Ability grouping has been a controversial issue over many years in education. There have been many arguments regarding whether or not grouping students by their performance hurts or improves their academic performance. There has been no clear research that determines if this is true. One side the argument is that ability grouping can hinder students learning because it can give students a low self-esteem, which decreases their academic performance. On the other hand, some say that ability grouping can improve tests score by giving students time to get individual instruction with the material. Personally, I think that ability grouping, if done in an appropriate can only help students reach their academic goals.
Ability Grouping
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Many of the arguments against ability grouping is the concern for the psychological and social well being of the children involved, especially children placed in the lower-achieving ability groups. At a young age, children become more and more aware of differentiating characteristics, especially those children who are labeled as the “slower” groups, while others are labeled as the “gifted” or “accelerated” groups. Being labeled can leave children feeling discouraged. For example, if teachers are focusing more of their time and energy on the “gifted students” or the “slower students” the groups will not be getting the guided instructions that is needed for learning the content. Burns and Mason (1998) suggest that ability grouping may inadvertently create unequal learning opportunities for students. Even at the elementary level, this practice may give some students opportunities for more effective teachers, class composition, and instruction; thus giving a better chance at higher achievement. Since, students are getting the appropriate amount of time with the instructor, it has the possibility of leading to feelings of segregation. This can be difficult for young students to manage, thus causing unnecessary arguments, or a negative self-esteem, for those who are considered the “non gifted” students. Another disadvantage of ability grouping is that some believe that students will be treated differently and the teacher’s expectations will decrease for those who are put in the lower groups. Teachers may find themselves being more positive, patient with and respectful to students in higher ability groups that they are able to teach with less effort. Even if teachers do so unconsciously, they may treat students in the different groups as superior of inferior based on their groupings, leading to the perception by the students
...ting them choose their own groups to be in during class, as offering multiple ways to complete projects, different assigned reading topics, and etc. The student can only get out of the class as much as they put in. Even though the students may wish the teachers would give less homework or let them read Sports Illustrated in class, there is a fine line between academic learning that incorporates “street smarts” and academic learning that lacks on the academic part. Teachers must insure their students are learning the required material and that they are not taking detours from learning about topics and ideas that students need to be successful after college.
While differentiating instruction and being able to design lessons geared towards the needs of diverse learners are currently highly prized skills for teachers, this has not always been the case. The history of education in the United States is a history of segregation. Even today, schools and curriculum are designed to meet the needs of a core group of students, which does not include students with disabilities (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002). In the past, learners who were different, out of the mainstream, or did not fit into the mold to which teachers taught (were not part of the core) learned how or lost out on learning. This is not to say that teachers of the past did not care about their students, about being effective teachers, or about student learning. However, as schools are mirrors reflecting mainstream societal norms (Chartock, 2010; Delpit, 2006)—and, given that our society has not always valued diversity in people, be it due to disability, class, culture, or race—teachers in the past have largely focused their efforts where they could earn the largest return on their investment: the average student .
Cloran (n.d.) suggest teachers need to have a broad understanding of giftedness and learning disabilities, a variety of identification measures and the ability to modify the curriculum and implement differentiated teaching strategies to meet the unique needs of all students. A graduate teacher recognises that students learn in their own way and should understand and be able to identify a number of teaching strategies to differentiate and meet the learning needs of all students. They may create groups based on previous assessment results and set clear or modified instructions for each group based on ability or learning styles. To address the specific learning needs of all student abilities, multi-sensory strategies using charts, diagrams, outside lessons and videos, as well as posters around the room or information on the desk could be used. Tomlinson (1999) suggests that differentiated instruction aims to build on student’s strengths and maximize their learning by adjusting instructional tasks to suit their individual needs. Ensuring teaching and instructions are clear, revising and prompting students during lessons and providing templates and assisting student in breaking down tasks into achievable, systematic chunks are some additional examples. Lucas, (2008) suggests highlighting key vocabulary within the text to focus students on the central concepts within the text. Quick finishing students should be provided with the opportunity to extend themselves with extension tasks that have a specific purpose and
Racial Groups: Conceptual Perspectives and Practical Suggestions. VanTassel-Baska, J.L., Cross, T. L. & Olenchak, F. R. (Eds.). Social-Emotional Curriculum With Gifted and Talented Students (pp. 133-151). Prufrock Press Inc. Waco, Texas.
