OER4Schools/Mixed pace groupwork with and without ICT

Title: 3.3 - Mixed pace group work with and without ICT
Number: 3.3

The OER4Schools Professional Learning Resource

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Table of contents.

3.3 - Mixed pace group work with and without ICT >>>

Facilitator's version, Participants' version

Learning intentions and objectives.
In this session you will learn about:

• pace grouping and its effect on students of low ability
• strategies to discourage copying during mixed ability group work
• differentiation by outcome

Success criteria.
To meet the learning intentions you will:

• listen to teachers talking about their experiences of using pace groups and discuss
• discuss strategies to discourage copying by lower ability students during mixed ability group work

ICT components.
The ICT components you will focus on are

• Planning of another lesson with ICT (Geogebra / Slideshow / Concept mapping)

Classroom based activities (with your students, after this session):

• you will ...

Review of follow-up activities from last session

Educator note

If you are running a professional learning programme which follows these sessions in sequence, then you should do the review of follow-up activities relating to the (Category:OER4S CPD). The 'review of follow-up activities' for that session is available, and also shown below in the session text. However, if you are following selected sessions in a different order, then you should use the reflection appropriate to the previous session you did.

The review of the follow-up activities for this session (to be done at the start of the next session) is available here.

Educator note

There is no review of follow-up activities from last session available. You can go to the previous session () and.

Pace grouping

Individual activity (10 min): Read a transcript on pace grouping. Read and discuss the following transcript. Guiding questions are below. Make sure you read the guiding questions before reading the transcript, as this will help you in analysing the transcript.

'’’OER4schools Extract from workshop 4th June 2011: Agness Tembo talking about pace grouping’’'

Agness: It was a . . . a successful lesson to see what the pupils did in their exercise books. Yes. Most of them got everything. It was only three or four pupils in Banana Group, they didn’t do well and . . . she even asked me and I said, I think those numbers, they are big for them because they are slow in maths. So, I tried to give the exercises using smaller numbers so that they know the concept. Ah yes.

Brian: What was in the lesson? What . . . what programme did you base this on?

Agness: I remember, at first, something that was the fun addition using a number tree. There was a number down there, a bigger number and then there were some branches. Beside one branch there was one number, the other branch was the other number so others could add that number and the number at the bottom and they could find the long number. So that was a challenge so I had to go around to tell them that this number, which you have here, you have to subtract it from this number at the bottom for you to find it . . .the missing number.

. . .So I noticed that in two groups. So I had to go there and explain. . . They did know that it was addition but in actual sense it was subtraction for them to find another answer. So that was a challenge, yes. Because I remember in the other group [one learner] said ‘Teacher I'm through… If I go there, I could find the bigger … ‘ I said ‘No, you add when you want to check that the answers are correct. If after adding, you’re going to find this bottom number.’ So that was the challenge. Addition but it was subtraction, in actual sense.

Brian: Was it that you were reading the lesson or did . . they did most of the things themselves?

Agness: They did most of the things on their own. Writing numbers. . . I did not tell them and then they could give their friends the calculators, they could find the answers. The only part which, using the calculator, the Banana Group, they could press the numbers and then when they pressed on minus they wanted to see actual minus there. . .‘Teacher there is no minus here.’ It is not shown so they continued pressing on that. So, I went there, I said ‘No, minus, it won’t be shown here, just continue pressing the numbers, it will give you the answer.’ Those challenges were there. Yes.

Maud: Oh Banana Group. (laughs) Isn’t that where you put all your slow learners . . . in the Banana Group?

Agness: Yes, we have put them according to pace group. Yes, so that is what is encouraging in their first time in education. First when they come, the first time we meet, I let them sit according to their play group. After that, after assessing now, you put them according to their pace group because they say maybe if a dull person is mixed with those very intelligent they won’t participate the same. So, it’s better you have them on their own. . .

Brian: Do you find any from that pace group joining another group?

Agness: They do. Every time when you come in [they've moved]: ‘Go back to your places.’ They change.

Brian: Why can’t you allow them to remain there instead of . .

Agness: No. The rule is that those slow learners should be nearer the teacher . . . because if you get a slow learner and you put him at the back, truly it will be difficult for you to monitor that pupil every time. So, always the slow learners should be near the teacher. So that even if you are seated you can see what that pupil is doing.

Copying

Ivy: Sometimes maybe mixing slow learners and fast learners [is good] but the thing is slow learners will copy from their friends. They will get everything correct but they don’t know. . . so it’s better slow learners are in their own group.

Agness: But in… in the interactive way, yes, copy it’s there but it depends also on the teacher. I remember in my lesson, one said ‘Teacher! This one is not doing anything. She just wants to see what we’re doing.’ I went there and physically said ‘Can you give the calculator to her? Tell her what is your lesson? Can you… place all eight? They are all there teaching the writing to their friend. So it depends with you as a teacher. If you just direct them, truly, they’ll copy.

