Mixed ability classes

Zlín 10. 6. 2013 Jiřina Juříčková

Mixed ability classesDoes it work?

Get them involved

Seating

Some classroom ideas

Does it really work?

Most, if not all, language classes contain students of mixed abilities

different learning styles different learning speedsvariations in motivation

Does it really work?

It is always better to create groups with smaller differences in language knowledgeToo big differences one

group frustrated and the other one bored

Smaller differences the “higher level” is still achievable and thus motivating

Get them involvedThe best way to improve

cooperation with your students They feel responsible for their

lessons and start working harderThe topic of your first lesson in

the new school yearCan be done in English or Czech

Get them involvedA whole class discussion:

Write questions on the boardGive the class about 5 min to

think their answers overGet each student answerWrite their answers down

Get them involvedPossible questions:

What do you like/don`t like about English?

Where do you use English/What do you need it for?

What are you good at in English? (L, S, G, R..)

Do your parents speak English?

Get them involved

Another way is to use a questionnaire (copy)

Yet another way is to send a sheet of paper and ask the students to write their opinions and ideas on that sheet

SeatingAnother important aspect

We need effective interaction◦Teacher student

◦Student student

SeatingHorseshoe has proven very suitable

and more effective for the English language classes

In the horseshoe (or a circle) shape, students can make an eye contact with everyone else in the class and thus interact more naturally

Also weaker students tend to hide away less and the stronger ones dominate less

SeatingThe horseshoe shape creates a

greater sense of equality

The teacher standing in the circle is then also an equal partner

Such seating arrangements help create friendlier atmosphere

MonitoringMake the best use of monitoring

Ask different students to complete/answer/finish/….

If you can see a weaker student is able to give a correct answer, encourage them to do so

Some classroom ideasMA is not an easy problem to solve To talk to the class about the

situation and present it as a normal situation

This is probably best done in the mother tongue of the students

Most of the solutions to the situation depend on cooperation - it is essential to stress the need for teamwork

Pair workA fundamental technique here is the

use of questionnaires and interviews Pairing off weaker and stronger

students; involving both in the preparation and implementation of the work

Get the weaker students to interview the stronger ones and vice-versa

If the stronger ones are able to see their role as that of “helper” it may also have a positive effect

Group workThe students cooperate and learn from

each otherA strong student works with weaker

students, the student can be a source of language/knowledge in the group

Weaker and stronger students separated from each other, and groups given different tasks

The stronger and quicker students work with more complicated tasks, whereas the weaker students deal with a simpler task

Extra homeworkExtra work should be of something

that the students would enjoy doing

Individual and team projects

More enthusiastic to work in such projects if they can choose their own favourite topic (a poster on their favourite extreme sports, music, PC game)

Compulsory x optionalAll the class must do a certain

minimal part of the task, the rest is optional

Three tasks about a reading and make it clear that two must be done

Give them five questions about a text and tell them that they must answer three.

GradingAfter reading or listening to a text – present

your students with one of the following tasks:

A question in the task: Where is the girl going at 6 o´clock?

Different levels of difficulty in the answers

Level 1:She is going to school. TRUE/FALSE Level 2: She is going to a) school b) a friend

´s house. Level 3: She is

going………………………………………………….

Fast finishers/ Help for the strugglingAlways have a set of tasks and

games for fast finishers to do

Offer less able students extra support (word banks – hidden answers, etc)

Another option is to appoint “Buddies” (for peer tutoring).

Sources Moon, J. (2005) Children Learning English. Macmillan. Ur Penny, ( 1998) A Course in Language Teaching, CUP. Hess Natalie , (2001) Teaching Large Multilevel Classes,

Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers. Tice Julie, (1997) The Mixed Ability Class, Richmond Publishing Kelly, A.V. 1978. Mixed Ability Grouping. London: Harper & Row

Publishers. Prodromou, L. 1989. The mixed-ability class and the bad

language learner. English Teaching Forum, 27/4, 2-8. Ur, P. 1996. A Course in Language Teaching: Theory and

Practice. Great Britain: Cambridge University Press. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XI, No. 8, August 2005

http://iteslj.org/ http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Salli-Copur-MixedAbility.html SCRIVENER, Jim. Learning teaching: The Essential Guide to

English Language Teaching. Macmillan Books for Teachers. ISBN 978-1-4050-1399-4.