ABILITY GROUPING: FRIEND OR FOE

This weeks reading from chapter 10 was really interesting for me and made me reevaluate my own thinking on the topic of ability and mixed grouping.
To think that we the teachers could create such a social barrier between students, and even initiate the social stigma of a lower class within our classroom is quite scary.
Mixed ability, although yes maybe difficult to present material for all students, and at a level all students can benefit from is not the only way students learn. By differentiating work and knowing your students well enough to know who needs more help and who can work just as well independently is part of our jobs and this is how we will succeed in a mixed ability classroom.
Schools are a much more difficult environment then they were 10 years ago, and bullying is now more than ever a huge issue within schools. I do not see any separation for any reason among students having a positive benefit. By separating students we are giving them more reason to be “against” one another, potentially creating more room for bullying to take place.
Although both methods of grouping have both positives and negatives, it is our job as teachers to determine which works best for our students and provide a positive learning experience for all.