I remember. . . the science lesson on the rocks weathering. . .I gave them the [mini] whiteboard. ‘Can you draw what you learnt in the last lesson?’ One [child] drew the sun very fast and he said ‘Teacher! I am finished!’ So I noticed that [others then drew the same] and I said ‘when you are finished don’t show me, put it upside down. That’s what they did.

Only two drew the river, the rest drew the sun. So, I thought, ok, they’re copying, fine. ’When you find the answer, put your whiteboard upside down’. And they are there, struggling. And most of them were able to find the answers. I said ‘Can I see?’ and all of them did this [held up the boards at the same time]. So that’s what I am saying: you as the teacher should have different methods. You should vary, not stick to one method.

Brian: We don’t talk about copying. If one is copying. you just come, you wait and have them ‘Show me or show the class’. And that’s what I’m asking.

Whole class dialogue (10 min): Discussion of transcript.. Discuss the transcript, together with the following questions:

• Is your experience of grouping in the classroom similar or different from Agness’s experience (before she tried the new way of grouping)? Give specific examples.
• Some people worry that in mixed groups those who work at a slower pace, or are less motivated, or less proficient in the language of instruction, or less skilled at the task (including slower at typing in ICT-supported lessons), might “coast” and allow others to do the work because they cannot keep up with their peers, or they might copy. What do you think about that?
• What do you think about Agness’s idea that pupils should be asked to hide their work and then show it to the teacher by using the mini-blackboards as “showboards”, to discourage copying during group work?
• What do you think about Brian’s idea of singling out pupils who copy, for example asking them a question or asking them to “show the class”?
• What could be other ways to prevent copying, “coasting” or “free riding” during mixed group work?

Educator note

During discussion of the last question, probe the participants to think of:

• ideas during group work that focus on learning of new concepts. This is because the issue of copying generally arises when group work focuses on ‘drill and practice’ of what has already been learnt. There could be other ‘free rider’ issues that participants have experienced and may have ideas for discouraging them
• the usefulness of ‘ground rules’ discussed in Activity 2 in this context.
• Slavin’s criterion that groups must take responsibility for ALL members’ learning and they must make sure everyone understands, if participants do not mention this themselves; ask them if that overcomes some of the problems with slower learners not keeping up or contributing enough?
• assigning different roles within a group (likewise, participants might mention this, if not you can raise it).

Discussion of pace groups: Judith’s division lesson

Educator note

Participants watch video, and then discuss.

Observing, thinking, reflecting (10 min): We now watch two videos, to do with the pacegrouping.

Video 1: Judith's division lesson Judith carried out a lesson that consisted of group work on solving four questions to practice division, besides other activities. The children worked in “pace” or “ability” groups. She encouraged group responsibility of solving the problems as well as reporting of answers by group secretaries. She also invited pupils to explain how they arrived at the answers. In the end, Judith made the outcome of the group task transparent by listing the answers of all groups on the blackboard. She also involved pupils in assessing their own answers and pupils’ involvement in it. In the following clip, she is checking the groups’ answers on the board and finds that a group of “slow learners” has scored 0 correct.

VIDEO

Division scoring

Judith's lesson: Division scoring (short clip)

Video/Judith division scoring short.m4v, https://oer.opendeved.net/wiki/Video/Judith_division_scoring_short.m4v,This video is available on your memory stick in the video/Judith Division folder. Duration: 0:37 watch on YouTube, local play / download options / download from dropbox)(Series: Judith Division, episode N/A)

Video 2: Workshop. Judith and others discussing mixed pace grouping and change in practice: In the this extract from a teacher workshop 2 days after this lesson, Judith discusses this episode and the notion of pace grouping with her colleagues. They agreed that the teacher’s role was to indicate that laughing at peers was unacceptable, and also that government policy for pupils to work in pace groups was problematic. Note: Since the time of recording this, mixed ability groupings have become a requirement of the Zambian education policy and are not solely something advocated by the OER4Schools programme.^[Z].

VIDEO

Reflection on pace groups

Reflection on Judith's lesson in the workshop: Pace groups. Note: Since the time of recording this, mixed ability groupings have become a requirement of the Zambian education policy and are not solely something advocated by the OER4Schools programme.

Video/Workshop 21-3 pace groups.m4v, https://oer.opendeved.net/wiki/Video/Workshop_21-3_pace_groups.m4v,This video is available on your memory stick in the video/Judith Division folder. Duration: 3:49 watch on YouTube, local play / download options / download from dropbox)(Series: Judith Division, episode N/A)

Workshop transcript for the above video.

Judith: That was the group which is the slow learners, that group which [scored] zero.

Melissa: But these students, do they usually laugh at their friends?

