Most schools that we see today still follow the factory
model. Everyone goes in, “learns” what
we expect them to learn; hoping the end result is that everyone leaving knows
the same exact thing. Is this really
what is best for our children; for our future?
In a video about different ways students are grouped in schools, Dr. Jeannie
Oakes talks about targeting instruction in order to teach everyone at
once. She goes to on to say that we need
to differentiate for each student, and help students learn based on each of
their needs. Our schools system now,
with the way we group students, pretty much end up targeting instruction (even
though they strive for differentiation) and Oakes says, “whenever we do that
targeting, we are then limiting the possibilities for learning for all of the
children.” This defeats the purpose of school.
And it makes our children’s futures look bleak. Our
goal is to provide multiple ways and possibilities for learning. We want to encourage children to learn, to
love learning, and to learning in any way possible by any means. We must encourage learning. We need to stop expecting students to
memorize and spit out answers. We SHOULD
be encouraging students to question, to use their minds and imagination, and to
explore. We SHOULD be learning with our
students and encouraging them to discover new things. We SHOULD be expanding learning
opportunities, not limiting them to learning what is going to be on a
test.
Some schools are starting to change the way they do things
(although there is very limited research).
According to The LosAngeles Times, schools in Beaufort, SC, have been successfully using
multi-age grouping strategies in their schools.
After visiting their website, I found they have a Montessori school affiliated
with their district. At this school,
students are grouped into three “classes:” students ages 3-6, students 6-9, and
students 9-12. In each of these classes,
students will have the opportunity to be the youngest, the middle aged, and the
oldest student. While in each “class,”
younger students will learn from the older students, and older students will be
leading and teaching the younger students.
This kind of system, where students are teaching and learning from one
another, is very encouraging and very real-world. It allows students the freedom to learn,
discover, ask questions, and teach each other.
South Carolina is not the only state who has made some
changes. USAToday reports that schools in Alaska, Maine, and Missouri are seeing
positive results in their students since they have changed to multi-age
grouping. I think one of the hardest
things for starting this change would be to get all the teachers on board. As we know, sometimes teachers are
sticklers. Greg Johnson, director of curriculum and instruction for the Bering
Strait School District in Alaska claims that the biggest advocates he has now
are the teachers. His teachers saw the
way the school was previously, and in seeing the difference now, they would not
go back to the way things were.
Hopefully we will see more changes in our school system and teachers will
really want what is best for the students.
“If I’m going to put a kid in a group for an instructional
purpose, I better have a sound reason for it,” says Dr.John O’Flavhavan (University of Maryland).
Is putting a student in an
instructional atmosphere based on the day they were born a sound enough reason
for you?
