I'm just wondering what subjects your DCs are set/streamed according to ability for in seconday school in the years prior to starting on GCSE courses.
From speaking to people with DCs at different schools, both state and private, I'm finding that there is quite wide variation. For example, in some schools they're set for all of the "core" subjects according to ability, maths english and science and in others a wider range of subjects, i.e. maths, english, science, humanities and languages. In our school it varies from year to year; in Yr 7 it's only for maths, in Yr 8 it's for maths and science and in Yr 9 it's maths, science and humanities. They're not streamed for ability in english or languages until they start their GCSE courses.
I would really appreciate any feedback from teachers on the relative merits of streaming. It seems to me that there are benefits to be gained from it as it appears to me (as a non teacher) that it may perhaps be easier to teach a group of a very similar level of ability and to be able to pitch the lesson appropriately and have more time to spend with the students rather than being taken away to explain things to those who may not understand or need more guidance. I think these children deserve to have the lessons pitched to their ability rather than being left to think that they "don't get it" when others do.
Do you feel that teaching to similar ability groups equals better results too?
In our school it's quite common for children who finish set work in lessons to be told to sit with a small group of others who haven't finished and help them, or to have a particular student nominated for them to work one to one with and help. The line that teachers often come out with is that the best way to learn is to teach! I have to say I have a problem with this and I'm not sure it would naturally happen so often in a class where there was not such a disparity between various levels of ability.
On the other hand, one new teacher has a "challenge folder" from which students who have finished their work are encouraged to take more work, which may be the next level up, more challenging or whatever. This seem like a good idea to me but I can't help thinking that it seems like common sense to teach groups of students who are at a similar level so they can all progress at a similar pace. That's what always used to happen when I was at secondary school way back in the dim and distant past!
Any thoughts gratefully received...
Please or to access all these features
Please
or
to access all these features
Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.
Secondary education
What subjects are your DCs set/streamed for in Yrs 7 - 9?
33 replies
Perriwinkle · 23/01/2013 19:58
OP posts:
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
Please create an account
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.