Judith: They feel like laughing but I rebuke them. Eventually, they catch up as well. But some, they try. Otherwise it is a good idea to mix up the groups because those who are slow will remain slow. Those have accepted that we are known to be slow learners. So usually they don’t mind. But if they’re mixed, although the clever ones may dominate, they can help. It’s a good idea what she says. So that the policy of the government, it confuses us. When we are teaching ICT we can mix them. But when it comes to normal teaching, they say ‘put them in their ability groups’. (Note: In Kenya, there is currently no government policy, either to encourage or discourage pace or ability grouping.)^[K]

Priscilla: I just wanted to relate something that happened to me concerning the teaching of children according to their abilities. I taught at a private school where we were encouraged to do that. We received people from the Ministry who really emphasised the teaching of children according to the ability of this, the ability of that. The underachievers are lonely, and stuff like that. You know it was quite a challenge because we asked them how we are going to conduct activities in such a classroom with children put according to... What you do is, you have to devise work for each group who come up with their own work. One topic that you find different work for the different abilities that you have in class. For the best you give them tough work, for the underachievers you try as much as possible to simplify that work. But they come up with whatever [they can].... But it was a challenge. I had about four groups of different levels so I had to write for the best, [then] the other group that followed them and right up to the last group. So it was difficult for me to prepare for this group and that group, just like that.

So we found it a challenge ... we reverted to the old system of mixing up children. Because another challenge which was there was the best group would always laugh at them and that is inevitable when you put the best children on their own, definitely they will be able to laugh at their friends and for the underachievers, it was quite difficult for them to even take part because they always feel they are underachievers, they couldn’t do anything. So I think I concur with what she’s saying. Mixing up children really helps. As a teacher, I have to be there, making sure that even those that are performing at their best, they don’t laugh at their friends. Such things are there in the classroom: when somebody tries to give an answer, the best student laughs at the underachiever. So there you have to come in, as teachers, you have to make sure you discipline such a child.

Aggie: The challenge mainly is in the exam. We do not have an exam for the slow learners. So it’s better we group everyone.

Teachers: Yes.

Whole class dialogue (10 min): On pace groups. What do you make of this situation? Discuss!

Further reading

Educator note

Participants read this section.

Observing, thinking, reflecting (10 min): We now read a short text about the issue of pace grouping and differentiation by group.

Background reading

There are a number of issues raised about pace groups and differentiation by group:

• practical difficulties
• challenge for teacher of devising several tasks
• low achievers may be ridiculed
• challenge of same assessment for all

Also consider that “ability” and “pace” are variable and they can grow; pupils underachieve for lots of reasons, including absenteeism as in Judith’s group, and lack of home support. But their achievement levels may rise if expectations are high and support is given. As a consequence, a teacher needs to provide for all students to develop their ability to the next level and beyond. Pupils should always have a next step and a new challenge to move on to. Whatever level a learner is at, they can stretch themselves and you can support them to improve it.

Differentiation by outcome^(a).Pupils do the same task but they respond differently, reach different levels and produce a variety of results. The task needs to be open-ended for this to work; it should allow learners to explore and be original. It can be done with ICT or without but it needs a clear time frame. For example:

• collaborate to write a story or a report (using Etherpad)
• create a piece of art with the title “new beginning”
• investigate how plants grow

Set clear expectations of appropriate kinds of outcomes! Challenge and support students to reach the highest level they possibly can.

Acknowledgement: Some of these ideas derive from the Differentiation Pocketbook by Peter Anstee. Teachers’ Pocketbooks, Alresford, Hampshire, UK.

Whole class dialogue (10 min): Discussion on differentiation by group..

Judith's workshop reflections on pace groups

Educator note

Continue with reading, and listening to the clips.

You may need to be able to cover this quickly, if some of the points have been discussed in the last session already.

Observing, thinking, reflecting (10 min): We hear more about Judith's reflections on pacegroups. We now listen to two clips that follow on from the experiences in Judith's lesson. Later in the OER4Schools workshop Judith indicated how her thinking had changed through discussion with her peers, illustrating her open mind and flexibility as a reflective teacher:

“I have learnt from that to say, so those if they remain like that [slow learners together], they will remain like that forever. They can never learn anything from others. So the best I can do, just the way we have been discussing, to say, it’s better to mix them so that, at least, even them can learn something from the rest of the group. So to me this is an advantage I have gained.”

In a subsequent interview Judith was probed to elaborate and reflect further on the incident when pupils laughed at the low-achieving group. She concluded that mixed ability grouping would be better than same ability grouping. Listen to these 2 very short excerpts from that interview.

