My Personal Thoughts, Recommendations, and Goals as a Teacher in Light of the Issue
First and foremost, I believe we need to be made aware of
the unintended, research-based consequences of within-class ability grouping
and need to be as self-reflective as possible about any possible intentional or
unintentional bias we may have. These biases do affect
student outcomes both socially and academically through “hidden messages” or
more directly through how teachers decide which students to place in which
group (see my unintended consequences page).
These biases are usually unintentional and non-explicit and must be
learned about, especially by white educators like me.
For resources to aid in this reflection and awareness process that we
all must go through at some point or another, see the resources/references on
this weblog as well as on my other weblog, http://talkingraceinschools.blogspot.com/,
and by checking out this great article and self-test on hidden bias: Test Yourself for Hidden Bias | Teaching Tolerance
When grouping students, keep in mind true
cooperative learning models to ensure that all students have equal status and
equally important roles and tasks (positive interdependence). After learning about and how to effectively use the five elements of cooperative learning (see picture) with students, I have personally seen motivation, overall cooperation, and on-task behavior increase dramatically!
Contact Theory sheds light on the importance of equal status and opportunity in group work, especially in mixed-ability groups and projects such as service learning projects, etc., helping to reduce prejudice and intergroup conflict.
· I believe that homogeneous small group time
(if used) should happen minimally and only for specific
tasks/skills that students need to develop. It can be easy to forget that “reading” and “math” are not specific skills. Practicing sight-word recognition or on how
to borrow numbers in subtraction problems are specific skills. It is unlikely that a student in a traditional
low-ranked “reading” ability group is actually “low” in all areas of
reading. Fluency, comprehension,
writing, spelling, etc., require very different skills. I have also found that teacher-student time, carefully structured "buddy" time, and differentiated individual-student folders/packets are other great ways of helping all students reach full potential in mixed-ability classrooms.
· Let's allow all students to have opportunities to help and teach peers something that they
are strong at. Everyone has strengths
and areas for growth—we need to really get to know each student to
determine what these are and to focus on strengths as much as possible. Families and teacher-student "hang-out meetings" are great sources for this at the start of the year! We want students to experience one another’s
strengths (instead of only seeing weaknesses in peers placed in lower-ranked ability groups and strengths in peers placed in higher-ranked groups). I want to "catch" my students complimenting one another and feeling proud of what they can contribute to the learning environment!
If using small groups, CONSTANTLY reassess students using various forms of assessment rather than only standardized test scores and MOVE them to an appropriate group! Challenge ALL groups and ensure that ALL groups are getting optimal instruction, materials, choices in projects/books/independent reading/etc., critical thinking and other high-order thinking questions and tasks, and opportunities to experience success, challenge, and advancement.
· We cannot be afraid to be real about issues
surrounding race and racism with young students. There are ways to have effective discussions
and plan activities and lessons with children about the realities of racism,
about people’s similarities and differences, and about how to respect, make friends
with, and embrace--notice I did not say "tolerate"--all people groups. Reading
effective multicultural children’s books and ensuring that your
classroom library reflects these values is a great way to start! If these issues are not explicitly learned
through education or experience early on, children will develop stereotypes
about others very early on and these will be harder and harder to break as they
age. See my other blog for more
information on this “taboo” topic: http://talkingraceinschools.blogspot.com/
I have realized through all of my research on within-class ability grouping that there is less than enough information on the topic as most of the information is on the issue of between-class ability grouping/tracking. More research and media coverage on student/family/educator perspectives of the issue is needed, especially from the perspective of those placed in or with students placed in lower and average ability groups. Most importantly, I believe all elementary educators should have training, material, and support that is geared specifically towards effective grouping strategies in mixed-ability elementary classrooms.
Below are Recommendations from Various Sources…
- Within-class ability grouping practices are most effective under three conditions: (a) when teachers are given effective and appropriate training, (b) when students are placed into small groups by ability and group cohesiveness, and (c) when cooperative-learning strategies are used to facilitate learning in the small groups. (McCoach, O’Connell, & Levitt, 2006)
- “…to reduce levels of teasing for high and low ability children, schools need to ensure that a range of skills and personal qualities is valued and that hard work, improvement and reaching personal attainment goals are rewarded rather than the achievement of high levels of performance by a small proportion of pupils. Schools might, for instance, emphasize effort, good behaviour, good attendance, sporting prowess, artistic or musical achievement or creativity. Teachers need to be aware of the messages that they are giving to their pupils about what they value and ensure that all pupils feel valued...The grouping of pupils between and within classes needs to be planned flexibly so that it can respond to the changing needs of particular cohorts or groups of pupils...A more effective strategy [than traditional ability grouping] would be to consider the formation of groups in relation to particular tasks [instead of by subject—e.g. “reading”], some which might benefit from a mix of ability and skills and others where more homogeneous groupings would be beneficial” (Hallam, Iresona, & Davies, 2004, p. 531).
- One study found…The effects of a classroom climate where student initiative and love of learning are emphasized are positive for both races [African American and Caucasian]. This kind of climate has a status-leveling effect by promoting an alternative model of learning less likely to foster academically based status hierarchies. Such an alternative model, particularly if it incorporates a de-emphasis on standardized measures of achievement, would minimize status differences in a way maximally conducive to interracial friendliness. (Hallinan & Teixeira, 1987)
- Use flexible grouping practices to allow for whole-group community and interaction as well as addressing individual needs. Flexible grouping ensures that small groups do not remain static and it values various types of grouping—large groups, small groups, teams, partners, and individuals—because each grouping creates different learning experiences and outcomes and students have the opportunity to interact with all peers in their class. More information on flexible grouping:
- In one study, teachers attributed the positive impact of flexible grouping on high-needs students to (a) focused instruction related to particular learning needs, (b) the ability to keep student attention focused on the instructional task, and (c) increased student confidence. The results support the use of flexible grouping to improve student learning for below-goal students without the potentially negative effects of ability grouping (Castle, Deniz, & Tortora, 2005).
- Ability grouping has beneficial effects for elementary school students of varying ability levels depending on these features: (a) extent of curricular differentiation occurring within groups, (b) flexibility of the grouping arrangement, (c) method by which students are assigned to instructional groups, and (d) specificity of the grouping arrangement. (McCoach et al., 2006)
- Making Education Personal: Ability Grouping or Blended Learning?
- Making Education Personal: Ability Grouping or Blended Learning?
"New learning models
“...All the hand-wringing is the result of a traditional classroom structure that doesn’t allow for differentiated learning,” says Robin Lake, executive director of the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE).
“If you have one teacher and 26 kids, how does the teacher move all those kids forward when she has standards to meet and competing demands on her time? The only way within this structure is to pull some kids out. What excites me looking forward is how we can change the structure to support individualized learning.”
Lake is a champion of “blended learning environments,” which she says are cropping up all over the U.S. in rural and urban locales, most notably New York City, and could be the solution to the ability grouping dilemma...."
- Article: Alternatives to Ability Grouping in Reading
"...Alternatives to ability grouping
Just as the problems associated with ability grouping in reading are many, so are the alternatives. Among them are unlocking group membership; using whole class instruction; offering additional instruction for poorer readers; modifying seatwork; and using needs grouping, interest grouping, peer tutoring, cooperative learning, or flexible grouping..."
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