2+Special+Groups

Managing Special Groups
Teaching Heterogeneous Classes


 * Definition of a Heterogeneous grouping:** An even distribution of students throughout classrooms in a specific grade and school resulting in a random assortment of students with different learning abilities, emotional problems and cultural backgrounds in one learning environment.


 * Assessment:** It is fairly easy to assess students entering a heterogeneous classroom in a multitude of ways. The easiest way is to research past information on students' achievement levels from different areas that may affect their learning ability in your classroom. You can also issue a short pre-assessment or observe students and their abilities during the first few weeks of class work. It is of the utmost importance NOT to place too much stock in a single test score the student has received. It is also possible to gain insight on students’ abilities by presenting special assignments in the beginning of the school year, such as: presenting a short lecture and requiring the students to take notes on the lecture. You can then collect the notes and browse through how well each student processed the information. This will give you a better idea of how well students process content and will also give you a clearer view of which students will need different instruction. You must also be careful about students creating predetermined ideas about their fellow classmates. These predeterminations can create social and academic hierarchies resulting in even more frustration.


 * Modifications:**In order to get maximum participation within your heterogeneous classroom, one of the easiest ways to get everyone involved in the classroom discussion is to call on everyone, not just those wishing to respond. It is also extremely important to provide students with a plethora of feedback daily in the classroom. When creating a seating arrangement, it may seem easy to place the students who have trouble learning in their own separate group and check in with them for understanding at the end of the lesson. While this is an easy way out, according to Dr. Grace of the University of Maine at Farmington, this procedure will make the students in question feel isolated and point them out to the other students of the classroom potentially creating negative labels for said students. Creating assignments within a heterogeneous classroom can also be a sticky situation. Worksheets can be too hard for some and too easy for others. Some experts recommend giving two assignments: one basic worksheet for everyone and a second much more difficult worksheet assigned only to certain students who can complete it for extra credit. While this may seem like a good idea, Dr. Grace advises against the changing of standards and goals within a heterogeneous classroom. The good Doctor instead presses up using a tiering system to help every student meet the same goals. The use of more formative assessments can also help students reach the same goals. Robert Sternberg makes the case that “abilities are a form of developing expertise and novices are to be viewed as capable of becoming experts in a great variety of domains.” ( Lotan, R. (2006). Teaching Teachers to Build Equitable Classrooms. //Theory Into Practice//, //45//(1), 8. Page eight, paragraph one.) Any student can become successful in and outside of the classroom, they just need the right teacher to help them out.


 * Work Groups:** In heterogeneous classrooms, it is not uncommon to mix students into groups according to ability. These groups are used as an alternative to individual work during the learning process but studies are conflictive on whether or not creating groups by ability are a positive or negative for everyone. Researcher Robert Slavin in 1990 claims to have shown that working in groups that are of mixed abilities can benefit both higher and lower learners. Slavin also said working in mixed ability groups has the potential to increase student acheivement and increase self esteem. This directly conflicts with another study done by Rubin in 2003 that proclaims students in a mixed group formed expectations for intellectual input from their fellow classmates by the traditional standards of academic ability. (Reading all the time, doing all the work, not a messy person.) This creates the illusion that not all the group members could be seen as "good students."


 * Small Group Instruction:** In some heterogeneous classrooms such as English and math, it becomes easier to group students according to ability. (Due to reading levels, spelling abilities, and understandings in math.) Some of these groups will be temporary and only serve to help students pass a certain portion of their content area. The main problem with creating small groups is the extra amount of work it will create for the teacher. The use of small groups will require the teacher to create a larger amount of materials and create a more extensive lesson plan. While the use of small groups to help students catch up seems like a fine idea, the teacher can prevent the use of small groups by using enough formative assessments and a solid tiering system to make sure every student stays up to par. The use of small groups such as these is dangerous in the sense that it will promote a hierarchy of learners that can have an overall detrimental effect on some of the less-confident students within the class


 * Mastery Learning:** A mastery-learning approach is a specific approach teachers use in a heterogeneous setting. This approach is similar to a traditional classroom in the sense that students receive instruction, complete assignments and take tests. The glaring difference is in a mastery-learning classroom, if the students do not meet a set standard of proficiency they are given the opportunity to retake the test or redo the assignment until they have met the mastery level of performance. This approach allows students to receive a larger amount of feedback and an opportunity to revisit material and content they have not fully learned yet. This approach is good in a heterogeneous classroom because it allows students who need more learning time a chance to reach the mastery level instead of being left behind early in the school year.