Carter's Fourth-Grade Students Enter the Door, They Are Divided into Groups

Multiple Choice

Carter's fourth-grade students enter the door, they are divided into groups of four. While the students are not aware of the reasoning behind the groups, Ms. Carter engineered the groups to be homogenous based on specific skills. Once in his or her group, each student receives a number from one to four. Then, the students are directed to move into four groups by joining the others with the same number. Once in these groups, the students are assigned a portion of the lesson's instructional materials to become "experts" on. Once they have developed their expertise, they then return to their original groups and teach the content to their peers. This cooperative learning structure is often referred to as Numbered Heads Together. Ms. Carter's main purpose for using this structure is most likely:

A) To place all of the students into groups with peers who are close to their ability levels so that she can differentiate instruction more easily.
B) To allow students with varied skill levels to learn new content socially and to, in turn, teach the new content to others that approximate their skill levels.
C) To decrease the likelihood that students will be grouped with peers that they may have behavioral issues with.
D) To assess the students' interpersonal skill levels.