THE MIXED ABILITY CLASS
AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP
LEARNING PROCESSES
CREATIVITY
TABOO WORDS
• Creative/create/creating
• Imagination/head
• Think/make up
• Elaborate/invent
• New/build
• Make/craft
• Art/artistic/artist(s)
STEP 1: Classroom management
•
•
•
•
Spread attention
Learn and use students’ names
Positive teaching attitude
Constant praise and encouragement
LEARNING AWARENESS
• How can I put this into practice at
once?
• I’d like some time to think about this
first.
• How does what we’re doing fit in
what we’ve done?
• I’ll try anything once, so I’ll have a go.
SEE ANYTHING FAMILIAR?
Raise your hand when you hear the description of your particular learning
approach.
 I’m an ACTIVIST learner, I immediately get on with the task
and manage to do it without using a process of trial en error.
 I prefer to work through the task systematically in a very
structured way, therefore I’m a THEORIST.
 I’m a REFLECTOR, I stand back and analyse things before
doing anything.
 I’m a PRAGMATIST because I immediately look for a
common sense way to put ideas into practice.
LEARNING AWARENESS
STEP 1: Classroom management
TEACHER
TALK
Tone & Pitch
variations
Verbal & Nonverbal
Signals
Teacher Talking
Time
1. Plan
instructions
in advance
8. Use
students’
feedback
7. Give out
materials
AFTER
instructions
2. Grab
students’
attention
INSTRUCTIONS
6. Ask
Concept
Checking
Questions
3. Give
clear
instructions
4. Use
resources
to give
instructions
5. Pause to
check
1. Set time
limits
PAIR
4. Ensure
feedback
benefit
&
GROUP
WORK
3. Prepare
extra for
fast
finishers
2. Monitor
while
students
work
FORMING PAIR & GROUP WORK UNITS
•
•
•
•
•
Cuisenaire Rods
Numbers
Find someone who...
Lottery with shapes, words/images, half words
Names/objects
BOARD USE
Clear & legible
Organized
Gives clear
instructions
Give enough time
to copy
Encourage to check
students’ work
• Size, including students in the back
• Signs & abbreviations clear for all
• Use columns for different types of info
• Should be a record of the lesson
• Students should be able to perform
without transcribing immediately
• Weaker students can take longer
• Monitor for careless & weak students
• Checking in different grouping schemes
helps feedback & understanding
BOARD USE
CLASSROOM LAYOUT
STUDENTS IN GROUPS
AROUND TABLES
STUDENTS IN PAIRS AT
DESKS
STUDENTS SITTING
EITHER SIDE OF A
HORSE SHOE OF
TABLES
STEP 2: MOTIVATION
• Motivation Diagnostic
Questionnaire
• English environment
and a positive
atmosphere.
• Classroom contracts
• “Class” Activities
Raising awareness of English Language
Proper
names
• English singing bands or singers
• English speaking countries
English in
my country
• English texts: food, titles of songs, names of
shops, names of films, wrappers, etc.
• English words used in both languages, e.g. Taxi,
hotel, bar, cafe, radio, etc.
English and
jobs
• Students organize a list of jobs according to how
important English language is to each one.
• Students do a survey on the importance of English
to relatives, friends, other teachers, etc.
Introduce
students’
choice
Cater for
different
learning
styles
Interesting
content &
topics
Variety of
activities
THE
LESSON
Be
flexible &
sensitive
Balance of
skills work
“Serious &
Fun”
activities
Emphasis
in
accuracy
& fluency
STEP 3: GRADING TASKS
ACTIVITY: Graded dictations.
• 3 groups according to competence levels
• Each group receives a different task according to
level
• Dictate and repeat to check answers
• Students from the same group co-evaluate
• Regroup students mixing competence levels
• Student co-evaluate without showing their own
paper.
• Check for vocabulary, spelling and coherence.
From: Models and Metaphors in Language
Teacher Training, Tessa Woodward, CUP, 1991.
Price:
Colour:
Description:
STUDENT A
Model: Boots
PSX20
Price:
BASIC
Model:
INTERMEDIATE
ADVANCED
READING & LISTENING
Model: Boots
PSC20
Price: $80.99
Colour: Black
Description:
Colour: Silver
STUDENT B
Model:
Price: $18.99
Description:
Excellent value
Colour:
Looks too shinny
Description:
Excellent value
Looks great
VOCABULARY
CRAZY TEXT
The day a policeman saw
a man down a penguin.
He went up to the have
and said: ‘Excuse me, is
that big penguin?’
‘No’ said the man. ‘I just
found street.’
‘Well, why don’t that take
it to the zoo?’
‘That’s a red idea’, said the
cat. ‘I will.’
• ADVANCED LEVEL:
Indicate the total
amount of crazy words
in the text.
• INTERMEDIATE LEVEL:
Indicate the lines in
which there are “crazy”
words and how many of
them per line.
• BASIC LEVEL: Underline
the “crazy” words, give
the correct words
scrambled.
VOCABULARY
ADVANCED
INTERMEDIATE
BASIC
• Find synonyms &
antonyms
• Find / form phrases
• Form phrasal verbs
• Write complex
sentences
• Write definition &
examples
• Give skeleton
versions, e.g. s_ _ a
• Give pictures of the
words
• Give clues on
meaning, location,
etc.
• Give Antonyms
• Give scrambled
words
• Give words in L1
• Give synonyms &
antonyms
• Make picture
dictionaries
• Make flashcards
DIFFERENT LEARNING SPEEDS
WE PLAN TO ACHIEVE THE
AIMS IN OUR SYLLABUS
THROUGH:
• Language input,
structures, vocabulary.
• Topics & tasks
• Skills & sub-skills
• Extensive reading
• Learning behaviours
IN OUR TEXTBOOKS:
• Identify remedial work
• Identify extra work
• Assess students at
different levels with
objective & subjective
activities
• Inform the students of
your expectations
INFORM STUDENTS OF THEIR
PROGRESS
Taken from: European Language Portfolio The intercultural component and Learning how to learn, David Little and Barbara
Simpson, August 2003
Taken from: European Language Portfolio The intercultural component and Learning how to learn, David Little and Barbara
Simpson, August 2003
Taken from: ELP, Junior version: Revised Edition, CILT, 2006
References
• Rosie Tanner & Catherine Green, Tasks for Teacher Education Coursebook,
Longman, 1998
• Julie Tice, The Mixed Ability Class, Richmond Handbooks for Teachers,
Richmond Publishing 1997
• Teaching Teenagers, Herbert Puchta and Michael Schratz, Addison-Wesley
Longman, 1993.
• Models and Metaphors in Language Teacher Training, Tessa Woodward,
CUP, 1991.
• Freeform 2, Unit 5, Assignment 3, page 27.
• European Language Portfolio models, how far can they take us developing
awareness of independent learning processes?, Ana Cristina Díaz, ELT
CONSULTANT, Richmond Support Team, Colombia, 2007
• European Language Portfolio, The intercultural component and Learning
how to learn, David Little and Barbara Simpson, August 2003
• ELP, Junior version: Revised Edition, CILT, 2006
THANK YOU!