Context
Different parts of a student’s day involve homogeneous and heterogeneous skill groups across grade levels. Lots of thought is put into which types of groups make the most sense for each type of instruction.
- Self-directed learning is completely heterogeneous where students of all skill levels work next to each other, or with each other, providing peer support and modeling for assignments.
- Small group instruction is homogeneous, allowing teachers to provide targeted instruction for a specific learning need.
- Large group instruction is considered “bounded heterogeneity” as the groups are leveled, on average, but there is overlap between the groups, allowing for a diversity of perspective without creating too wide of a range for the teacher to meet students’ needs.
Strategy Resources
Roots Executive Director Discussing Benefits of Heterogeneous Groups
Roots ED and Founder, Jonathan Hanover, discusses why the teaching team uses heterogeneous grouping approaches... Learn More
Roots Executive Director Provides Overview of Different Groupings at Roots
Roots ED and Founder, Jonathan Hanover, discusses how the team uses homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping... Learn More
Teacher Discusses Small Group Instruction at Roots
Roots teacher, Lecksy Wolk, explains the scheduling and sizing of small groups.Transcript: Lecksy Wolk: But... Learn More
Teacher Discusses Flexibility in Groupings at Roots
Roots teacher, Lecksy Wolk, shares how small group composition is influenced both by academic and... Learn More
Teacher Discusses Groupings in Literacy at Roots
Roots teacher, Samantha Gambino, shares how she uses literacy assessment data to inform small group... Learn More
Roots Elementary was a K-2 charter school in Denver that used technology along with innovative staffing, curricular, and physical structures to provide a student-centered learning experience.
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