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MIXED-ABILITY CONFIGURATION - MARION KATUSIIME

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MIXED-ABILITY CONFIGURATION - MARION KATUSIIME

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A mixed-ability configuration is a classroom setting where students of varying abilities, skills and learning levels are placed together in the same learning group.Students with with different academic backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses are taught together as a heterogeneous group rather than solely based on ability grouping.

The purpose of a mixed- ability configuration is to promote inclusion, diversity and collaborative learning.

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I believe that all small groups should have 3 main configurations and this does not matter what Type of small group instruction is to be used.

1. Engage and Inspire.: the students need to be prepared for what they are going to look into while in small groups so as to connect to prior knowledge Before they can go of into their groups

2. Exploration: Students then engage in a problem based activity in their small group.

3. Share and Reflect: The class comes back together to share and reflect

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While drawing prior learning, students use small groups through interactive discussions to share their ideas about the topic. In this activity, random groups are picked using the random group generator website.

In their groups, students must share what they know about healthy lifestyles. A statement of inquiry is conveyed as a guiding question, and they are encouraged to discuss the keywords; “Forming a healthy lifestyle requires a balance of personal choices.” one of the words is Balance, lifestyle, and choices. Each group takes a word to work on

Each group has a leader responsible for taking notes and guiding the group discussions while ensuring each member participates.

After the sharing, the jigsaw technique forms three mixed-ability groups where more sharing is done on the subtopics by the experts from the previous groups.

The advantage of this small group is that students feel a sense of fairness when a teacher is not assigning the groups. On the other hand, all student's needs may not be met with differentiated tasks.

The jigsaw technique offers an opportunity for all students to learn all content.

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The Think- Pair- Share type of configuration is a collaborative learning strategy where students work together to solve a problem or answer problems about an assigned activity.

This strategy requires students to think individually about a topic or answer a question, share ideas with classmates.

How it works

The teacher asks an open ended question and students think quietly about it for a minute or two, then every student pairs up with a partner and they discuss the question for 2-5 minutes. Finally the whole class engages in the discussion where students raise their hands and share all the thoughts and ideas they have gathered .

Rules of this exercise

Students must use their classroom voices

Must take turns and avoid interrupting their partners.

The purpose of the think pair share type of configuration is to promote Critical thinking by providing students with adquate time to think in order to increase their quality of response and also gives them a sense of achievement when raeching a team goal.

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A mixed-ability configuration is one of the most configurations that I have seen be used in our classroom setting where students with different abilities are put in a small math, reading, UOI, Wordstudy groups and the effectiveness have lead to positive outcomes such as increased inclusivity, improved collaboration and individualised learning.

However addressing the associated challenges and providing adequate support to teachers helps maximise the benefits and effectiveness.

In the groups, students are in a supportive environment where they feel safe, valued and respected. Students are encouraged to have a growth mindset through praising efforts and improvements made rather than focusing on right answers which reduces the fear of making mistakes or being disengaged.

Structuring challenges for the students by gradually increasing the complexity of activities and discussions where students become more comfortable with participation and building confidence over the time.

Specially Designed Instruction for students with disabilities and require special instruction can receive SDI as part of their mixed ability group experience.

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Flexible Grouping is the kind of configuration where by the teacher basing on differentiating instruction. It depends on the achievement level of the students.

In this kind/model of teaching, students are separated based their demonstrated achievement and offered differing on type of instruction.For example the teacher may divide the class in two groups. In one group, the teacher engage the students in remedial activity while in another group the students may work on an enrichment activity. In this case both group are still responsible for understanding the curricular concepts and where by learning is taking place. In this case one group may extend their understanding beyound minimum requirement established by the curriculum.

There is also an extension of flexible grouping which occurs when multiple teachers cooperates to form a larger pool of possibilities in teaching. This is where two or more teachers are teaching the same subject at the same time. This model teaching is being applied in my class in most subjects sure as Unit of Inquiry, word study, math and Reading groups. Different teachers teach same subjects at the same time by grouping up the students.

In this ,teacher sort the students into smaller group according to their needs. The teacher can specialise and work with flexible group that reflect the curriculum preference of the teacher.

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Learning centers are perfect for small group learning as they lend themselves to several good factors.

Organization-learning centers are organized in such a way that they break down a lesson into mini lessons at 5-10 minute intervals each. Students can be placed into various groups to go to each center as a group and then move on to the next. Learning centers also act like building blocks as tasks or centers can be divided into differential sections that show a student's progression in learning. A student for example may not move on from one centre to another if the level of work at the other centre is not appropriate for them yet.

Assessment opportunities. Learning centers are a great tool for peer-to-peer or student assessment. These centers provide a clear picture as to where the student is in terms of their understanding

Individualized interest- Learning centers can also be a tool used to foster individual students' interests and leading. This information is crucial for a teacher- student relationship.