There are different ideas about the bast way to group children for learning. According to some people the best way is to group children with others who have similar academic skills. But there are those who feel it is better to place children in groups with mixed abilities. I agree with the second point of view.
Some people believe that children do best when they study with others of similar abilities. They say that this allows children to learn the the right place with the same frequency. By following this method, faster children will not be held back by slower children, and slower children will not be frustrated by trying to move ahead too fast.
Other people, however, think that children do better when they are in a mixed-level class. For one thing, children who are working at a higher level can serve as models for other children. They show the lower-level children what might be possible for them. Aslo, higher-level children can help others with their work. This provides them with challenges and reinforces their own learinng.
I feel that the best method is to place children in mixed-level classes. A classroom filled with variety opens children’s minds in many ways. In addition, no two children are exacly alike. Therefore, it is impossible to have a completely homogenous class. so why try to have one when you can have all the advantages of a mixed-level class?
There may be some advantages to having children stufy only with others of similar abilities, but I feel that there are many more advantages to studying in a mixed-level group.