Mixed ability classrooms

Scroll to see replies

At GCSE I think mixed ability groups definitely hold the most-able back. I went to a really bad secondary school (ranked worst in borough, less than 30% pass rate, etc.) so it does have a negative effect on some. Above GCSE, I think the most-able have the ability to sustain high levels of academic intelligence whether or not their classes are mixed-ability.

Reply 21

Tallon

seems a bit arrogant to assume those of lesser ability will be loud and distruptive or w/e.

I think it doesnt really matter because if they're bright enough they would do well regardless.

Reply 22

halbeth

I dislike it, those who are more able are unable to be pushed further because of the extra help dedicated attempting to attempting bring the less able up to speed.

Reply 23

macbook

Usually they are fine and can be helpful as long as the class is not to big, has good behavior, and the difference between the abilities are not great.

I was lucky because my classes seem as though they had a good mix. Overall i believe a lot of the success is attributed to the teacher.

Reply 24

lozziie

For GCSE, this was a big issue. I was streamed throughout my time at secondary school. There were only so many exams I could study for independantly- which impacted on my results. It's especially annoying, because my school was ranked as one of the best in the borough, and I was rejected by Durham on account of some odd GCSE results- namely BB in Double Science. This grade was earned because my teacher was busy dealing with people who were aiming for D grades- the class being a top set, alpha group.

For A level, some classes worked, some didn't. I really don't mind explaining stuff to the people that don't understand stuff, but its frustrating to turn up for an hour lesson and have to do another three hours work outside the lesson to cover the topic thoroughly enough to get the A grade.

I'm working in a primary school at the moment, and it can be very frustrating working with the kids. Of a class of twenty eight year olds, five can read fluently, and five need a teaching assistant to sit with them to read from the board, with the remaining ten inbetween. This wasn't a problem for the kids, because they have a fantastic teacher, but nevertheless, it does make me wonder if there should be something done to close the gap.

Reply 25

Flabberglasted

imomo16

It was a problem some times at GCSE, but was a complete non-issue at A-level, when teachers have time to get to know pupils and adjust things accordingly (e.g extra reading and tasks for quicker students).

Having experienced both comprehensive and grammar teaching at A level, I didn't really see much difference except perhaps a higher workload at the grammar school. I actually preferred learning at a comprehensive, despite the bigger class sizes and lack of high expectations, which is why I left the grammar school after only two weeks. It hasn't negatively affected me in the slightest.

Yep, GCSE English Lang and Lit were a pain sometimes. The class was mostly disruptive, with only 3 actually doing work. Of course, I got good grades (A in Lang and B in Lit) in the end, so it is mostly down to the individual.

In A-level, some folks in my Psychology class thought it was a good idea to sit and giggle all year (the rest was just as bad). As a result, we couldn't finish the syllabus. I was often was annoyed as their incessant laughter and natter distracted me from my own work and I had to read up on the uncovered topics of the syllabus on my own. I'm not even gonna bother telling you about my Biology class.

So you, my friend, was lucky to have a non-disruptive AS class :smile:

Mixed ability classrooms

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you