peter lucantoni

Coping with Multilevel Classes:Differentiation in action through

reading and writing

Peter Lucantoni

Peter Lucantoni• Started teaching in 1979 in UK, lived and worked

in Europe and Middle East, now based in Cyprus

• Author, Educational Consultant & Teacher Trainer for Cambridge University Press

• Cambridge TKT, CELTYL, CELTA & DELTA trainer and Cambridge CELTYL assessor

• Examiner for Cambridge ESOL speaking examinations

• Classroom teacher

Workshop aims

What is a multilevel class?

What is differentiation and how do we do it?

Graded tasks

Content learning

Conclusions


• In a sense, every class is multilevel

• Classes are made up of people, and everyone is different

• Language classes tend to be highly heterogeneous

• Every teaching context is different

• Differences in learning styles, speed and aptitudes, as well as motivation

• Very clear difference in language levels: skills abilities, vocabulary range, grammatical knowledge, pronunciation, …

• Differences in background and world knowledge


• In your group, find three things which are common between you (for example, your first language)

• Then for each person in your group, find one thing which is not common between you (for example, a hobby)


• Think of the students in a class you teach

• What is different between the students in the class?

• Examples:

• Fatma doesn’t like using computers, Ali prefers speaking to writing, Salma is very shy


• Teacher reflects on learners’ needs and matches methods, resources, tasks, learning environment to individual learners or groups of learners

• Through differentiation all learners can achieve success

What is differentiation?

• Differentiation does not attempt to enable all learners to achieve the same standard

• The point is to help learners to achieve their potential – the best as individuals they are able to achieve

• As a teacher you need to use your skills to encourage learners to reach their personal goals

How to differentiate

• You are going to ‘freewrite’ about two topics

• For each topic, you will be told when to start and stop writing. Write everything you think of, and don’t worry about grammar and spelling

• You can write words, phrases and sentences

• Don’t stop to erase anything. Just keep writing

Freewriting activity

• 1 Working as a teacher of English

• 2 My free time activities

Freewriting activity - topics

• Did you like this activity?

• Why/not?

• Would you use it with your learners?

• Why/not?

• Did it differentiate between different types of learners?

Freewriting activity

• Many ways available to teachers

• For each method below, think of one advantage and one disadvantage

•Use same-ability groups•Use mixed-ability groups•Varying tasks•Varying outcomes•Varying learner support


Same-ability groups:

Most common way, sometimes called ‘streaming’

Most effective way to help teacher match work to different levels

Creates competition between learners

May cause less able learners to develop poor self-image, especially if groupings rarely reviewed


Mixed-ability groups:

Prevents stigmatisation

Research shows less able learners work better in mixed-ability groups

More able learners may not reach potential

Less able learners may rely too heavily on more able learners


Varying tasks:

Contributes to success for all learners

Learners cover same work and/or meet same objectives

Can be more preparation work for the teacher

Learners need to become used to working on different tasks from friends


Varying outcomes:

Helps all learners to be successful

Ideal for meeting individual learner’s needs

Can be more preparation for the teacher

More resources may be required to meet all learners’ needs


Varying learner support:

Can allow teacher to spend more time with less able learners

Provides more able learners with opportunity to become more autonomous learners

More able learners may resent less time with class teacher

Less able learners may rely too heavily on teacher support


• It’s different from spoken language

• Writing is difficult in L1

• Lack of real-world knowledge and generating ideas

• Different writing conventions

• Unfamiliarity with script

• Language difficulties

• Lack of motivation

What makes writing difficult?

Letters – a, j, Q, Y

Connected text

Words

Phrases

name/sound of letters, upper/lower case, position of paper/body, regular size of letters, letter shape/slant, left-right orientation, direction of each letter, pencil control, line as anchor point

spelling, uniform letter size, uniform slant, regular spacing of letters within word

grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, capitalisation, order, structure, spacing between words

content, effect on reader, style, appropriacy, organisation, sequencing, paragraphing, linking words, word count

• Remember that ‘connected text’ does not necessarily mean ‘advanced’ or ‘difficult’

• Even low level learners can produce ‘connected text’

• How?

Connected text

• What text types might your learners write? You have two minutes. Think about:

PERSONAL WRITING eg, diary CREATIVE WRITING eg, poem SOCIAL WRITING eg, writing a postcard PUBLIC WRITING eg, poster

Connected text

• Personal writing – notes, diaries, shopping lists, reminders, recipes

• Creative writing – stories, poems, shape poems, plays, songs

• Social writing – letters, emails, texts, greetings cards, invitations, instructions

• Public writing – posters, class magazines, menus, letters to other ss/classes

Connected text

Group writing activity – Dictogloss

• In this activity, learners recreate a text

• First, put down your pencils and listen to the text

• Then, write down everything you can remember about the text

• Show your ideas to your partners. Try to agree on what you heard

• Listen again and redraft your writing

The man with seven lives

On a cold winter day, many years ago, a French art teacher named Pierre Chevalier got on a train in Lyon to go to Paris. When he started his journey, he didn’t know that it was the beginning of almost 40 years of accidents and near-death experiences.

During the journey, the train came off the tracks and fell into an icy river, killing 12 passengers. Chevalier managed to swim back to the shore. He had a broken leg and needed treatment for shock, but was very happy to be alive.

English in Mind 2 (2nd edition), Puchta & Stranks, Cambridge University Press, 2010


• Why/not?


• Why/not?


Dictogloss

Tasks

Give support or add challenge to same task

• How can you help less able students to be successful in completing a task?

