Monopoly for Learning - Research Paper Example

Your point

It is best for students to be grouped together according to their academic level.

My counterpoint

Studies show that this is not the case.  In one of the studies made by Gray, it was pointed out that students who were grouped together based on prejudged criteria such as academic aptitude showed feelings of isolation, distinctness, and weirdness (2011) which is not healthy.

Your point

A mixed population of students will stunt the growth of achieving students.

My counterpoint

There are no students who have a monopoly on learning.  A certain student may manifest a high aptitude let us say in academics but that does not mean that aptitude can be transposed or affects other areas of learning such as creativity, social skills, and communication skills.  A diversified mix of students will allow students to complement and learn from each other.  In the process, they will all benefit from an integrative environment because the environment will provide an opportunity to complement whatever their deficiency in certain areas of learning.  This is supported by the study of Lui who reported that students can acquire the knowledge and skills by doing assignments with the help of others who are more knowledgeable in certain domains until these students are ready to do the tasks independently (2011).

Your point

High IQ students may not be challenged with a diversified environment and their talent will not be developed because of mediocre students in class.

My counterpoint

That argument is based on the premise that learning is restricted to linguistic, mathematical, and logical skills alone and that a high cognitive aptitude is the sole determinant of a student’s success in the real world.  Recent studies have shown that cognitive ability is not enough to succeed in the real world.  It requires an interplay of many skill sets that include socialization, the ability to regulate one’s emotions, and other non-academic skills.  These skills can only be learned through a diversified environment which will be defeated if students are grouped based on their level of skills.