One of big themes this year is about progress and leaving no child behind. Our INSET was focussed on classroom strategies that allow equal and equitable opportunties for all children to learn. The cartoon below illustrates the message well.
To highlight this principle in our school, one of the actions we felt necessary was a big change to the way we group children in lessons. Talking to our children, there is a perception of the 'red' table that we feel is not justified or serving any purpose in a truly equal and equitable education system. This can have implications for children's self-esteem and can lead to a focus on the group rather than the individual. Here are some of our comments:
Flexible seating allows pupils to work with different
children in the class which encourages them to work independently and
cooperatively with a variety of personalities.
Having a concept
explained by a peer is extremely powerful and equally; articulating
methods to others embed concepts more thoroughly.
Flexible seating allows the teacher to accurately
target the pupils who need it in response to on-going assessment.
Coloured grouping cultivates an ethos of fixed mind-sets. The children know where they stand in the class – there is very little movement or opportunities for them to go beyond these groupings. Their tasks and activities are set for their table; however, there is no real personalised challenge. This puts a ceiling on children's learning.
Grouping children by presumed ability rests on the assumption that teachers know exactly what each child will achieve in a lesson. In reality this is rare, as completing tasks does not always equate with achievement.
Children may be sat next to the same child/ren year after year or may be kept on a table to make up the numbers.
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