While one school of thought holds that students should be separated by their abilities, others are of the opinion that schools should put students into mixed-ability classes. This essay will first closely examine both viewpoints before concluding that I agree with the former.
On the one hand, it’s understandable why people propose that mixed-ability classes bring about numerous benefits for students’ development. The primary benefit behind this thinking is that it enhances collaboration and peer learning because students who have distinct strengths and weaknesses can learn from each other. For instance, those who excel at science subjects but struggle with art subjects can improve their singing or painting skills with the help of classmates and vice versa. As a result, they may grow up to become more well-rounded individuals. Another benefit is that those students are encouraged to cooperate, thereby improving their team-working ability, which helps them in future careers.
On the other hand, I side with those who believe that grouping students according to their abilities is more beneficial to the teachers and their students. Perhaps the foremost reason would be that teachers can easily plan more suitable lessons to work at the right speed for them. For example, teachers can give advanced materials in lectures for intelligent students while teachers can provide foundation knowledge and explain exercises at a slower pace. In addition to this, streaming students according to abilities can be a great strategy for constructing the country in the long run because it nurtures talents in specific fields for the country in the future.
In conclusion, while there are several justifications for advocating putting students into mixed-ability classes, I would contend that streaming students by their ability can be a better choice for the sake of both teachers and their students.