• Example: allow students to read the tapescript while listening

Giving support to class tasks

Giving support to class tasks

•Allow students to read the tapescript during listening

•Give sentence prompts for open-ended tasks

•Use L1 to have students repeat instructions or review key vocabulary

•Use the board

•Elicit key vocabulary before a listening task

•Write numbers and their spelling on board

•Use visual input, TPR, etc.

•Give line numbers or paragraphs for vocabulary

• How can you challenge more able students while they complete a task?

• Example: have them work on tasks with books closed

Giving challenge to class tasks

Giving challenge to class tasks

•Have them work on tasks with books closed

•Have students sit back to back for roleplay task

•Extend task, if it asks for 4 questions have students create 6 or 7

•Give an extension exercise to personalize, such as write a summary of their group discussion

•Create exercises for future practice and keep an exercise box

text level of challenge

+

differentiated tasks level of support

=

student success

Grading tasks

• Look at the three graded tasks.

• What are the similarities and differences?

• Which are the least and most challenging? Why?

Grading tasks

A Read the text, then look at these sentences. Are they true or false? Correct the false sentences.

1 The first Americans arrived there in 1300.

2 The first Native Americans came from Asia.

3 When the Europeans arrived, there were 300 Native Americans.

4 The settlers called them Indians because they lived in India.

5 The Native American and the Europeans didn’t fight at first. (Adapted from Messages 2 Student’s Book, pg 65, Goodey & Goodey, Cambridge University Press, 2010)

Grading tasks

B Read the text, then look at these sentences. Are they true or false? Correct the false sentences. Then write three more true/false sentences for your friend.






Grading tasks

C Read the text, then look at these sentences. Are they true or false?






Grading tasks

• Look at the text ‘A flying disaster’ and exercises a-d, taken from English in Mind 2 (2nd edition) by Puchta & Stranks, published by Cambridge University Press (2010)

• How could you adapt the four exercises a-d to give support to your less able learners, and to provide challenge for your more able learners?

• Design two further exercises: one to support and one to challenge learners

Grading tasks

• You’re going to write a story about meeting a famous person

Meeting a famous person

• Write your name at the top of a sheet of blank paper

• Write the numbers 1-6 down the left side

• Think of a famous person – anyone you want

• Write the answers to the following questions. Do NOT write the questions! Write complete answers, not single words or short answers

• Do not discuss anything with your partner!


1 When did you meet the famous person? I met the famous person …

2 Where were you?

3 Who was with you?

4 What did the famous person look like?

5 What did you do?

6 What happened in the end?



• Why/not?


• Why/not?



• Content teaching is teaching/learning language through content

• In other words, the content drives the language, unlike more traditional approaches where the language drives the content

Content learning

• One of biggest differences among learners is their knowledge of world, talents, interests, general knowledge, knowledge of other subjects

• An unsuccessful language learner does not mean they have no knowledge or skills in other areas

Content learning

What P flies in the sky?

What A travels in space?

Which E is a planet?

Which S shines brightly?

Which R can fly to the moon?

Which W is the opposite of black?

Content learning

P A E

S R W

• Look at the text ‘Medicine in the past’ taken from English in Mind 2 (2nd edition) by Puchta & Stranks, published by Cambridge University Press (2010)

• Write six questions based on the content of the text

Content learning

? ? ?

? ? ?

• What is a poem? What does it look and sound like?

• Do you ever ask your students to read any poems? Why/not?

• Do you ever ask your students to write any poems? Why/not?

Poems

• In my future life I might …

• I could …

• I may …

• But I’ll definitely …

Poems for the future - modals

• In my future life I’d like to be …

• And I’d like to …

• And …

• Then …

• Please …

Poems for the future - various

In my future life I’d like to be a cat,

I’d like to sleep for twelve hours

Then dance around my flat.

I’d like to play by moonlight

And sunbathe in the sun,

I’d like to climb a palm tree

And catch my tail for fun.

I’d like to dine on fresh fish

Then drink a sea of milk,

I’d like to live – that’s my

last wish,

Please ban all dogs

from earth![Adapted from:

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/activities/poems-

future]

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/activities/poems-


• Why/not?


• Why/not?


Poems

Group writing activity – Dictomove • In this activity, learners recreate a text

• Student A from each group goes to the text, reads, returns and dictates what they can remember

• One other group member writes down everything Student A can remember about the text

• Then Student B goes to the text, reads, returns and dictates what they can remember

• A different group member writes down everything Student B can remember about the text, etc

Music that changes lives

If you take a walk in the streets of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahla in Brazil, you’ll soon hear music – probably the amazing rhythm of drum groups, or the sound of a berimbau (a one-stringed instrument) as people dance capoeira.

Most tourists don’t go to the small neighbourhood of Cadeal. But if they’re interested in music, maybe they should. Carlinhos Brown was born here in 1962. He arrived on the Brazilian pop scene in 1982 and in the 1990s he became known internationally as the leader of the musical group Timbalada.

English in Mind 2 (2nd edition), Puchta & Stranks, Cambridge University Press, 2010


• Why/not?


• Why/not?


Dictomove

• Multilevel = rich variety of human resources

• Stronger students can become teaching assistants

• Most tasks can be adapted to suit multilevel teaching

• Effective classroom management is critical

• Collaborative work is what real life is all about

Conclusions

Any questions?

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peter lucantoni

Documents

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potentialless able learners

different types of learners

multilevel classes

ability groupsuse

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teacher match work

common way