ERIC Number: EJ993612
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Dec
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1074-4762
EISSN: N/A
Too Big to Fail: Rethinking Group Work in a Restructured Middle School
Horn, Brian R.
Voices from the Middle, v20 n2 p35-39 Dec 2012
Utilizing critical and sociocultural approaches to teaching and learning, this article presents data from seven middle grade students at a Title I school regarding their experiences in a student-constructed learning group. Findings reveal students' desires and abilities to constructively participate in work with others that runs contrary to common "best practices" in student grouping. Dialogic examples of student voice illuminate possible alternatives in grouping that empower students and create student communities of practice (Wenger, 1998). While much professional conversation around grouping students would suggest that the group of seven was too big to succeed, the author's contention is that they were too big to fail. (Contains 1 footnote.)
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Best Practices, Grouping (Instructional Purposes), Communities of Practice, School Restructuring, Teamwork, Middle School Students, Learner Engagement, Aptitude Treatment Interaction, Group Dynamics, Learning Strategies, Reflection, Protocol Analysis, Social Cognition, Social Psychology
National Council of Teachers of English. 1111 West Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096. Tel: 877-369-6283; Tel: 217-328-3870; Web site: http://www.ncte.org/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A