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 Reading Groups 
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In my Reading class for Block, we just talked about reading groups. Reading groups are when you put children that are on the same level in reading together. The article I read said it would hurt their self esteem, however, my teacher said it is a great idea. He said that when he has conferences with parents, he tells them that it is better for a child to feel bad about themselves with they are smaller than when they get older. I feel that once children see who's in the "slow" group they will automatically think of those chidren as stupid or slow. What do you think????

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Elizabeth Cooner


Thu Nov 11, 2004 10:46 am
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I totally agree with you. I had a friend who had this to happen to them. At an early age she was placed in a reading group that was for the "slow" students in the class. Being that she was only seven at the time she was still affected by this grouping. Her self esteem lowered and she didn't have a whole lot of confidence in her self. When she was called on to read out loud in class she felt nervous and intimidated as if everyone was thinking while she was reading how stupid she was. She carried that label and the emotions with her throughout all of school. I don't think that this way of teaching is beneficial for the students. Because reading is something that should be fun for the students and not something that they struggle with emotionally.

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Amy Drum


Thu Nov 11, 2004 1:18 pm
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I agree. I believe that children know who the "smart" kids are and the "dumg" kids are in there classes in Kindergarten. Children can tell who is smart and who isn't by the way that their teachers talk to them and group them. I think that once kids feel like they are "labeled" in the lower group, or "dumb" group, they we believe that is where they are suppose to stay. Their self-esteem becomes lower because not only do they know that they are in the slow group, but so do the other children. Once children figure this out, that complex stays with them throughout school. If children don't think that they belong in the top group then why would they ever strive to better than what they are doing? I don't think that most of them would because they begin to believe themselves that they aren't smart enought, which isn't the case. I feel like mixing the children into groups is a much better way. Children can use each other to help them learn. Instead of trying to learn individually like the top and low reading groups, children can learn from a community of learners, which is more efficient, I think. Now children wouldn't be able to really tell who the "smart" kids are or who the "dumg" kids are. Also, instead of asking them to answer direct questions like what is the main idea of the story, ask them open-ended questions where the kids can't answer wrong. That way the students don't feel pressure to get the right question. Teachers should ask students, once they are in mixed groups, to read so that they can list and describe three characters in the story. This question isn't a right and wrong question, its open-ended where the children can discuss different characters with each other.

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Amanda Davidson


Thu Nov 11, 2004 11:42 pm
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I agree with you. I would think that they would notice the different groups and then think that they are "slow" or dumb, if they are put in the slow group. The students would probably lose self confidence and think that they were bad at everything; school would no longer be a fun place any more. I think it would be better to mix the groups. That way the students could help eachother out, and no group is labled "slow".

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Lindsey Evans


Sun Nov 14, 2004 2:20 pm
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I have to add the usual argument. What about the smart kids? Won't they get bored or irritated?

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Mary Carmichael


Thu Nov 18, 2004 4:25 pm
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This is such a hard question because Mary is absolutely right: what about the "smart" kids? I definitely don't have an easy answer, but I want to stress the power of expectation and encouragement - -

I think children are resilient, and I believe they'll be happy in any group as long as the teacher tells them that she knows they're smart and expects them to do well. If she says "this group is full of intelligent, wonderful readers and by the end of the school year, I expect each of you to be reading chapter books" I think they'll rise to her expectations. Changing groups around each month might also a good idea, because you can switch children's groups without the more advanced ones becoming bored. It's my goal for my children to see themselves as capable learners, but I think first, I need to tell them they can be.

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Morgan Gill


Mon Dec 06, 2004 11:44 am
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And I would just add, what about all the readings for this class about the negative effects of tracking and ability grouping? You have read a review of the literature. I would think it should be clear that this is a very, very poor educational strategy, regardless of how much some teachers "like" it.

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Gayle Turner


Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:24 pm
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