Mixed Ability Classrooms or Differentiated Instruction.

Definition

In short, “A class with students of varying abilities in a given subject”.

This is not something entirely new, in its basic form this was a typical set up in the small one room rural schools in the USA. Students in one class were of varying ages. Also today classrooms in some countries like Peruand other Latin American countries have mixed abilities classes. One reason this comes out is because of economic necessity. Schools can’t afford to have three levels of a given class such as a remedial, regular, and honors.

Advantages

  • The advantages of this system are that students of a diverse background, culture, gender motivation, ability/disability, personal interests etc. Groups are set up with low scoring students to high scoring students are working together on assignments. The big thing about this is now students are interacting and creating social connections to other kids they normally would not associate with.
  • Teamwork to reach a goal. This is a critical skill that needs to be learned by the students. When they graduate and they will get a job, they will most likely be working in a team environment regardless if it is blue collar or white collar. This is not a skill that is tested, but looking at the big picture (and this is the most important) this is the reality they will be working in.
  • Everybody benefits. The low scoring students are held to a higher standard, also the support of the group and the teacher help the low scoring student better themselves. The high scoring students learn more about the subject as their part will be helping the group learn the subject (they are not going to get bored) they are learning leadership skills in helping guide the group.

How does the teacher organize the class?

The teacher sets different expectations for a task completion of students based on their needs.

According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, an educator that created many innovative ideas for Differentiated Instruction is the process of “ensuring in what a student learns, or how he/she learns it, and how the student demonstrates what he/she has learned is a match for the students’ readiness level, interests and preferred mode of learning”.

This system is brain based learning.

Differentiation is brain based learning. According to research on the human brain, Everyone’s brain is wired a little different. This style of learning opens many Dendric pathways in the brain, thus the student can better understand a subject, for example there are visual learners and there are verbal learners. This concept benefits both at the same time.

Some Components of a Mixed Ability Classroom

Pre Assessment.

The teacher assesses each students ability and organizes the structure of the class (grouping the students) to maximize the benefit of each learner.

Ongoing Assessment

Teacher will assess the progress of each student to guide the learner to her/his goal.

Content

The teacher will use different texts to guide each student to his/her goal.

Process

The process is how each student’s learning style will get them to reach their learning goal.

Product

This is what the students produce at the end of a lesson to demonstrate their mastery of the content: this can be tests, projects and other activities.

Environment

Each student is aware of their goals and what is expected from them. There is a procedure for all students in this class so to promote on task behavior, have a plan for those who finish early, and to promote individual work and responsibility.

Challenges

According to the Bill and Melinda gates foundation “Differentiated instruction is not a silver bullet remedy. However it enables teachers to address the needs of mixed-ability students in their efforts to make all students college ready.”

This whole concept in education could take several years to institutionalize and become the norm, but it is worth it. Today the term “college ready” can be applied to students going the vocational route as today the academic expectations have risen for these students as well to meet the demands of employers to have an employee that not only knows a trade but has organizational verbal and writing skills so they can progress in their chosen field.