Heterogeneous versus Homogenous Grouping: A Constant Debate

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Heterogeneous versus Homogenous Grouping A
Constant Debate

• Erica Wolfe
• Slippery Rock University

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Table of Contents

• Effectiveness of Homogenous Grouping
• Effectiveness of Heterogeneous Grouping
• Criticisms of Both
• Personal Experiences

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Homogenous Grouping
www.hollidaysburglibrary.org
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• Homogenous (or ability) grouping refers to the
  process of teaching students in groups that are
  stratified by achievement, skill, or level.
• -McCoach et al

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Homogeneous Grouping The Positive

• Effective for high students.
• These students may sometimes be pulled back by
  others. Thus, by grouping them, they have ample
  opportunities for good skill review.
• -Deborah Poole
• Appropriate during times when classrooms are
  becoming increasingly diverse academically
• Teachers agree that they choose to group based on
  ability because it helps them better meet their
  individual needs.

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Homogeneous Grouping The Positive

• At a practical level, proponents of within-class
  ability grouping note that it allows teachers to
  adapt learning outcomes, instructional
  activities, and pace to better meet students
  individual characteristics, such as by providing
  remedial assistance or enrichment activities as
  needed.
• -Barbara Fink Chorzempa

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What is being taught?

• In Chorzempas study, she found that teachers
  most often teach the following during ability
  groups.
• Comprehension
• Reading vocabulary
• Sight vocabulary
• Phonics
• Phonological Awareness

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Impact of Praise

• In several studies, students in lower achieving
  groups received more praise and support from
  teachers than those in the higher achieving
  groups.
• -Chorzempa

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How are Students Grouped?

• Students can be grouped based on a variety of
  criteria
• Formal and/or informal reading assessment (e.g.
  running records, portfolios, etc.)
• Teacher observance of class performance
• Students strengths and weaknesses as well as
  amount of help needed
• Oral reading skills (e.g. oral reading fluency)
• Reading level
• Sight-word skills
• Social behaviors (e.g. ability to work with
  others, work ethic, motivation to learn)
• Letter and/or vowel recognition and phonemic
  awareness ability
• Writing Skills
• Use of reading strategies
• Level of English proficiency
• -Chorzempa

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Flexible Grouping

• The purpose of flexible grouping is to group and
  regroup students based on particular student
  learning needs as determined through continuous
  assessment.
• To keep grouping effective, teachers must blur
  the grouping lines and keep it such that students
  can easily transfer between groups based on
  learning needs.
• The ultimate goal is so that each student
  ultimately is challenged and succeeds.
• -Deborah Poole

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Targeting Specific Content Areas

• Once students are grouped, they can transfer
  groups based on material being delivered.
• Arrangements can be targeted for phonics
  instruction, then re-grouped for comprehension
  instruction.
• Therefore, all individual needs are catered.
• -McCoach et al

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Four Features that Affect Grouping

• Extent of curricular differentiation that occurs
  within groups
• Flexibility of the grouping arrangement
• Method by which students are assigned to
  instructional groups
• Specificity of the grouping arrangement
• -McCoach et al

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Lets Look at Those a Little Further

• Extent of Curricular Differentiation that Occurs
  within flexible groups
• It is imperative for teachers to cover material
  that focuses on the groups needs.
• From that, the teacher can work one on one with
  students to help them with individual skills that
  need reinforced.

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Lets Look at Those a Little Further

• Flexibility of the grouping arrangement
• Once the students are divided into homogeneous
  groups, the teacher must look at what skills are
  going to be taught.
• From there, it is CRUCIAL for teachers to
  recognize the need for flexible grouping.
• Students are not going to be grouped and frozen
  there. There is always room for switching among
  the groups.

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Lets Look at Those a Little Further

• Method by which students are assigned to
  instructional groups
• Again, students can be grouped based on a variety
  of criteria.
• Specificity of the grouping arrangement
• Must be based on student needs/achievement

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Guided Reading
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Guided Reading

• Guided reading is one component of a balanced
  literacy program.
• It gives teachers the chance to listen to each
  child read aloud. By doing this, teachers will
  be able to determine students reading behaviors
  and whether or not the are using appropriate
  reading strategies.
• Students are grouped based on reading level.
• -E.F. Guastello C. Lenz

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• The ultimate goal of guided reading is to help
  students learn how to use independent reading
  strategies successfully.
• -Fountas and Pinnell (1996) in E.F. Guastello
  C.Lenz

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Steps to a Successful Guided Reading Program

• Determining the independent level of each student
• Leveling the books in the classroom library
• Arranging students in flexible groups of no more
  than four by ability, interest, or skill
  development
• Selecting a book for each group to read
  independently with 90 95 accuracy
• -E.F. Guastello C. Lenz

