Grouping Students

GROUPING STUDENTS

INGGY YULIANI PRIBADY 0805980(15

th

OCTOBER 2008)

I.INTRODUCTION

Effective teaching combines a number of techniques so that theexperience of the student is varied and the different learning styles of students can be catered for. Whole class teaching is an effective way of introducing a topic and to assess quickly where a class has reached andhow well they understand the current work. Group work promotesdiscussion and interaction. Students can learn from one another anddevelop the skill of expressing mathematical concepts in their own words.Individual work is necessary to hone the skills of the student and ensurethat they address weaknesses, learn facts and formulae for later use andprepare for exams. The use of flexible grouping requires careful planning. The sizeand makeup of the different grouping configurations have to match theskills being taught. This matching assumes that we know what ourobjectives are, we know what skills and knowledge are prerequisites forthe achievement of those objectives, and we know which of thoseprerequisite skills and knowledge each of our students has. We also needto think about language proficiency levels, and what kinds of input andinteraction will best facilitate achievement of both language and contentobjectives. Then we can begin to think about what kinds of groups to useduring different parts of a lesson. We have to know that each differentgrouping configuration is appropriate for some purposes but not forothers Thus, the aim of this paper is to explain the whole classgrouping, individualized learning, pair work, group work and how toorganize pair work and group work.

II.WHOLE CLASS TEACHING

Whole class teaching gives teachers control over the subjectmatter under discussion. Such teaching made students aware of whatthe teacher thought was appropriate knowledge. It also enabled teachersto direct who took part in discussion and to choose who answered whichquestions. (http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk, accessed 20

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September2008)1

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Advantages of whole class grouping

–As a unified group of learning in whole class grouping, students canshare their ideas and emotions to each other because all students areexposed to the same content in the same time.–Whole class teaching gives teachers control over the lesson pace.–Teachers can easily estimate the students’ progress in general.–The whole class teaching gives teachers the authority to determinewhat ought to be taught, when, how, and in what time frame.

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Disadvantages of wholeclass grouping

–Teaching all, at the same time and same material means that wedisrupt students’ individual potentiality. It might cause boring forsome students and not understandable for others.–Not all of the students get a chance to contribute their ideas.–Some students sometimes reluctant to speak in front of the wholeclass.–Students are not actively engaged in the learning process. They arethe passive receiver of knowledge.–It doesn’t enhance the communicative learning because students donot interact with the other students.

III.SEATING WHOLE GROUP CLASSES

There are many different

seating arrangements

available to theteacher, and lessons can be enhanced by paying attention to them.Unfortunately many teachers keep the same seating arrangement for theentire lesson, and throughout the academic year. We have to try toexperiment with different seating arrangements, even within a singlelesson. A quick seating change can increase motivation and makeactivities run more smoothly.

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ROWS

2

Rows

are the typical environment for a teacher – centeredclassroom and/or individual learning. Students are aligned in such away as they all face the front of the class. The teacher conducts theinstruction from this 'front' position. Rows allow the teacher to makeeye-contact with all the students.

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HORSESHOE

This layout is great if teachers are using visual aids, doingboard work or speaking activities like whole-group discussion. All thestudents will be able to see the teacher, the board and each other andthe teacher will have a lovely space in the middle of the horseshoe andaround the outside to monitor students work, distribute handouts etc.

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CIRCLE

The circle formation is great for many games and groupdiscussions. Teachers can really talk to their students. The teacher cansit in the circle with the students.3

Category:	School Work > Essays & Theses
Rating:	(4 Ratings)
Upload Date:	01/25/2009
Copyright:	Attribution Non-commercial
Tags:	Education English Education English (fewer)

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