2. Vygotsky would disagree with the idea of ability grouping, especially with within and between class grouping methods. He believes with the “zone of proximal development” that if a child interacts with adults or more capable children in a certain area of study that they are more able to succeed. He also believes in intersubjectivity which states that 2 individuals beginning a task with different knowledge and perspectives can come to a shared understanding as they adjust to each other’s perspective. It is stated that 2 same-age students can have the same actual developmental level, but differ dramatically in learning potential in particular subjects. That shows that age doesn’t really matter when it comes to cognitive development, however Vygotsky believed that more cognitively skilled adults should teach their students new skills. Vygotsky would say that grouping students into separate intellectual groups would hinder their learning experiences and actually cause them to either stay where they are cognitively or decrease in development. Teachers should use ZPD when social interaction and collaboration lead the student to use and develop new cognitive processes and skills. By the teacher providing activities, which incorporate scientific concepts to meet each student’s personal needs and skill level, each of their concrete skill levels will become structured.
Are you asking if ability grouping has any positive or negative affect on music education performance? Doing a quick Google Scholar search, I don't see any studies investigating that.... perhaps someone will research that one day. As you can imagine, the benefits and constraints of ability grouping for general education should transfer to specific types of education (like music). What do you think? Would grouping mixed ability students together to learn how to play/perform a piece of music help or hinder their learning? Perhaps being with others of the same ability will allow them to feel less self conscious? Perhaps the act of teaching younger students will help the older students learn more? There isn't a clear answer, so it's something you will have to judge in your future teaching practice.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point (if I'm understanding you) that age doesn't determine developmental level or ZPD in a particular subject (just like Piaget's stages are very flexible). Especially for something like music education, a novice can very well be an adult and an expert may be an adolescent. WIthin the group, certain members can scaffold the activity for the others. Within this grouping, the teacher can step in to scaffold for the most advanced members of the group.
I don't think Vygotsky would say that students could decrease in development. Even within ability grouping, it is not true that every child is identical. There will always be slight differences in ability that the teacher can take advantage of in grouping students.
Just to try to push on your thinking--do you think that students who have a similar ZPD for a particular task are more likely to create intersubjectivity than two students who have completely different ability levels?
I was actually wondering that myself. When I was growing up, it would be difficult because I was more advanced musically than a lot of other kids in my choir. I'd get really frustrated, but looking back, I think it was good for me. I went over a lot in music classes that I had already learned, but now all of those concepts are fixed in my brain - aka, I will never question or forget my basic music theory. Also, now that I'm going to teach music to kids, I know what to look for - because when I'd get bored in class, I'd really pay attention to what my teacher was paying attention to. If that makes sense. I think that ability grouping for choir class would be good in the sense that it would challenge everyone and put people around others at their same level, but I also think that spending some time with people who are more or less advanced than you can really help everyone (those who aren't as advanced and those who are) grow musically.
ReplyDelete