From Educational Segregation to Transformative Inclusion

Abstract

Recent studies conducted in Europe using communicative methodology highlight that different ways of grouping students has a direct effect on their academic output. This article analyzes how said research methodology identifies and analyzes those student groupings that provide greater academic success and improve classroom coexistence at Spanish educational centers. Said methodology entails all of the research participantsresearchers, teachers, families, and students-reflecting on the consequences of streaming, mixture, and inclusion for student academic achievement.Following this, our conclusions are compared with the policies and educational practices implemented in Spanish schools, which are not based on scientific knowledge and do not usually lead to academic success. Finally, recommendations are presented for future educational policies with the aim of providing an alternative for teachers and educational managers that would substantially improve student academic success.

How Conflicts are Resolved in Three Learning Communities //¿Cómo se resuelven los conflictos en tres comunidades de aprendizaje?

“…In the case of S2, which has made considerably more progress along the path towards implementing the community method, disciplinary solutions indicate that certain rules cannot be broken and are generally associated with making reparation. Despite having recourse to disciplinary actions, all schools try to involve the community, since they are aware of the fact that incorporating different viewpoints into school life in general, and into situations of conflict in particular, is a vital requisite for finding dialogic, consensus-based solutions that will help improve peaceful coexistence within the school environment (Petreñas et al, 2013;Valls & Kyriakides, 2013). Nevertheless, it is important to point out that the fact that two of the schools had not moved beyond the dream phase probably had an impact on the results, and explains why the number of references to disciplinary responses was higher in these two communities.…”

The inclusiveness of mixed ability grouping in Johannesburg primary schools

“…Despite the benefits of mixed ability grouping, convolutions in differentiating instruction, giving more assistance to learners with special educational needs, and providing teaching/learning media that address the needs of all learners have been distinguishable elsewhere. For example, a study by Petrenas et al (2013) on ways to organise the inclusive classroom depicted difficulties in curriculum differentiation as teachers cease to give attention to some learners when they are in mixed ability groups because they cannot attend to everyone in the groups. Regular class teachers' lack of training in curriculum differentiation (Bubpha 2014), as well as huge learner populations in the classrooms inadvertently lead teachers towards channelling learners into categories based on the amount of support an individual leaner requires, (Bubpha 2014;Duncan 2012).…”

“…Teachers find it difficult to differentiate instruction despite evident disparities in learner diversity within mixed ability groups because they want all learners to proceed at the same pace. Once learners are grouped by mixed ability, teachers cease to give attention to some learners in the groups because they cannot attend to everyone, which impacts negatively on the academic inclusion of learners who need more support from the teacher, (Petrenas et al 2013). In cases where teachers try to give differentiated instruction to some individual learners in the groups, this poses the challenge of channelling learners into categories based on the amount of support an individual learner requires (Duncan 2012).…”

“…grouping (Petrenas, Puigdellivol & Campdepadros 2013) and pairing (Jalali-Moghadam & Hedman 2016). In this article, I specifically focus on the inclusiveness of mixed ability grouping as one of the widely used learner centred classroom pedagogies.…”