The students worked diligently and produced some great work, however, one thing that may be helpful during the next implementation of this lesson may be to group students, specifically, to mix skill levels. The teacher candidate noticed that most students chose to sit with their friends, most being on the same level of academic ability, leading to students getting off task or misunderstanding directions. If the students were assigned to groups that contained a diverse collection of skill levels then, they could use their strengths and weaknesses to learn from one
Differential educational achievement is unquestionable affected by different social groups however this is not the only factor that affects the educational success of students.
First, studies indicate that tracking has been an immense problem for the achievement gap and it is widely described as an element which has played a huge role in the achievement gap between the white and black population. According to Atkinson (2010), tracking is referred to as a process where students are divided into categories so that they can be put into groups and different types of
Donovan, M. Suzanne and Christopher T. Cross (2002, August). Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/lib/drexel/-docDetail.action?docID=10032383.
Everyone knows about the various stereotypes and social stigmas that come with socioeconomic status whether they will choose to admit it or not. Society has come to assume that a child who comes from a family of low socioeconomic status, that they will not do as well as a child who comes from a family of a greater socioeconomic status. Unfortunately these assumptions are so ingrained in our brains that we start to follow the self-fulfilling prophecy. When a child from a noticeably low socioeconomic status walks into a classroom, it is not uncommon for the teacher to automatically assume that the child will not perform well in class, and in turn either grades the child more harshly or does not give the child as much attention as the other children from high socioeconomic status families. Do these children not perform well in class because of the self-fulfilling prophecy or is there something that happens during the critical period that causes the child to fall behind?
The effect of treating one group of children superior to the others was clear in that the children who were treated superior performed better than those of the inferior group and the superior group also behaved better. This same effect is demonstrated in our society where children who are treated as superior tend to do better in school, find better jobs, and live better lives. Whereas, the children were selected to be in the inferior group acted out more and did not do as well scholastically. This is a very similar effect that we see today with minorities, where they do not perform as well in school and tend to find themselves more often than not in trouble with the
Children are unique individuals with different desires and needs. They provide challenges for teachers to meet and conquer. Some of these many differences stem from the diversity of the students in the classroom. Ultimately, much of this diversity comes from the many special family situations in which students live. Cultural factors, prior experience with education, family structure, and socioeconomic factors all have effects on children’s education.
Author unkown (2003, March 9). In gifted classrooms is diversity lacking?. Salisbury Daily Times. Retrieved March 10, 2003, from http://www.dailytimesonline.com/new/stories/20030309/localnews/1142640.html
In today’s educational environment, all students expect to receive the same level of instruction from schools and all students must meet the same set of standards. Expectations for students with learning disabilities are the same as students without any learning difficulties. It is now unacceptable for schools or teachers to expect less from one segment of students because they have physical disabilities, learning disabilities, discipline problems, or come from poor backgrounds. Standardize testing has resulted in making every student count as much as their peers and the most positive impact has been seen with the lowest ability students. Schools have developed new approaches to reach these previously underserved students while maintaining passing scores for the whole student body. To ensure academic success, teachers employ a multi-strategy approach to develop students of differing abilities and backgrounds. Every student is different in what skills and experiences they bring to the classroom; their personality, background, and interests are as varied as the ways in which teachers can choose to instruct them. Differentiated instruction has been an effective method in which teachers can engage students of various backgrounds and achieve whole-class success. When using differentiated instruction, teachers develop lesson strategies for each student or groups of students that provide different avenues of learning but all avenues arrive at the same learning goal.
Since the beginning of formal education, teachers/educators have sought the best method of instruction to maximize the learning potential of their students. It was recognized early that students differ in intelligence, ability to learn, background, environment, learning style, and many other factors that affected their progress through the educational system. Over time the classroom became the place for a teacher’s intuition, experiences, and impressions of the child to be the guidebook (Cronbach & Snow, 1969). As a result, aptitude treatment interaction (ATI) research developed as a way to find the best methods of instruction for the student population.
My goal as a teacher is to improve my student’s education and help them grow knowledgably. I like to see students at different levels develop with each other and learn. I want to challenge the students and watch them grow to their highest level of education. Therefore, having the students in groups is the best educational strategy I like to use a lot. I want my students to have freedom with whatever creativity they want, and to allow them to express themselves at any time. With this freedom students will be able to experiment with likes and dislikes and be able to figure their weaknesses and strengths. Education is for everyone and it’s a right by low for all; teachers, on the other hand, should do their jobs very honestly and effectively.