Change the way you approach mixed ability classes
I have asked, in the last five years, many teachers the following question; ‘What challenges do you have when teaching?’ Top of the list comes mixed ability classes. So with this blog I would like to address the challenge of mixed ability classes and also look at some of the positive aspects of teaching in such contexts. First up lets answer the question…
What do we mean by mixed ability?
In my experience when a teacher has spoken of, and usually complained about, having a mixed ability class it is usually down to the students’ perceived academic ability. This ability is usually judged by a placement test that then streams the student into ‘the correct level’. The placement test will usually not consider other factors that I believe constitute a mixed ability class. Definitely, the ability to complete a task in class could have something to do with the academic level, but there are other factors that contribute to a class being mixed ability. Let’s look at a list below and elaborate on some (but not all) aspects of mixed ability.
Level – within this I will consider the vocabulary development and grammar acquisition. We need to consider whether words and language can be noticed by a learner and then used effectively in the correct context. Receptive knowledge and productive knowledge. Knowing and then retrieving a word for example do not always go together.
The relationship between knowing and the ability to retrieve that knowledge may not be direct’ (…) ‘If a language learner cannot actively use a particular word when it is needed (...)then we might feel we are dealing with an incomplete knowledge of the word. (McCarthy, 1990 p.43)
There are other factors here of course including the ability to use the four skills effectively and within this you will likely see a jagged profile with students excelling in some skills and needing support with others. We also might consider pronunciation here as well.
Attitude – a very important factor that doesn’t seem to get included in discussions around mixed ability. A students relationship with the learning process can have a huge impact on their desire and performance in the classroom. We as teachers can influence this by making classroom safe places to make mistakes and allow for everyone to be heard and valued.
Students should be accepted as people, each with their own ego personality as the source of human diversity (Valentic, 2005, p. 3)
Get to know your learners interests and needs inside and outside the classroom and make sure you and all the students know each other’s names. Its simple advice but I have seen on a number of occasions teachers fail to know their students names and this of course would cause a negative attitude to studying.
Content knowledge – a student with a high level of content knowledge may perform better in activities that require or address this content knowledge. For example, in some coursebooks we see examples of Content Language and Integrated Learning (CLIL). Students are introduced to language through the teaching of different subjects. It stands to reason that a student who may be good at science in their 1st language may find their 2nd language easier to attain if they are introduced to language through these concepts. Think about something you know well in your first language and, if you are learning a new language, try to explain this in that. Is it easier for you do because of your prior first language knowledge.
Age – This is prevalent manly in private language school settings where students may be streamed on ‘academic ability’. In my experience this hasn’t caused too many problems in my primary but for teenage and adult classes this can have a huge impact. Teenage students are developing enormously and at different speeds. They are also aware of this and may be self-conscious, in wards looking and not that interested in learning English. They may require other stimulation and attention that will help them overcome the transition. Think also with adult learners who may be in classes with teenagers. Depending on the language school you could have 17 year olds studying with 40 year olds. The generation gap in maturity is huge and may cause a disadvantage to the learning context.
Background – the learners family background and access to support and resources can impact the learning process.
Children with supportive parents generally behave better at school, have higher self-confidence and self-esteem and are more enthusiastic about learning (Feinstein and Symonds, 1999)
In recent times, the COVID 19 pandemic has allowed us into our students homes and we have been able to assess more effectively the impact of family on the education process. Knowing about backgrounds and the learners access to resources can help us understand and then provide support where may be needed. We have also seen a shift in the relationship between schools and parents with more communication and need for parental involvement in the learning process. This new relationship and increase in communication, usually through social media and messaging apps ,could have a profound impact and learner attainment. We shouldn’t stop doing this just because we have returned to face to face teaching. It should now be a part of the normal process of learning.
Nationality – If teaching in a culturally heterogeneous environment the nationality will obviously play a factor.
Cultural background is where the individual comes from and what experiences have shaped his life such as Race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender, language, religion, and geographical area can be mentioned. (Acosta Coronel, Bertha Mercedes, 2019, p. 10 & 11)
In addition to the differences mentioned above this will likely lead to differences in experiences, content knowledge and may also have an impact on teachers having to deal with multiple mother tongue interferences. A lot of the above can be used to create a positive learning environment of course, and the sharing of these differences should be encouraged. However, teachers should make it their duty to investigate the cultural differences and mother tongue interference of their students first language. Having done this, they should then look for opportunities to support learners when they arise.