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Guided Reading

• Teachers monitor students ability to
• Self-monitor
• Decode unfamiliar words
• Check predictions
• Determine if words make sense
• Self correct
• Read with expression, intonation, proper phrasing
  and fluency
• -E.F. Guastello C. Lenz

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Heterogeneous Grouping
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Heterogeneous Grouping The Positive

• A major rationale for mixed groupings is the
  idea that less proficient readers have the
  opportunity to learn from more proficient
  counterparts.
• Peer Assistance
• Students are willing to help their counterparts.
  This is a benefit for the struggling reader.
• -Deborah Poole

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Cooperative Learning

• Students are typically given specific roles.
• Students often work together to complete a
  specific project or reach a collective goal.
• Productive and flexible partner group work are
  essential in flexible grouping.
• Example for Literacy Instruction
• Literature Circles
• Book talks
• -Deborah Poole

guide.ceit.metu.edu.tr
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• Of great importance to this discussion are the
  Lou and others (1996) findings that students of
  all ability levels benefit from ability grouping
  when compared with not grouping at all-students
  of low ability actually perform worse when they
  are placed in homogeneous groups with students
  of low ability-as opposed to students of low
  ability placed in heterogeneous groups.
• -Marzano, Pickering, Pollack, 2001 in Gregory
  Chapman

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How can I group my students?

• Stick Picks
• Wagon Wheel Teaming

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Stick Picks

• When using sticks, you can often and quickly
  create random groups.
• The following is a chart that can be used when
  grouping students at random.
• Popsicle sticks or tongue depressors can be used.
• -Gregory Chapman

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Stick Picks
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Stick Picks
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How to Separate and Group Students

• Every group of four sticks (1-4, 5-8, etc) has
  all four colors green, blue, yellow, and red.
• When that group of four is a team, then the
  teacher can assign specific roles for each team
  member.
• The teacher can also assign students together if
  they have the same color. Some groups will have
  2 students, some three, some four.
• To get 4 larger groups, use the colors yellow,
  green, red, and blue as group identifiers.
• To form 3 large groups, use the colors orange,
  pink, and purple.
• To get partners, use 1 and 2 as a pair 3 and 4,
  etc.

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Wagon Wheel Teaming Rotating Concentric Circles
to Form Teams of Three or Four Learners
B Beginning Level Student A Average Level
Student E Expert Level Student
-Gregory Chapman
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Wagon Wheel Teaming

• This was based on an idea developed by Sheila
  Silversides.
• It can be used to group students randomly and
  quickly.
• The model can be used to quickly group students
  based on ability level, but still heterogeneous.
• For example, the model will consist of a
  beginning level student, two average level
  students, and an expert level student.
• -Gregory Chapman

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Wagon Wheel Teaming

• Students names are written inside each section of
  the circle, based on readiness or capability
  relating to a particular skill or concept.
• Names can also be assigned based on learning
  styles, multiple intelligences, or reading
  levels.
• To mix up the groups, keep the first wheel
  stationary, move the next wheel one turn, the
  next wheel two turns, and the following wheel
  three turns to keep the groups mixed.
• -Gregory Chapman

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Criticisms of Homogeneous Grouping

• Fewer words were read aloud, more interruptions,
  and the potential for stigmatization is present.
  (Poole)
• The history of American education is filled with
  examples of the misuse of ability grouping in
  schools as a way to enforce racial and cultural
  separation and to reinforce racial stereotypes.
  (Wood)
• Often restricts children from further education
  rather than encouraging them (Wood)

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Criticisms of Heterogeneous Grouping

• In the study conducted by Poole, she found that
  struggling readers in heterogeneous groups often
  feel differentiated from their peers.
• Intervention to help them may make them feel
  vulnerable to other students and in turn
  signaling their weak abilities.
• Low performing students recognize their status in
  the group and as a result often participate less.
  
• It is difficult for the reading proficiency of
  low performing students to improve in these
  groups if instruction is not explicit.
• These students need instruction in decoding and
  other reading strategies that other members of
  the group already possess.

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Recommendations for Both Sides Homogeneous Groups

• Instruction must be explicit skill instruction or
  ineffective. (Poole)
• Be sure to use grouping strategies that are
  objective, rather than subjective.
• Prove research wrong by doing other activities
  rather than worksheets and skill and practice
  sheets in the lower performing groups.

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Recommendations for Both Sides Heterogeneous
Groups

• Mix students in small groups so that all students
  have clear and sought out tasks that contribute
  to the group.
• Give each students a task so that they feel as if
  they have a purpose for the group.
• Balance instruction so that all students benefit.
  

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Where do students perform best?

