendship. This is a regular practice by many of our students. I often tell them that sometimes we learn better from our peers than from an adult. Our struggling students participate fully as part of our classroom community and learn by example the habits of good students. Our advanced students are able to reinforce the concepts and skills they know as they teach others. For certain skills like reading groups and specific math skills, we will break into ability driven small groups, but overall we try to have all the students interact with everyone in the class.
I think grouping children by ability and behavior are always important. I will group children in small groups who need extra help into one group that can work with the teacher. Children who are able to comprehend the lesson with a partner who is advanced works well too. Although this isn't always the only factor. Children should be paired with a group they can be responsible with. I have some advanced children who do not always work well with other children because they can get off task and get other children off task. If there is 1 main group that needs to work with an adult, you can group the rest of the children with peers they work well with. When pairing children who need extra help, I try to pair them with children who are responsible and can explain things to them without working too quickly. This isn't an easy task to do and it takes careful planning.
I think that there are times to group students by ability, such as small groups. There are other times that it is important to have heterogeneous groups. It depends on the lesson and activity.
ReplyDeleteIn particular, I think that reading groups are a good example for grouping students by ability. An important component is that they are fluid groups, that change as students' needs change. These groups can be based on reading level, or specific instructional needs such as phonics or reading comprehension.
It is important that classes are not grouped by ability. These larger groups should be heterogeneous, so that students are exposed to different levels of ability.
Overall, I think that grouping should only be a portion of the day. Most of the day should be mixing students into different groups. Also, all students should meet in small, homogeneous groups, not just students that are struggling.
I believe that in a least restrictive inclusive environment, that teachers should keep the configuration of student groups fluid. In our 4th grade classroom, which is a co-teaching model with 3 permanent adults, we regularly mix the student groups according the task and skill level needed for the lesson. It is a time consuming task to plan each lesson this way, but the benefits to the students have been wonderful. Granted this is much easier when there are 3 teachers, however we have found with the 8 struggling readers and several ADHD students in our room that they are making good progress when placed in groups with more advanced students. Even though each student has their favorite friend in the class, all our children have grown together as a caring learning community. One boy in particular stands out to me as a great example. Brady is one of our more advanced students and sits across from Sam who has some significant learning disabilities. Without being asked, Brady completes his assignments and then shifts his chair around and pitches in to help explain concepts to Sam. The boys have made a good friendship. This is a regular practice by many of our students. I often tell them that sometimes we learn better from our peers than from an adult. Our struggling students participate fully as part of our classroom community and learn by example the habits of good students. Our advanced students are able to reinforce the concepts and skills they know as they teach others. For certain skills like reading groups and specific math skills, we will break into ability driven small groups, but overall we try to have all the students interact with everyone in the class.
ReplyDeleteI think grouping children by ability and behavior are always important. I will group children in small groups who need extra help into one group that can work with the teacher. Children who are able to comprehend the lesson with a partner who is advanced works well too. Although this isn't always the only factor. Children should be paired with a group they can be responsible with. I have some advanced children who do not always work well with other children because they can get off task and get other children off task. If there is 1 main group that needs to work with an adult, you can group the rest of the children with peers they work well with. When pairing children who need extra help, I try to pair them with children who are responsible and can explain things to them without working too quickly. This isn't an easy task to do and it takes careful planning.
ReplyDelete