A learners English is therefore likely to carry the signature of his/her mother tongue, by virtue both of what goes wrong and what does not. (Swan, M., & Smith, B. 1987, p.xi)
Interests – and finally, and closely linked to attitude and content knowledge, is interests. Of course, we can find out what our students are interested in by asking them. A needs analysis at the start of term can uncover lots of useful information and provide us with tools to make classes interesting. But don’t forget to also have clear goals and outcomes that learners are working towards. Make the goals of the lesson and activities visible so students know what is expected and have something to work towards. By achieving these goals we are also providing a sense of progress that is so important in learning a language particularly as sometimes it feels like we aren’t making any progress at all.
… an interesting topic alone will not automatically generate appeal for students. To create student interest requires the creation of game-like activities with clear goals and motivating processes that guide students through involving tasks into thoughtful and insightful use of language. (Hess, N 2001, p. 10)
So, as I mentioned above the list is not exhaustive, and depending on your experiences and attitude you may see mixed ability as a challenge, problem or even as a blessing. Whatever you feel about mixed ability classes they are not going away and will never go away. So with that in mind, let us finish by looking at three of the possible advantages of a mixed ability class.
• Professional development Because of the nature of every class being different it seems evident that if you do embrace the challenges you will as a result develop your teaching abilities.
In mixed-ability classes, it is usually hard for teachers to find the adequate material, methodology or learning activity to suit their students’ needs. Not all classes have the same problems and not all students learn in the same way. (Acosta Coronel, Bertha Mercedes, 2019, p. 14)
I like this angle on a positive approach to mixed ability classes. As every class is essentially mixed ability, based on the previous list should we not consider having at least one professional development aim dedicated to this area. It could be to pick an item from the above list, do some more research and then put this into practice.
• Learner rapport & cooperative learning Strong students helping weaker students will hopefully lead to positive results for both learners and the teacher. A strong student will need to use strategies and language to support learners and will develop as a result while weaker students will have an aspirational figure to strive towards. Don’t overuse this technique however as strong students may need the challenge of working with other strong students in order for them to develop in different ways.
• Teaching is fun (but challenging) Think of the opposite. you are sat in a class and all the students are the same, they think the same, have the same backgrounds and interests. While this may seem at first to be a utopia and a joy to teach I believe it would soon become very stale and boring. The fun in teaching is building relationships with learners and seeing them develop individually and as a class. Variety is the spice of life and is even more so in the classroom.
So to finish, I will leave you with this
Through awareness of student perceptions and potential problems, teachers can help students to have positive and effective learning experiences, whether in streamed or mixed-ability classes. (Joyce, P. McMillan, B 2010. P.224)
I hope you change the way you look at mixed ability and start to enjoy the challenge. all the best with your teaching and please feel free to comment or add any suggestions to what you have read.
References
Acosta Coronel, Bertha Mercedes. (2019, Nov). MIXED-ABILITY CLIL CLASSES. Retrieved Oct 12, 2022, from https://tauja.ujaen.es/bitstream/10953.1/13074/1/TFM%20Bertha%20Acosta%20Coronel.pdf
Feinstein, L., Symons, J., Attainment in secondary school, Oxford Economic Papers, Volume 51, Issue 2, April 1999, Pages 300–321, https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/51.2.300
Hess, N. Teaching Large Multilevel Classes. Cambridge. CUP Joyce, P. McMillan, B. Student Perceptions of Their Learning Experience in Streamed and Mixed-Ability Classes. Language Education in Asia, 2010, 1(1), 215-227. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/10/V1/A18/Joyce_Mcmillan
McCarthy, M. (1990) Vocabulary. Oxford: OUP
Valentic, D. (2005). ELT in multi-level classes. Hupe newsletter, 23, 1-4.
Swan, M., & Smith, B.(1987). Learner English: a teacher’s guide to interference and other problems : Cambridge: CUP.
