Academic Looping
Academic looping is the practice of advancing a teacher with his or her students over a period of two or more years. Mixed grade-level cohorts will serve as an ideal structure for this practice to occur. The instructional design of the school will allow students to remain with their cohorts and with the same teacher for a period of two to three years. The advantages of learning amongst the same peer group and with the same teacher for multiple years can be immeasurable. The traditional single-year pattern is particularly stressful for children in the primary grades, and looping is ideal for reducing anxiety in these critically formative years. During the middle school years, the stability provided by looping may be even more important as students battle the hormonal and physical changes that occur in adolescence.1 For a student who may have an inconsistent home life, the security and structure found in a looping classroom can have tremendous benefits on his or her emotional well-being, and hence, on his or her academic achievement.2 Further advantages of academic looping for diverse students are as follows:
- Teachers can accumulate more in-depth knowledge of students’ personalities, learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses.
- Having the same teacher and classmates for two or more years provides stability and builds a sense of community among students.
- Looping reduces anxiety about the new school year and increases student self-confidence.
- Teachers gain extra teaching time by virtue of not having to re-learn students, or re-teach procedures or the previous year’s content at the beginning of each year.
- Long-term student/teacher relationships improve student performance.
- Students benefit socio-emotionally and academically from time spent learning how to socialize, forge bonds, and work cooperatively with peers they may not otherwise engage with.
- Looping facilitates cooperative learning strategies.
- Long-term relationships result in an emotional and intellectual climate that encourages thinking, risk-taking, and involvement.3
1Gaustad, J. (1998). Implementing Looping. ERIC Digest 123.
2Kunjufu, J. (2005). Keeping Black Boys Out of Special Education. Chicago: African American Images.
3Salvetti, E. (1997). Looping: Supporting Student Learning Through Long-Term Relationships.