Classroom Organisation: a discussion of grouping strategies in the light of the ‘Three Wise Men's’ report

Abstract

Abstract The publication of the discussion paper, Curriculum Organisation and Classroom Practice in Primary School, raises yet again the enduring debate about how children should be organised for teaching in primary classrooms. As ever, the discussion is couched in terms of contrasting the relative strengths and limitations of whole class and group organisation and, as is typical of the literature on class management, fails to suggest how the teacher is to move from one form of classroom organisation to another. We review the advantages and limitations of different forms of classroom grouping and go on to suggest that a ‘horseshoe’ arrangement provides a basic way of organising the class which makes it relatively easy to switch between forms of group work and whole class teaching.