Mixed Ability Teaching - A Challenge For Secondary RE Teachers

Most secondary RE departments teach mixed ability classes throughout Key Stages 3 and 4. The decision to group pupils in this way may be made by the department may be a faculty policy or sometimes a school policy, although it rarely applies to subjects such as mathematics and science. It has never been altogether clear to me why pupils' learning in some subjects requires that they be taught in similar ability sets while in other subjects that rule does not apply. Recently I asked a group of RE teachers why they chose to teach mixed ability groups. Their main reasons were:

so that lower ability pupils can learn from others
to promote social inclusion
to avoid 'sink' classes
mixed ability classes promote a sense of equality

What is immediately clear is that most of these arguments are based on social rather than educational principles and they focus on the needs of low ability rather than high ability pupils. In practice higher ability pupils are particularly disadvantaged by mixed ability teaching in RE, as Ofsted has reported consistently over the last decade, although this does not have to be an inevitable consequence.

It is not my intention here to rehearse the arguments for and against mixed ability teaching but rather to address the issues arising for those who have decided to go down the mixed ability route. In particular I will address three issues that are fundamental to mixed ability teaching: groupings, resources and tasks.

Grouping

One of the most frequent arguments for mixed ability classes is that less able pupils learn from the more able. Collaborative working is a prerequisite if this is to happen, which implies regular group work. Well planned group activities benefit all pupils.

When productive group work is a regular feature of lessons, pupils:

fully develop their understanding of an idea because they have tried to explain it.
to others or argue a point of view;
are more likely to develop social and team-working skills.

Group work gives pupils opportunities to:

practice and to learn from each other;
develop a sense of empathy and to understand other views;
develop problem-solving skills.

Pedagogy and Practice: Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools. DfES 0433-2004 G DfES 2004

There are several ways of grouping pupils. Decisions have to be made on the 'fitness for purpose' principle; i.e. what grouping will best enable all pupils to achieve the learning outcomes for the lesson and complete the learning activities in line with their ability. The main options, which can be used in whole or part of lessons are:

mixed ability groups
similar ability groups
gender groups
friendship groups

The key issue for deciding whether or not to split abilities is whether or not it is possible to set work for a mixed ability group that is capable of producing the range of outcomes expected. The following table illustrates the advantages and limitations of different groupings and suggests how they might be used effectively.

GROUPING	WHEN TO USE	ADVANTAGES	LIMITATIONS
Mixed ability	Oral work/discussion is generally effective since most low ability (LA) pupils’ weaknesses are in reading/writing Carefully structured presentations/research based work when teachers give members of the group a task and resources commensurate with their ability.	Likely to include a wide range of opinions Inclusive – enables all pupils to contribute to the communal task Social benefits	High ability may dominate Can only succeed where activities are carefully planned to be inclusive
Same ability	When tasks are set specifically to challenge pupils to work at their target level.	Easier to set e.g. a L7 task for a whole group. Easier for pupils working to the same level to achieve their target when working together rather than with pupils working to a different target.	Abilities of all pupils are made public.
Gender	In situations where in mixed groups one sex tends to dominate or lose out e.g. boys compete to control the computer keyboard; Where subject matter is more popular with one gender than the other e.g. Abortion.	Sometimes preferred; when there is no seating plan pupils tend to form same sex groups	Increases the gender divide and limits the advantages of boys and girls understanding gender viewpoints.
Friendship	When discussing sensitive issues that may involve personal accounts.	Secure and unthreatening	Less likely to produce a range of views
Preferred learning style	When a topic or activity benefits from multi-dimensional resources and outputs e.g. The Mosque	Pupils work in their comfort zone	May result in same gender groups If used too often prevents pupils developing skills in less preferred styles.

In my experience mixed ability groupings are the most common. The last school I taught in, back in the 1980s, had a 'non-negotiable' mixed ability policy for all subjects. The humanities faculty resolved the issue by creating two groupings based on shapes (ability sets) and colours (mixed sets). Pupils knew what groups they were in and followed efficiently the simple instruction 'colour groups today'. The system worked well, although I have never seen it in operation since. The following examples illustrate how this system might be used today with a mixed ability Year 9 class (n.b. HA = high ability; AA = average ability; LA = lower ability).

