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Certainly, some enrichment programs have been shown to work, but others, like the track system in which students are grouped into different classes by ability,

Certainly, some enrichment programs have been shown to work, but others, like the track system in which students are grouped into different classes by ability, has in many cases been shown to be not particularly beneficial for either less or more talented students. See e.g. Jo Boaler's "When even the winners are losers: Evaluating the experiences of top set' students" (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/002202797184116#.Vdc1KFOqq8Q http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/002202797184116#....). It's also funny how the only standard for a well-rounded education seems to have become whether you perform well on standardized tests or have what it takes to become the next "inventors, entrepreneurs, artists and scientists." Everyone seems to want gifted children to receive a deeper education, not a broader one. I'm an absolute proponent of differentiation and enrichment for gifted students, just don't make the mistake of thinking that the solution is as simple as giving smart people a more challenging curriculum and equally smart peers and you're done. A lot is possible within (or in addition to) mixed-ability classes. Also, are we really seriously still doing this whole "BUT LOOK AT FINLAND, LOOK AT SOUTH KOREA" dance?

yourapostasy 11y ago
I strongly suspect the mixed-ability class arrangements works when the band of abilities is not "too" wide, and especially when the lower ability segments are not linked to behavior-based issues leading to behavioral classroom disruptions. Too often, I see little to no emphasis within these arrangements to link intensive mental health and other support infrastructure counseling to assist students and their families, and manage behavioral issues before introducing those students into mixed-ability classes. A big advantage I see in mixed-ability classes where behavioral issues are managed ahead of time is the opportunity for the students who grasp a particular topic sooner start teaching and explaining it to their peers who don't grasp it yet, which cements their understanding, and this can continue onwards down the age and and ability spectrums. There is nearly nothing quite like having to teach a topic to really reveal how well you grasp it.
- douche 11y ago
  In the public school system, this is mainly a way for lazy teachers to farm off their job to their more able students.
- AlexEatsKittens 11y ago
  The high-school I attended used that method. I was often forced to spend significant chunks of class time teaching other students how to do their work. It was frustrating, and generally a waste of time. It made me hate going to class, because I couldn't spend my time learning, I had to dedicate my efforts to trying to get some kid who would rather be "making beats" on his desk to learn basic math. I think a better idea would be to have high-performers help teach the kids at the middle of the pack, and leave the low-performers to teachers who have the specific skills needed to deal with their all too common behavioral problems and lack of interest.
  - danielweber 11y ago
    In high-school calculus, I would arrange to answer the questions other kids in class had, so that I could then ask the teacher the questions that I had. It wasn't too bad, because I was teaching other honors students.
  - yourapostasy 11y ago
    Yes, and I suspect that the primary issue of this approach is it doesn't scale. You need top-end teaching talent to pull it off, extremely strong parental support, and a school that has the wherewithal to remove uncooperative students whose behavior crosses a quality boundary, for more intensive support elsewhere (just not in those classrooms). I've seen this approach work well in a private school setting. But that school's endowment was already self-funding (thus tuitions added to the capital funding but had no real impact on operational funding that was largely drawn from interest) so the school had no qualms whatsoever instantly dismissing any disruptive students, and there was a line of previously-passed-over, eager students ready to take their place. Behavioral problems inside the classroom were extremely rare in that setting (what little existed was negligible and ignorable by public school standards, like simply doodling "to" another student), and the academic atmosphere was far more supported by the students than I've seen in the American public school system. Supporting your anecdotal experience, many of the attending students were either honor roll or in the highest academic tracks in their previous public school lives; at that private school, they were ranked as average. In the public school system I've never seen this approach work beyond one-off, heroic single-teacher-led efforts. Once that teacher leaves, the approach leaves with them; I've never seen a public school officially run classes this way. Ironically, the "more primitive" one-room schools of American yore were supposedly run this way, but I've never been able to locate academic studies of their effectiveness.

yourapostasy 11y ago

I strongly suspect the mixed-ability class arrangements works when the band of abilities is not "too" wide, and especially when the lower ability segments are not linked to behavior-based issues leading to behavioral classroom disruptions. Too often, I see little to no emphasis within these arrangements to link intensive mental health and other support infrastructure counseling to assist students and their families, and manage behavioral issues before introducing those students into mixed-ability classes. A big advantage I see in mixed-ability classes where behavioral issues are managed ahead of time is the opportunity for the students who grasp a particular topic sooner start teaching and explaining it to their peers who don't grasp it yet, which cements their understanding, and this can continue onwards down the age and and ability spectrums. There is nearly nothing quite like having to teach a topic to really reveal how well you grasp it.

douche 11y ago
In the public school system, this is mainly a way for lazy teachers to farm off their job to their more able students.
AlexEatsKittens 11y ago
The high-school I attended used that method. I was often forced to spend significant chunks of class time teaching other students how to do their work. It was frustrating, and generally a waste of time. It made me hate going to class, because I couldn't spend my time learning, I had to dedicate my efforts to trying to get some kid who would rather be "making beats" on his desk to learn basic math. I think a better idea would be to have high-performers help teach the kids at the middle of the pack, and leave the low-performers to teachers who have the specific skills needed to deal with their all too common behavioral problems and lack of interest.
- danielweber 11y ago
  In high-school calculus, I would arrange to answer the questions other kids in class had, so that I could then ask the teacher the questions that I had. It wasn't too bad, because I was teaching other honors students.
- yourapostasy 11y ago
  Yes, and I suspect that the primary issue of this approach is it doesn't scale. You need top-end teaching talent to pull it off, extremely strong parental support, and a school that has the wherewithal to remove uncooperative students whose behavior crosses a quality boundary, for more intensive support elsewhere (just not in those classrooms). I've seen this approach work well in a private school setting. But that school's endowment was already self-funding (thus tuitions added to the capital funding but had no real impact on operational funding that was largely drawn from interest) so the school had no qualms whatsoever instantly dismissing any disruptive students, and there was a line of previously-passed-over, eager students ready to take their place. Behavioral problems inside the classroom were extremely rare in that setting (what little existed was negligible and ignorable by public school standards, like simply doodling "to" another student), and the academic atmosphere was far more supported by the students than I've seen in the American public school system. Supporting your anecdotal experience, many of the attending students were either honor roll or in the highest academic tracks in their previous public school lives; at that private school, they were ranked as average. In the public school system I've never seen this approach work beyond one-off, heroic single-teacher-led efforts. Once that teacher leaves, the approach leaves with them; I've never seen a public school officially run classes this way. Ironically, the "more primitive" one-room schools of American yore were supposedly run this way, but I've never been able to locate academic studies of their effectiveness.