Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Diversity
In At the Point of Need, Nelson notes in her observations that independence emerged and development improved when working with diverse groups of students as opposed to working with groups of students, for example, the same country (66-68). This struck me as interesting since in my preparation for teaching I was told to pair students of similiar abilities together; that it would be unfair for one student to pull all the weight. For example, if students are trying to learn to write in English, wouldn't that place a larger responsibility on the English speaking student to teach the non native speakers English? Would it be fair for the English speaking student, who might perhaps already know, to have to wait until the rest of the group caught up? Nelson talks about how the All-American group was not very motivated and conforming, but perhaps that would be something the tutor could help prevent.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I agree that this is interesting. I propose the following hypotheses in explanation. 1) The individuals in any group will possess a range of abilities. Thus, to pair students of similar ability is to indulge in a degree of fiction. 2) Perhaps Nelson is not so much interested in diversity of ability as diversity of experience, gender, personality, ethnicity, nationality, and the like. 3) Writing centers work to facilitate the formation of writers. If writing centers do not aim for students to arrive at a terminal goal or to move at a particular pace, viewing one’s companions as a hindrance is probably misguided. 4) If teaching truly aids learning, less able group members are an asset to more able members.
In addition to Brian's comments, I want to add one further thought: She is talking about groups of around 5. I think the size of the group is important. In a pairing, one student might have to carry the other, but in a larger group, things may be different.
Post a Comment