What is spirituality? The context is set by a brief class brainstorm on the different aspects of being human, e.g. physical, intellectual... In mixed groups pupils have twenty minutes to suggest meanings for 'spirit' and 'spirituality'. In each group a HA pupil is given the task of recording the group's ideas but he/she must negotiate with the group about their preferred mode of presentation e.g. list, mind map. The following plenary identifies the key ideas suggested; the teacher suggests significant omissions. The teacher or a pupil creates a whole class mind-map, which is copied for all pupils.
Expressions of spirituality. Working in ability groups pupils have two weeks to prepare presentations on Christian expressions of spirituality.
- LA group, if possible working with a well-briefed TA or 6th form student, use visual resources to create a display of a range of ways Christians put across/communicate/express their spirituality (e.g. art, poetry, artefacts, vestments, rituals, supporting charities, work in the community...). Those who can suggest meanings for the examples they find (L3/4).
- AA groups using resources available, prepare a presentation that illustrates some of the differences in the way that different Christian groups express their spirituality (e.g. use of ornamentation, art and vestments, ordination, monastic traditions, worship...). Some will be able to explain what these differences mean and why they are important. (L5/6)
- HA group research contrasting examples of two chosen aspects of religious expression (e.g. the 'Dies Irae' from Verdi's Requiem and a section from Pilgrim's Progress) and explain their significance for their creators and for believers, explaining similarities and differences of meaning. A few may be able to explain why art, music, poetry etc. are important sources of evidence for religious belief, with a few other illustrations (L6/7) or may be able to select one or two resources and explain why they are particularly powerful expressions of spirituality (L8).
An advantage of this procedure is that in the final plenary (third lesson) the presentation from each group will be significantly different.

Resources

In the school I mentioned earlier, a deputy head scrutinised all requisition forms. Any head of department who had ordered a set of 30 or so text books was summoned and had to give an account of their actions. Draconian as this may appear it was a rigorous policy that supported the school's commitment to mixed ability teaching. Mixed ability teaching will never work for teachers who plan their curriculum or indeed any lesson around a single text book.

I am still alarmed at the number of lessons I see where the single text book is in use. There are three reasons why this is generally an unsatisfactory practice; firstly any book's reading age is likely to be too hard for some and too easy for others; second its conceptual challenge will not be appropriate for all pupils in the class; and third many pupils, particularly boys, do not generally like working from text books. There are exceptions; for example the use of a picture or diagram as a stimulus may sometimes be appropriate.

The mixed ability classroom must be a multi-resource environment where books, posters, DVDs, videos, music, artefacts and whenever possible people from faith communities are available as resources. When ordering books, it is better on principle to buy four or five of a wide range of publications at different levels of literary and conceptual difficulty.

To summarise, there are some basic principles that MUST be followed

a single text book for the whole class is NOT AN OPTION. In a Year 9 class reading ages may vary from 6-18 and pupils' conceptual understanding and ability to learn information varies from L2-L8.
Books are the least interesting resource for most boys (and several girls). In addition you need to think about the implications of preferred learning styles.
The key to success is the availability of as wide a range as possible of written, visual, audio, and digital resources, accessible to pupils of different abilities.

Only by following these principles will the sort of group work suggested above be possible.

Tasks

So called 'differentiation by outcome' is an evasion of the issue; any collection of work, unless identical, can be differentiated by outcome. One of the greatest weaknesses in RE is the setting of identical tasks to mixed ability classes, with perhaps a writing frame provided for LA pupils. Neither is extension work an option; why should a pupil who has clearly achieved L6 have to carry out a L4 task (which is about the level of most tasks I see in RE) before they are allowed to move on to a task set at a higher level? Some AT2 tasks may be accessible to pupils of a wide range of abilities, but this will rarely apply to AT1.

The following principles should be observed

It is not possible to achieve L6/7 on a L3/4 task. Therefore at a general principle different tasks should be set for pupils of different abilities
If MA groups are working on a AT1 assignment, ensure that a range of related tasks is set so that all are sufficiently challenged
If groups are similar ability, it can be easier to provide tasks and resources that facilitate collaborative working.
As with resources, let the learning outcomes for the lesson/series of lessons dictate the extent to which tasks need to be differentiated.

You may have concluded by now, rightly, that mixed ability teaching is hard work. The teacher who is committed to mixed ability classes must also be committed to developing teaching and learning strategies that enable every pupil in those classes to achieve to the best of their ability. Nothing else will do.

Barbara Wintersgill - March 2007


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