Vygotskey - Post 1

The main point of this module was the different ways of grouping. First, there are heterogeneous groups and homogeneous groups. Heterogeneous groups are when students in that group are different from each other. Homogeneous groups are when the students in that group are the same as one another when it comes to their ability, attributes, and achievement. One way of grouping is grouping by ability. When you group by ability you divide the class or the grade into groups based on test scores, reading levels, etc. Another grouping method is flexible grouping methods. This is where the students can move through different ability groups depending on what subject is being taught and if they have gotten better or worse recently. This module also talks about tracking or between-class ability grouping. this is when students are placed in homogeneous classes based on their level of achievement.

One question I had when reading this module is what is the best strategy to use in the classroom? Obviously there are studies that show that certain strategies widen the gap and other strategies do not challenge the higher, more gifted students enough. How are we supposed to meet every child's needs in our classroom?

Vygotskey believed that the only way for people to learn was through social interactions. This relates well with Module 21 because it is about grouping and how students should interact with each other and the different ways to do so. Vygotskey would agree with the methods of grouping in this module because the students are socializing with each other to aid in their learning. Vygotskey would most likely lean toward heterogeneous grouping. This is because he believes that students can learn better from other students who know more than they do. Students who are of higher ability can also learn from the students who are of lower ability.

Vygotskey and Piaget are different from each other because Vygotskey believed that learning comes before development while Piaget believed that development had to happen before learning could occur. Another way they differ is that Vygotskey believed that social interaction is the key to a child's learning while Piaget believed that just experience and time is what contributes to a child's learning.

Right now I am in my living room writing this blog post. My thoughts and the words that I write in this post are influenced by other people's blog posts and the text book that was written by someone else. I would not be able to do this blog post if it weren't for the person that invented the internet and the computer. I am also using the English language to communicate my thoughts. I am also influenced by what we were taught in class.