Embedded Files
Problem
Navigating through a year of remote learning during the pandemic, and a year of readjusting to the classroom has surfaced and perpetuated challenges in student engagement across Maker. Since returning to in-person learning, teacher-driven instruction has been prevalent and both students and staff have voiced a need for regrounding core Maker practices of CBE, PBL, and design learning. Student behaviors such as lateness and daily/period attendance are additional areas of growth that have been identified based on student engagement and rigorous expectations. We don’t want students who are merely compliant; we want them to be learning, we want them to be challenged, and we want them to feel that their presence matters. We want the learning that happens in our classrooms to support them in their experiences outside of our classroom as well.
Hypothesis
Effectively grouping students with other MLL and non- MLL learners gives students the opportunity to engage in process skills critical for processing information, evaluating and solving problems, as well as management skills through the use of roles within groups, and assessment skills involved in assessing options to make decisions about their group's final answer.
Target group
I decided to work with my target group of Multilingual Learners in the 11th grade ELA ICT classrooms. I choose this class as I have a higher number of MLLs students on varying levels of English language proficiency, from the lowest stage of ‘entering’ to the highest stage of ‘commanding’.
Data collection
Data collection
Qualitative:
Assessing their use of academic interaction and speech. Assessing how they assign roles, problem solve, make decisions and arrive at the end goal of the group work.
Quantitative:
Assessing how many times they spoke/contributed to the group setting
Overall findings & impact
Grouping the 11th grade in heterogeneous groups proved beneficial as a particular reserved MLL from 10th grade was strategically placed with a group of 11th grade GenEd students who encouraged him to share in the group discussions. Albeit the 10th grade MLL was hesitant to join in with the group activities at first but eventually took a chance and gave his opinion on character traits and choices from the Kite Runner text.
Other groupings that took place included a newcomer MLL student who was able to converse and socialize with a group of MLLs who spoke the same L1. This assisted the newcomer ELL in asking clarifying questions in his L1 to the group who readily assisted with translation and comprehension. The down side to this grouping however was that these ELLs with the same L1 were hesitant to practice and converse in English amongst themselves.
I would definitely try the grouping techniques again. It helps students to build off each other and not see the teachers as the only givers of knowledge. Group tasks/projects aid students in developing collaborative skills, allowing students to tackle more complex problems than they could on their own. It also helps to delegate roles and responsibilities and share diverse perspectives.
Actionable steps
If you want to use this strategy in your classroom, I recommend …
I recommend knowing your students and what they are capable of; for instance their reading levels and their academic aptitude. This will allow for homogenous and heterogenous groupings based on the lesson that was designed and the required outcomes of said lesson.
Secondly, it is recommended to group students heterogeneously as it gives them an opportunity to learn from one another's differences and provides a chance to interact with diverse individuals. It also enables advanced students to mentor their peers.
Thirdly, grouping students homogeneously allows for everyone to perform the task or exercise at their own pace. Surrounded by peers of roughly their own ability, more advanced students, in particular, are less likely to do all the work while others rush to keep up or fade into the background entirely.
Keron Chung-Barry | keron.chung-barry@uamaker.nyc
Page updated
Report abuse