Heterogeneous

Heterogeneity (also: inhomogeneity ) refers to the non-uniformity of the elements of a set with respect to one or more features. In the pedagogical discussion of the concept of heterogeneity is used with regard to the student in a learning group. It describes the diversity of students in terms of different features that are regarded as learning relevant. It discusses in particular the heterogeneity terms of school performance, or talents, in terms of age, gender and cultural diversity in a learning group.

Characteristics, in which heterogeneity is manifested

M. Wellenreuther distinguishes between four features here as an example in which heterogeneity can manifest:

• Knowledge base: students in a class have in the various areas of knowledge about different skills, such that the particular information to be learned amount is different for each student. (Note: At this point you should still pull each individual construction of knowledge base into consideration, including any preconceptions This point is generalized by the notion of individual learning requirements. )
• Intelligence: students differ in how fast they take in information, how much information they store in working memory and how efficiently they can integrate information into their long term memory.
• Motivation: In addition, students differ in their desire to learn, their fears and their motivations. This is to effectively process effect on the scope of the learning operations in the different areas as well as on the capability information. (Note: these are all motivation conditioning factors subsume such as attribution behavior or school or test anxiety )
• Meta - cognition: For further learning differences in the policies and procedures of problem solving, problem solving, and the ability to assess the quality of their own problem solving critically important. (Note: General you can here refer to the different degree of knowledge and use of learning strategies)

Heterogeneity in the German school system

The German school system traditionally focuses more on avoidance of heterogeneous learning groups. This is to ensure that all students can benefit from each lesson by no one challenged or over. Measures for the production of homogeneous learning groups are the three -tier school system after the joint elementary school ( as well as funding or special schools for mentally or physically handicapped children), the separation according to the age of the students, the sitting and standing but also skipping a class as well as the permeability of up and down within the school system. The passing of the students down ( about from high school to junior high school or high school ) is much more common rather than the other way round.

These measures are criticized with arguments mainly from three directions: First, the availability of homogeneity is doubted: For example, the school recommendations after elementary school were not very reliable. In addition, there are too many features that are relevant to school learning. Second, the usefulness of homogeneous learning groups is disputed: Heterogeneous groups instead would offer special opportunities for social learning. Also, it is possible that more experienced students other guide. Third, side effects of homogenization are criticized: The early breakdown into types of schools leads to inequality of educational opportunities. The criticism especially in the tripartite school system got a new impetus by the PISA and TIMSS studies.

Recent studies (after Tillmann / Wiper 2006) state:

• The learning groups at German secondary schools are in an international comparison very homogeneous in terms of cognitive characteristics. Nevertheless, the scattering is, for example, the reading skills so high that weak high school students achieve approximately the level of the average number of secondary schools and high school students about the state of the average for grammar schools.
• Learning difficulties or learning disabled students do not degrade the performance development of stronger students in the same study group.
• The assessment of their own abilities falls in slow learning students from negative when they are in power heterogeneous learning groups.
• Homogeneous groups of students with learning and educational problems ( " homogenization at the bottom " ) impair their learning opportunities significantly.

In the course of the current education scientific discussion about inclusion, the term " heterogeneity " is becoming increasingly important because with it the expectation is linked, the " between social groups to overcome existing inequalities in participation in school-based courses " (Sturm, 2013, 9). In school and teaching contexts, it is therefore necessary to reflect such differential lines (eg socio -economic, gender, migration and / or disability- related heterogeneity ) are processed structurally and culturally ( cf. ibid.)