What surprised you about your experience with the common beliefs survey?

Submitted by kjfv on 4 June 2010 - 2:40pm
Groups:

Comments

Perspective

Submitted by pamelasmith on 10 June 2010 - 7:13pm.

I was repeatedly drawn back to the idea that you need to be sensitive about students ethnicity, socio-economic status, etc., to be able to relate to what the student may have eaxerienced (or not experienced) that will effect the necessary background knowledge for teaching new material.

Survey & Case Study

Submitted by tvasen on 17 June 2010 - 8:30pm.

I am stuck in this place where I have been working with teachers who are only used to whole class instruction. The administrative team and I have been encouraging small, skills based groups and now I am hearing negative things about grouping. Veteran teachers have asked how "grouping" is different from tracking, which they know is wrong. My answer has been that grouping that is determined from Curriculum Based Measures of skill deficits but in my mind-I'm thinking it sounds like a fine line. How others reconcile these issues? The Common Beliefs survey had me in that same spot-knowing what my answer should/will be and wondering where the lines are.

I see tracking is like when I

Submitted by klenoch on 18 June 2010 - 10:02pm.

I think of tracking kids in school to be like when I cross country ski and I get stuck in a track and I can't get my skiis out.  Tracking is staying with a group now that it has been formed, following a curriculum that now I can't get out of because the pace is set and I can't learn the curriculum I am not being taught.
Groupings change all the time.  We have differnent groups for different reasons and we mix them up.  Groups can be made for ability, interest, peer relationships, fluency, phonetic awareness, and comprehension strategies.  Groupings acknowledge that learning happens at different paces for different students and that we can learn with many kinds of learners.