MIXED ABILITY CLASS IN A SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

By Kelly Fernández

Mixed ability class

DEFINITION OF MIXED ABILITY CLASS

• When we try to make a definition of mixing ability class all those classroom management

problems come into your mind because having more than ten students with different levels

of abilities to learn is not as easy as say open your book on page…

• Talking about mixed class is to mention students who learn step by step, students who are

able to pick things up quickly, students with negative attitude, students who never have

learned a second language, and students who are positive towards learning, ages, sex,

different levels of maturity, different interests and so on.

Why a good attitude is important

When you face a classroom with differences in the level of abilities in the receptive and

productive skills like fluency and accuracy work, grammatical knowledge, size of vocabulary,

command of pronunciation, classes in which there are clear differences in the students

background knowledge and their natural skills and talents in other areas less than in learning a

second language what matters here is the motivation and your positive attitude in front of

them because if you come to them with a no motivate class and with a no positive attitude

they will take you no seriously and your class will be a total disaster.

Classroom management in a mixed ability class.

• Before beginning with the class, I suggest to smile and say good morning and begin writing

a motivated phrase in the blackboard like “Stop wishing, start doing” or try to look for

another motivational phrases for every day, let me tell you, it always helps in a mixed ability

class especially with teenagers.

• First we have to organize them to maximize all opportunities possible for students to focus

in the classroom. I suggest to make a semi- circle in which you as a teacher can see their

faces.

• Make sure you involve all the students, let the extroverted students dominate by

not leaving a side the quieter students to participate by establishing eye contact

and ask them to answer easy questions, check their work next and try to make pair

work activities.

• Call them by their names that will make them feel recognized by you and make

them feel involved in the class.

• Show them good attitude because most of them have the teachers as a patron to follow so

do not be a bad influence for them.

• Praise and encourage all the time if it is possible students need to feel noticed and valued,

recognize the effort, the good work, and their behavior.

• Use a good tone of voice do not yell at them, try to not to talk too much it is mean to talk

them meaningful and comprehensible try to use a simple language for them to understand

and use pause to make them analyze or think what they are going to say.

• Be clear giving instructions, because most of the time students make mistake isbecause we were no clear by giving instructions and be sure everybody is listeningto you and use gestures to support that’s always work and if it is no easy for themto understand so write them in to the blackboard and make them time tounderstand better.

• Use pair and group work because with this activities most of them will bemotivated to participate, they like to help each other and try to mix themdominated with shy students.

• Set a time limit before continue with the activity to follow.

• Monitor their work and at the end of the activity try to do a feedback.

Strategies for a mixed ability classroomwith Dr. Said El K

Manage is always priority in class

• Manage is important when you have a mixed class because you know that request

effort side to side because is not easy for the students also to be in a classroom hours

by hours receiving different teachers with different ways of teach and different

attitudes.

• As teachers we do not have the last word, it is mean that we sometimes believe that

we have to demand and only us have the reason why, without giving the opportunity to

the students to participate and give their own opinions so as a good teacher we have to

prepare students to be critical, to be different, to defend their points of view, we have

to let them to be freedom and show that good ideas can develop and construct a

better world.

Suggestions according to a psychologist Miss. Aleksandra Wilkin.

Conclusion

Classes are not always the best ever so we have to persevere day by day, doing

our work as better as possible because it is more satisfying to arrive at home

with that smile you give to your students everyday than to arrive with a

frustrated face, so do not give up teachers we are transforming, we are

changing the world for good.

Resourses

• https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/teaching-mixed-ability-classes-1

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buGyO_Sdxn8

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGybpZMKG0M&t=63s

• The mixed ability class, Julie Tice. Richmond publishing