Analyse, Review and Comment- Task 2

In many schools there is a system of setting students by ability in their lessons. Many schools swear by it and always use this method as they believe that this is the only way to gain the maximum potential from each student.However, there are those who question this method and would like to see another system put into place.

The people who are against this idea hold views that setting students in ability groups result in low self esteem.The students who are in top sets are labelled as 'Gifted and Talented'.In some schools there are even schemes for the Gifted and Talented such as residential trips ,privileges and schemes such as peer mentoring. However there is nothing for the people in the bottom sets.They are labelled as 'dumb', 'thick' and 'stupid'.They aren't given the attention that the Gifted and Talented children get.They are left doing basic things in their lessons,just letting time go by.

On the other hand, There are views that if this system is kept the way it is it is much easier for the teacher.In a mixed ability class the teacher has to plan their lesson to cater for the needs of each student. This is extremely difficult because they will have to plan the lesson to be challenging enough for an A* student but easy enough for a G grade student.The positive of this system is that the teacher only has to plan their lesson to fit the needs of only A*- B students or E-G grade students.

Similarly, the students benefit from this system.In some lessons students to spend half the lesson listening to the teacher waffle on about the same old thing to a student who isn't as strong at the subject as he/she is ,or a student having to attempt work that they don't understand just so they don't look stupid in front of the class.With this system a strong student can get on with work to challenge their brain and a weaker student can take their time on a piece of work so that they understand it fully.

However,flipping the coin to the less shiny side, in some lessons in a bottom set there are many under- achieving students who disrupt the lesson.This could be to do with feeling that because they are in the bottom set there is no point of trying to learn because whatever they do and how hard they try they are thick as two short planks of wood and won't get anywhere in life.This could result in the other students who want to learn failing because the teachers attention is on those who disrupt the lesson and not on the teaching.

When you think about the argument of low self esteem and disruption in lessons, you can easily go against the system of placing students by ability in lessons. However, in my opinion I feel that disruption in lessons depends on how the teacher controls the class,not because the students in the low sets are the 'under-achieving' students.The low self esteem which many people say are caused by setting would never be there in the first place if the necessary action was taken to make all students feel that though they may be weak in some subjects there are subjects where they will shine.In my school this system is in place and it has many positive effects.