Peter Blatchford

Toward a social pedagogy of classroom group work

Abstract In any classroom, pupils will be drawn together for many purposes and we can refer to such within classroom contexts as ‘groupings’. The teacher often creates these, and the way that they are set up, and how they are used for particular learning purposes. If the relationships between grouping size, interaction type and learning tasks in groups are planned strategically then learning experiences will be more effective. However, research suggests that the relationships between these elements are often unplanned and the ‘social pedagogic’ potential of classroom learning is therefore unrealised. In this paper we explore the notion of social pedagogy in relation to group work. It is argued that research and theory relevant to group work in classrooms is limited, and that a new approach, sensitive to group work under everyday classroom conditions is required. This paper identifies key features of a social pedagogy of classroom group work, which can inform effective group work in classrooms. It also describes the background to a current large scale UK project which has been set up to design with teachers a programme of high quality group work in classrooms at both primary and secondary phases.

Changes in grouping practices over primary and secondary school

The research detailed in this paper provides a systematic description and analysis of grouping practices in primary and secondary schools in England. Practices are compared to main findings in developmental and educational literature with regard to effective contexts for learning and recent ideas about pedagogy. The research is based on an analysis of 4924 groupings from 672 Reception, Year 2 and Year 5 classes in 331 primary schools and 248 Year 7 and Year 10 classes in 47 secondary schools. The data came from ‘classroom mapping questionnaires’ that were completed by teachers at a particular point in the school day. Completed questionnaires provided information about the nature and use of groupings within their classrooms and focused on the number and size of groupings, type of working interaction between pupils, the presence of adults, grouping composition and the type of task that groupings were engaged with. Results showed that there were changes in grouping practices with pupil age. As pupils got older they were increasingly likely to experience whole class ability based sets (tracking) for core curriculum subjects and more formal row/ pair seating arrangements. Grouping size for learning decreased as pupils got older. Primary school age children were most likely to work on individual work either alone or with the support of an adult. Extra adult support in classes reduced as pupils got older. Secondary school age pupils were more likely to engage in peer interaction than primary age children. Grouping by ability was common at all age levels. As children got older, classroom tasks were more likely to involve the application of existing knowledge and less likely involve practising skills. At the secondary school level, there were indications that teachers co-ordinated grouping size, working interaction type and learning task. These findings indicate that beyond early primary age the main adjustments to pupil grouping with pupil age are in response to the reduced amount of additional adult support. Changing grouping practices are aimed at maintaining control and on-task attention and maximising individual and teacher directed learning but also, in secondary classrooms only, offering pupils opportunities for peer interaction.

The Issue of Class Size for Young Children in Schools: what can we learn from research?

abstract The debate over class sizes in schools has become more heated in recent years. Over the past decade or so, class sizes at primary level have increased, and without action to the contrary look like they will continue to rise. In the face of this, educational pressure groups and others have made increasingly strong recommendations about the need to reduce class sizes in primary schools. Government spokespeople drawing on accepted wisdom about research, say there is no proven link between school class size and pupils’ progress. Yet recent research evidence from the USA, and an accompanying debate over the findings and the use of public funds, have improved our understanding about the effects of class size. This paper examines the most recent documentary and research evidence in an attempt to answer three questions: how have class sizes changed over the past decade, what is known about the link between class size and educational attainment, and what, in terms of classroom processes, might explain the...

Children's views on teasing and fighting in junior schools

Summary The Infant School Project at the Thomas Coram Research Unit followed the progress of all September entrants to reception classes in 33 Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) schools, until the end of their first year as Juniors (Tizard et al., 1988). When aged seven, a subsample were interviewed about school. This paper examines what children have to say about teasing and fighting at school during interviews for a follow‐up study of the sample at 11. It would seem that teasing is a common feature of school life, but how and why are children teased and what do they do about it? Who get involved in fights and why? How do children generally feel about fighting? The paper addresses these questions, with reference to sex, ethnic group and age differences.