• McCoach et al found that
• Low ability students performed best in
  heterogeneous groups.
• Medium ability students performed best in
  homogeneous groups.
• High ability students performed equally well in
  either type of group.

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Personal Experiences with Homogeneous Grouping
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Overview of Program

• The positive effects of ability grouping with
  first grade students is presented in the
  following slides.
• All five first grade classes at my building
  divided students into nine homogenous groups.
• Leading the groups were the five classroom
  teachers, an intern, the school principal, one of
  the reading specialists, and the first grade
  learning support teacher.
• The following presents the groups and material
  presented in each group.

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The Groups

• High Readers- Students reading at at least a
  second grade level
• Focus Chapter Book Study, Flat Stanley
• Students read independently and respond in a
  journal.

www.discoverdalian.com
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The Groups

• Slightly above benchmark- These students are
  reading slightly above where they should be in
  the fall of first grade
• Focus These students worked on comprehension
  skills with a guided reading book from the site
  www.readinga-z.com
• Students will create story maps, venn diagrams,
  and other graphic organizers for comprehension
• Students would work on reading strategies, as
  well.

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The Groups

• Benchmark- These students are reading at grade
  level for the fall of first grade.
• Focus These students worked on comprehension
  skills with a guided reading book from the site
  www.readinga-z.com
• Students would work on reading strategies, as
  well.
• (This groups objective is very similar to the
  previous.)

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The Groups

• Slightly Below Grade Level These students are
  reading below grade level and need reinforcement.
  (There are four sections of this group.)
• Focus These students worked on many different
  word building and phonics skills.
• Students would work on a decodable book with the
  word family/short vowel sound.
• The group also did word wall/family dictations.
• The purpose of this group was to reinforce skills
  covered during the week.

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The Groups

• Special Needs These students are all receiving
  support from the special education teacher. They
  have a wide range of disabilities including
  autism and other learning disabilities.
• Focus These students worked on the same skills
  as the previous group. They worked on many
  different word building and phonics skills.
• Students would work on a decodable book with the
  word family/short vowel sound.
• The group also did word wall/family dictations.
• The purpose of this group was to reinforce skills
  covered during the week.

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Effectiveness

• From September until the end of November, 2009-
  all students made progress.
• Also, these groups are flexible in the sense that
  many students have changed groups since then.
• But, isnt that the point? Students ARE
  succeeding.
• From these groups, more individual attention is
  focused on the students individual needs.

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Effectiveness Lets Look at Numbers

• The following information is in accordance to
  Running Records scores. The Dominie Series was
  used.

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What is Considered Benchmark?

• In August- students who were reading at or above
  a Level 3 were considered benchmark.
• In August- 52 students were benchmark.
• In November- students who were reading at or
  above a Level 4 were considered benchmark.
• In November- 64 students were benchmark.

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What about Below Benchmark?

• In August- students who were reading at a Level 1
  or 2 were considered below benchmark.
• In August- 48 students were below benchmark.
• In November- students who were reading at a Level
  1, 2, or 3 were considered below benchmark.
• In November- 35 students were below benchmark.

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Results

• Almost all students showed improvement in their
  reading ability.
• From the data, it is clear that the leveled
  reading groups were effective.

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Student Responses

• A student from each group was interviewed and the
  following are their reactions to the reading
  groups.
• I really liked being in different readings
  groups. I liked going to different classrooms.
  (from a student in the below benchmark group)
• I like the activities we did. (from a student
  in the average group)
• I really liked reading Flat Stanley. It was fun
  keeping my own journal. (from a student in the
  enrichment group)

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Some thoughts to keep in mind

• Both homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping have
  a time and place in literacy instruction.
• It is important for teachers to plan activities
  and lessons that meet the needs of ALL students.
• It is up to YOU to decide when it is appropriate
  to group students.

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Sources

• Chorzempa, B. F., Graham, S. (2006).
  Primary-grade teachers' use of within-lass
  ability grouping in reading. Journal of
  Educational Psychology. 98, 529-541.
• Gregory, G., Chapman, C. (2007). Differentiated
  Instructional Strategies One Size Doesn't Fit
  All. Thousand Oaks Corwin Press.
• Guastello, E.F., Lenz, C. (2005). Student
  accountability Guided reading kidstations. The
  Reading Teacher. 59, 145-156.

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Sources

• McCoach, D.B. , O'Connell, A.A., Levitt, H.
  (2006). Ability grouping across kindergarten
  using an early childhood longitudinal study. The
  Journal of Educational Research. 99, 339-346.
• Poole, D. (2008). Interactional differentiation
  in the mixed-ability group a situated view of
  two struggling readers. Reading Research
  Quarterly. 43, 228-250.
• Wood, C. (1997). Yardsticks. Greenfield, MA
  Northeast Foundation for Children.