Teaching to the “Lowest Common Denominator” is a common recommendation in various educational and training settings, but it is fundamentally flawed. This approach focuses on the slowest learners in the group, often resulting in the more capable and average learners being neglected. Here’s why this strategy is counterproductive and how a more balanced approach can benefit all your students.
Looking at the student demographics, I split the class into three groups, gazelles, rabbits, and turtles. Gazelles are those are the top performers who grasp concepts quickly. They make up about 10% of the class. They are agile learners, both mentally and physically, and thrive on challenges. Rabbits represent the majority of the class, around 80%. They have the potential to understand and apply concepts with some effort and guidance. They are the backbone of any class, steadily progressing with appropriate instruction. Turtles are the remaining 10% and they are the slowest learners. They need considerable time and individual attention to catch up with the rest of the class.
Teaching to the turtles tends to alienate the Gazelles and Rabbits. By focusing on the slowest learners, the Gazelles quickly become disengaged. They are ready to advance but are held back, leading to boredom and frustration. Gazelles are often the future leaders or top performers. Neglecting their needs means missing the opportunity to nurture and develop these talents to their fullest potential. Similarly, the Rabbits, who make up the bulk of the class, will also lose interest and motivation if the pace is too slow. Teaching to the lowest common denominator means that class time is not used efficiently. The majority of students are not challenged enough, resulting in a lack of progress for the entire group.
Instead of aiming instruction at the Turtles, a more balanced method targets the Rabbits. Here’s why this approach is beneficial. By teaching to the Rabbit group, you ensure that the majority of the class is actively engaged and progressing. This keeps the class dynamic and maintains a steady pace of learning. Gazelles can be given advanced tasks or additional challenges to keep them engaged and progressing at their pace. This allows them to continue developing without being held back. With the majority of the class (Rabbits) engaged in productive learning activities, instructors can devote more time and resources to the Turtles. This focused assistance helps the slowest learners catch up without compromising the overall class progress. As the class progresses, you can tailor activities and tasks to different groups. Provide more challenging tasks for gazelles, standard tasks for rabbits, and additional support for turtles.
This approach also allows you to regularly assess students and regroup them based on their current understanding and progress. This dynamic grouping ensures that each student receives the appropriate level of challenge and support. I often encourage gazelles and advanced Rabbits to assist Turtles. It is not unusual to move split Gazelle groups that have a firm grasp of the teachings and pair them with turtles that are struggling. Peer teaching can be incredibly effective and benefits both the helper and the learner. Regularly monitor the progress of all students. This allows you to adjust your teaching strategies and ensure that everyone is progressing appropriately.
Teaching to the lowest common denominator is an outdated and inefficient approach. By focusing on the Rabbits, the majority of your students, you create an environment where most learners are actively engaged and progressing. This method allows you to provide additional challenges to the Gazelles and focused support to the Turtles, ensuring that all students benefit from the training. This balanced approach not only enhances learning outcomes but also maintains a dynamic and motivating class atmosphere.