Changing Structures

Grouping students according to one characteristic only causes diversity in other characteristics.  So why is it that we group students by the common characteristic of age? 

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?