In schools, it is very common to give group assignments to students. Group assignments are important as they encourage students to work as a team. It also allows students to express their ideas and listen to others’ input. Students learn about taking criticism in a positive and also providing valuable feedback. For any task, the teacher divides the whole class into various groups. The division can be based on age, interest, learning styles, strategy, and ability. Lets see what is it called when students are grouped by ability?
What Is It Called When Students Are Grouped By Ability?
The grouping of students based on their ability to learn is called ability grouping. Here, the students are grouped into homogenous, small groups and given assignments according to their perceived ability. As all the students have similar abilities, they tend to work more efficiently and perform better. This grouping can be done temporarily; for example for a particular assignment, or permanently in a class. Ability grouping is very fruitful for students. The students with high potential are allowed to learn at a faster pace than others. It allows educators to target feedback, instructions, and assignments according to the expertise of the group.
Formation of Ability Groups
It is not necessary to make ability groups within class only. An educator can create groups with students of different classes or even different grades. Thus, one group may have a few students from grade 1, and others are from grade 2. Students from lower grades have shown the potential to work on complex problems and thus allowed work with older students. This arrangement will help the students to realize their potential and work towards visualizing more complicated ideas.
It is to be noted that abilities groups are not the same as skipping the grades. The students from lower grades will have to clear their class exams but are allowed to work with older students and show their talent.
Ability groups can be made for academic and non-academic purposes. Students can perform various fun activities such as team games, playing music, science projects, and social science assignments. The idea is to learn something new and realize your true potential.
Tracking
Ability groups are different from tracking. Tracking is a formal designation of a student which normally remains consistent throughout a student’s curriculum career. At the junior level, the students with different tracking are taught subjects at different pace and depth; but at the senior level, students with lower tracking evaluation is not allowed to take high-ability subjects such as engineering, research, etc. For example, there are separate schools for gifted or special ability students. In these schools, extraordinary students are nurtured and educated in an entirely different way compared to normal schools.
Ungraded School
Ungraded schools do not classify their students based on their age but following their achievements. This classification is fluid and a student can move from one group to another as soon as they mastered a concept. The curriculum in these schools is not decided yearly but based on concept complexity.
Mixed Grouping
In contrast, some teachers prefer mixed grouping. Here, the students with differing abilities are grouped and encouraged to work together. The idea is that when students of different potential work simultaneously, they tend to learn from each other. They also get inspired by their friends and work harder to complete the assignment. Various Educationists argue that ability grouping tends to stigmatize students based on the group they are on. It may hamper their growth and may also initiate disinterest in studies.
Although ability grouping allows students to move from one group to another based on their performance, it is very difficult to do so in reality. Once a student is placed in a slow learning group, it may place him/her on a track of no return. The student may further lag due to no opportunity to learn with high skilled students.
Psychologists and behavior analysts have done great research to establish whether it is beneficial to create an ability group or is adversely affecting the students. Extensive research has shown that there is no specific advantage of placing students in an inability group for all subjects. It is always better to categorize students for assignments according to subject needs. It allows students to work with the same potential students and they can also learn from each other.
Conclusion:
There are various pros and cons of having ability groups. The concept is beneficial if applied in moderation. Thus, the educators can decide based on concepts about whether an ability group is beneficial or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the impact of ability groups on educational achievement?
A: Ability groups are known to enhance the educational attainment of students. The higher the ability group, the higher the mean attachment.
Q: Who should decide about creating ability groups?
A: Educators should decide upon creating ability groups after considering various parameters in mind.
