Where In The World Am I?

So I don't know about you guys, but this past week has been moving at a really weird pace for be, and I can already feel graduation quickly approaching even though it is only October. I've tried not to wish the days away because it is only a short matter of time until we begin the wonderful world of "adulting", but I'm not going to lie and say this education thing is a cake walk. Being in the classroom is like night and day...you see a lot of things you never imagined you would see. Before you know it you'll blink and we'll be there! 

This week, I have noticed in my clinical experiences that we've gone through several seating arrangements in desperate attempts to curb behavioral issues we are having. This has been an equally yoked initiative between my CE and I. Our school encourages mixed-ability based grouping, which I've found to be somewhat hard when you are trying to examine the behavioral dynamics. It is true that behavior can be linked to academic ability, but I've found that it is not fair to the student to make a judgment of academic ability based off of their behavior, which can stem from many different things. So, we've been trying several different strategies to make the classroom more well-balanced in terms of behavioral management. 

There is an interesting blog that talks about the pros and cons of using mixed ability grouping; this blog has allowed me to formulate an educated opinion on how to directly apply a variety of strategies. Now, the article also talks about how a mixed-ability group setting would encourage a healthy exchange of ideas and thoughts, which is something that I would be interested in trying. That is, however, if students are going to behave appropriately. After all, that is the sole purpose of this experience. 

However, there is the issue of balance. I don't want to discourage my students who have shown me that they already have good behavior. That would create a negative effect. On the other hand, I don't want to create an atmosphere where my students with consistently bad behavior do not have any motivation to improve. 

I think that our students could handle one more seating arrangement, and I am up to the challenge of using a more strategic plan when placing students. That is a work in progress...something that I hope to see an improvement on soon. 

Here is the link to the blog: http://creativecurriculumisabella.weebly.com/limitations-and-benefits-of-mixed-ability-classes.html