Judith's Interview - Clip 1:

AUDIO

Judith interview clip 1 fine.mp3

The description of the video

Judith interview clip 1 fine.mp3, 1:23,(Series: Judith Division, episode N/A)

Transcript for clip 1: We have learned that if we mix them up then it is to the advantage of the slow learners because they are able to learn from their friends because when they are bringing group work every child will want to participate in group work. So, through interactive ICT, which we have learned, it is really helping pupils to share more ideas, including those who used to be idle. They are able to participate now. At a certain point sometimes, it is even them [idle pupils] now, who report, in their groups if the work is to report after finding the answers, they even get it and they report also. So, they are participating. It is helping every child in the class. Yes.

Judith's Interview - Clip 2:

AUDIO

Judith interview clip 2 fine.mp3

The description of the video

Judith interview clip 2 fine.mp3, 1:23,(Series: Judith Division, episode N/A)

Transcript for clip 2: The government has a policy whereby children have to be put in ability groups. So that time, when you came, the children were in their own ability groups. Yes. So, they worked according to their ability groups. So those four, because I put them into fours, but in that group of slow learners they are not only four, they are nine. But, the others within their group, the other group who have stayed the other side, they managed to get everything correct. But those four, they failed. The other contributing factors, those four who stayed alone, they usually don’t come to school. Yes, they absent themselves. (Note: In Kenya, there is currently no government policy, either to encourage or discourage pace or ability grouping.)^[K]

Whole class dialogue (10 min): Discussion of the audio clips. What do you think about this? Do you think that low ability students could benefit from working in mixed ability groups? Discuss.

Planning a mixed pace groupwork with ICT task

Same-task group work (20 min): Planning a mixed pace groupwork with ICT task. You now have an opportunity for planning an activity using the activity template.

• Devise an open activity where groups have a shared goal and where outcomes may differ between groups, for a lesson you are teaching next week.
• Decide group size and how you will formulate (mixed pace) groups (look back at documents from Session 3.2 if you need to!).
• How will you ensure everyone participates and everyone learns? How will you stretch all learners?
• Explicitly ask groups to make sure everyone understands the new concept or process; make it their responsibility to support each other and check this is happening.
• Assign different roles within the group.

Connecting with overarching goals of the programme

Open space (10 min). It's now time for the "open space", that gives you an opportunity to discuss issues that have arisen, and to relate those to the broader context of the programme. Do not just gloss over this section, but make time to raise issues, and probe the progress that you are making. You could use this space to:

• Remind yourselves of the of the Most Significant Change Technique, and e.g. collect more of your stories.
• Discuss your assessment portfolios: Is there anything that you are unsure about? Is it going well? What could be done better?
• Check on the work with the classroom assistants: Is this going well? Are there any tensions? Any observations or tips you can share?
• Reviewing individual ICT practise (such as typing practise).
• If you are preparing a presentation for other teachers, you could work on the presentation (about what you have been learning, stories emerging from MSC).
• Remind those who are doing audio diaries, to upload them.
• You could discuss any other issues that have arisen.

You will find notes and summaries of various techniques and concepts on our reference page, and you might want to refer to those for clarification during this activity if needed.

Follow-up activities

Agreeing follow-up activities (5 min).

Part A: Try out your groupwork with ICT. Video some of the groupwork if you can (ideally a colleague can do this for you so they can capture you as well as the pupils) and upload it to the server.

Part B: Remember to think about your own role in the classroom; it is not just to monitor progress but also to interact with pupils, assess their understanding, offer support and help move their thinking forward. Sometimes a group will even need you to sit with them and offer intensive support to progress. Think about how you can identify this need?

Educator note

In the next session, these follow-up activities will be reviewed. If you are using this session on its own, you can have a look at the review of follow-up activities here.

Educator note

At the end of each session, we provide an overview of the activities in this session, together with their suggested timings. Although this appears at the end of the session (for technical reasons), you should keep an eye on this throughout the session, to make sure that you are pacing the workshop session appropriately!

Total time: 115 (min)

Activities in this session:

• Individual activity (10 min): Read a transcript on pace grouping.
• Whole class dialogue (10 min): Discussion of transcript.
• Observing, thinking, reflecting (10 min): We now watch two videos, to do with the pacegrouping.
• Whole class dialogue (10 min): On pace groups.
• Observing, thinking, reflecting (10 min): We now read a short text about the issue of pace grouping and differentiation by group.
• Whole class dialogue (10 min): Discussion on differentiation by group.
• Observing, thinking, reflecting (10 min): We hear more about Judith's reflections on pacegroups.
• Whole class dialogue (10 min): Discussion of the audio clips.
• Same-task group work (20 min): Planning a mixed pace groupwork with ICT task.
• Open space(10 min).
• Agreeing follow-up activities(5 min).

If you have printed this session for offline use, you may also need to download the following assets:

• Video/Judith division scoring short.m4v (local play / download options / download from dropbox)
• Video/Workshop 21-3 pace groups.m4v (local play / download options / download from dropbox)

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