When looking at the seven instructional grouping practices, choose one grouping practice and share how that strategy can be used within the classroom.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: Answers to this question will vary but should include elements of the following: Select one of the following—whole group, flexible small group, same-ability group, mixed-ability group, one-to-one group, peer tutoring, or cooperative learning. The answer should contain the definition of the grouping practices, examples of what the grouping practice would actually look like, specific examples of how to implement the grouping practice into the classroom and provide an overall explanation as to why that grouping practice is beneficial. Example response: The same-ability grouping practice is focused on grouping students who are on the same level either academically or socially. The grouping practice requires teachers to use prior assessments to determine the groups. The groups can be beneficial to struggling learners or even gifted learners who need to be challenged. The benefit of same-ability grouping is that the teacher can focus on a lesson or tasks that is specific to the learning needs of a small number of students. The teaching time is 100% focused on that small group and all the students in the group would be working at about the same pace and level of understanding. This approach helps to alleviate the lesson being too difficult or too easy for the students. Same-ability grouping also allows the students who are struggling to have a time of success and a moment to shine within their group. Gifted students would have an opportunity to be challenged by activities that ask for them to use evaluating and creating within the critical thinking model, rather than just basic remembering and understanding level questions.