Double standards and first principles: framing teaching assistant support for pupils with special educational needs

Teaching assistants (TAs) are part of a growing international trend toward paraprofessionals working in public services. There has been controversy over TAs’ deployment and appropriate role when supporting the learning of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools. Such debates have been transformed by findings from a large study of school support staff in the UK (the DISS project). The findings from this study show that TA support has a negative impact on pupils’ academic progress, especially pupils with SEN. The findings render the current system of support for SEN highly questionable: TAs have inadvertently become the primary educators of pupils with SEN. This paper sets out the likely explanations for the negative effects in terms of three ‘frames’ – deployment, practice and preparedness – and then uses these frames to identify specific implications for pupils with SEN. We offer suggestions on how to make the most productive use of TA support.

Are Class Size Differences Related to Pupils' Educational Progress and Classroom Processes? Findings from the Institute of Education Class Size Study of Children Aged 5-7 Years.

Despite evidence from the USA that children in small classes of less than 20 do better academically there is still a vociferous debate about the effects of class size differences in schools, and considerable gaps in our understanding of the effects of class size differences. This article summarises results from the most complete UK analysis to date of the educational consequences of class size differences. The study had two aims: first, to establish whether class size differences affect pupils’ academic achievement; and second, to study connections between class size and classroom processes, which might explain any differences found. The study had a number of features that were designed to be an improvement on previous research. It used an ‘observational’ approach, rather than an interventionist one, in order to capture the nature of the relationship between class size and achievement across the full range of observed classes, and it employed a longitudinal design with baseline assessment to adjust for po...

A Short-term Longitudinal Study of Children’s Playground Games Across the First Year of School: Implications for Social Competence and Adjustment to School

This longitudinal study describes playground games of children progressing across their first year of schooling. Boys, in comparison with girls, played more games, especially chase and ball games, and played a greater variety of games. Also, the variety of boys’ games increased across the school year. Girls played more verbal games than boys. The study found that facility with games forecast boys’ social competence and both boys’ and girls’ adjustment to first grade. Children’s groups remained ethnically segregated across the school year. Results are discussed in terms of the role of games as an important developmental task during middle childhood.

Relationships Between Class Size and Teaching: A Multimethod Analysis of English Infant Schools:

Research and debate on class size differences has focused on relations with achievement, and there is little relevant research on what mediating classroom processes might be involved. In this article we investigate connections between class size and teaching interactions. We adopt a multimethod approach, integrating qualitative information from teachers’ end-of-year accounts and data from case studies with quantitative information from time-allocation estimates and systematic observations. Our data come from a longitudinal study of two cohorts of more than 10,000 children altogether for 3 years after enrollment in English infant schools (aged 4 –7 years). Our results show, overall, that in smaller classes there is more individualized teacher support for learning. We interpret the results in the context of teacher time allocation, research on effective teaching, and post-Vygotskian approaches to teaching. It is suggested that direct models of teacher influences on pupils need to be adapted to allow for class size as a contextual factor that influences both teachers and pupils.

Class Size and Educational Achievement: a review of methodology with particular reference to study design

The article reviews research into class size effects from a methodological viewpoint, especially concentrating on the various strengths and weaknesses of randomised controlled trials and observational studies. It discusses population definitions, causation and generally sets out the criteria for valid inferences from such studies. For illustration it presents some new findings from a reanalysis of the large data set from the Tennessee STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Ratio) study.

A study of class size effects in English school reception year classes

This article reviews the existing evidence on the relationship between class size and achievement for children in their first years of schooling. It then describes a large-scale longitudinal study of such children within English Local Education Authorities and presents results for achievement progress in literacy and mathematics during the reception year. Using a series of multilevel models, it is shown that there is a relationship with size of class, after various confounding factors have been allowed for, and that there are interactions between class size and initial achievement and between class size and entitlement to free school meals. It is argued that these results, especially the differential effects for different groups of children, could have important implications for educational policy.