Video/Workshop 21-3 pace groups.m4v

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Workshop_21-3_pace_groups.m4v

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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].

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Transcript

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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.