instruction received by students in lower ability groups is inferior to instruction provided to children in higher ability groups (Calfee & Brown, 1979; Hiebert, 1983; Moody, Vaughn, & Schumm, 1997).
In Australian schools, teachers usually work with groups of children who are placed together according to their abilities. However, it has raised several issues with regards to policy and practice. At the rate it is going, it seems that the widespread practice of ability grouping has been the default policy. Clarke (2014) claims that Australian schools practice ability grouping in order to deal with the pressure of schools to achieve the highest outcomes in hi-stakes national examinations such as the Australia’s National Assessment Literacy and Numeracy
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Lou, Abrami and Spence (2000) engaged in a thorough meta-analysis of studies done on ability groups. They were able to compare the difference between whole class instruction and small-group instruction, with the latter referring to ability groups. Students accustomed to whole-class teaching tend to conform to the norm since emphasis is on uniformity rather than diversity. Students focused on the teacher’s explanations and prompts and these are addressed to everyone with the same set of instructional materials that everyone gets. This also means that everyone should go on the same pace, as the teacher provides direct instruction and guided learning. In whole class instruction, students are motivated by rewards, be they tangible or symbolic, and this encourages a spirit of competitiveness among the students, pushing them towards excellence. Further, the whole group of students are offered the same learning opportunities in a democratic atmosphere (Lou, Abrami and Spence,
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
Carol Gerber Allred (Allred, 2008) describes strategies for improving classroom climate related to learning for the students, while enforcing a set of classroom expectations, informing students of their positive actions, infusing intrinsic motivation, encouraging positive behavior, connecting with students’ families and community, and being positive yourself (Allred, 2008). These strategies align with the attributes described in indicator 1a to foster respect for diversity, establish rapport, promote risk-taking and establish high
As discussed earlier, mainstream education is misaligned with Aboriginal ways therefore, standardized testing creates a “pressure cooker atmosphere” many feel the stress which causes them to drop
These children were now being seen as a group in which society had obligations to provide “normalisation” (Bowe, 2007, p.45) and would lead to a revolutionary law being introduced in America. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed in 1975, of which Australia became a signatory. (AIHW, 2004). This Act mandated “that all school-age children with disabilities must receive a free appropriate public education” (Bowe, 2007, p. 101) “in the least restrictive environment” (Bowe, 2007, p. 5). For the first time in a century, Australia no longer segregated these children into an isolated “special facility” (Allen & Cowdery, 2012, p. 8). State governments established special education units within mainstream schools (AIHW, 2004). This is referred to as Integrated education and is described by Talay-Ongan & Cooke (2005), as an environment “where children with similar disabilities in special classes share the normal school environment, and utilise some classes (e.g., art or physical education) or the playground that all children enjoy.” In 1992, the Disability Discrimination Act was introduced in Australia which specifically covered the topic of Education and in 2005 a set of supplementary standards was passed which specifies the support schools are required to provide to students with a
Our society is structured according to already predetermined dimensions. Especially significant is gender. Our gender is an element that can not only define differences but also create advantages and disadvantages (unequal society 148). It therefore becomes essential to consider what gender refers to. Gender is best defined as a way of classifying people based on socially agreed distinctions that are associated with male and female anatomy (gender history 153). Gender differentiation is evident in all societies and in particular in Australia with men and women seen to take on different social roles (gender 384). This has resulted in a significantly unequal spread of life chances (gender 384). Thus creating a category of analysis that inequalities flow from (gender history 154). Differences in opportunity between men and women therefore become evident. This historically established prejudice against women. However, the women’s liberation movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s broke barriers with women gaining more power in respect to education and employment (gender 383). Despite such breakthroughs, elements of gender inequality can still be seen in Australian society. This is interesting as most Australian’s have an assumption that we are an egalitarian society that does not encourage injustice and believes everyone should have a ‘fair go’ (collective identity 167). Through the exploration of the Australian labour force and harassment, violence and discrimination towards women we can see that gender equality is growing, but still evident, in Australian society.
While standardized tests are problematic at all ages and levels of schooling, they are especially questionable in primary grades. In these years children's growth is idiosyncratic (Russel, 2002). Skills needed for school's success are in their most vulnerable stage. Failure at this age can be devastating. 'My six year old is already crying himself to sleep at night worrying about his SATs,' states Mark Adams from BBC news (2003, p.1). It is necessary for teachers, school administrators, and parents to strongly argue that testing in the early years must end and testing in the years following must be reduced.
In a classroom, the class is a single unit, and teachers teach to the class’s needs, rather than to each individual students’ needs. I enjoy being able to work individually with students in order to cater my teaching toward each one’s specific needs so that I can instill them with passion for each subject.
The job of a teacher is never easy but we have seen how cooperative discipline and enabling students to feel capable, connected and contributing can improve classroom management and maybe even our own moods. If we create an environment of mutual respect and give our students legitimate power of voice and choice in the classroom we will see positive results in improved student behavior and student achievement. Because when our students believe that they can succeed, they will.
English Speech The state of being equal, especially in status, rights or opportunities. This is equality, and this is the topic I would like to address today. The concept of equality itself seems quite simple, but when it is applied to people, it becomes much more complicated. Although there are many situations where equality can be considered, today I’d like to focus on equality and race. Or more specifically, equality amongst Indigenous Australians.
The data gained from standardised test can be used as evidence to compare mathematical achievement at a state, school or class level but could also be used to diagnose students’ strengths and weakness to refine teaching programs (Reys et al., 2012). Saubern (2010) maintains standardised tests provides teachers with relevant and useable feedback on student achievement and learning, but the timing of the tests and reporting schedule don’t always meet the classroom teacher’s need for timely and current knowledge. One of the main criticisms of standardised tests is they emphasise recalling facts and teachers encourage rote and superficial learning instead of thinking and problem solving skills (Black & Wiliam, 2010;Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010). Standardised tests do not require students to demonstrate their thinking, the grading function are overemphasized, while the giving of useful advice and the learning function are underemphasized (Black & Wiliam, 2010; Booker et a., 2010). Perso (2009) argues many Australian students may struggle to read and interpret questions on the NAPLAN numeracy test because they are not taught the literacy skills in their mathematics learning
Meeting the needs of academic diverse learners is the responsibility of their instructor. These diverse learners may include students who are one or more grade levels below classmates and the gifted student who is that much above. How can educators meet the needs of these students when their learning abilities are found at opposite ends of the instructional spectrum? The answer is planning successful lessons involving engaging activities, a variety of texts, technology implementation, and flexible grouping. The following is a lesson I implemented covering these key components.
Research on the social and cognitive effects of grouping students in mixed-abilities versus same-abilities classrooms is gaining increasing interest among practitioners and researchers. In hopes of attaining higher scores, many schools have adopted homogeneous ability grouping. Unlike them, our school has adopted the policy of mixed ability classes where students of different academic abilities study together in the same class. Indeed, there is a lot of research in favor of heterogeneous ability grouping, but is this beneficial to us?
Based on the Programme for International Student Assessment’s 2012 results (PISA), the United States has ranked 30th in comparison to other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) participating countries. The United States, a country that has once held the ideal for educational standards, has now ranked just slightly above other countries that are just being developed. By using high-stakes test statistics to drive America’s educational standards, classrooms are beginning to lose their meaning of helping students to learn and grow as individuals. Because of classrooms just teaching the test are beginning to lose the meaning of helping students to learn and grow as individuals, results of high stakes testing which can be affected by the minutest details, are not a reasonable way to judge overall student competency; a better alternative would be by performance based assessments. “Test developers are obliged to create a series of one-size-fits-all assessments. But, as most of us know from attempting to wear one-size-fits-all garments, sometimes one size really can’t fit all.” (Popham, James W.). High stakes tests are not a reasonable way to judge overall student competency because educators can not expect to have accurate and precise results in just one sitting for 12 years of learning. Although tests pose an important role in education, they should not be given such high stakes of determining if a student should be rejected from a college “based solely on the fact that their score wasn’t high enough” (Stake, Robert.).
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.
Classroom management is a necessary component to every classroom. It includes creating a set of rules and clear expectations that all students follow. This helps unify the classroom for both the teacher and students allowing for a smooth, effective, and educational environment. When the students are aware of what is expected, they are motivated in order to attain the goals dispensed by the teacher. Some students are naturally motivated and want nothing more than to surpass goals for the sake of triumph and pleasing the teacher. Other students need extrinsic motivation in order for them to become engaged in