Mixed level teaching

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Communicative activities in large, multi-level classes:

involving all students

Michael CarrollMomoyama Gakuin University, Osaka

[email protected]

http://www.slideshare.net/tokutaisei/mixed-level-teaching

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Abstract

How can we ensure that all students have opportunities to speak and listen when class sizes are large? This presentation will demonstrate various ways of using alternative dictation methods to involve students in information exchange and, through communication, to focus on grammatical awareness-raising.

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Nobody likes mixed level classes

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What the teachers sayabout same-level classes

If all the students are at the same level, I can really see them learning fast. I can prepare the material just right, and I can really see the students learning from it. These kinds of classes have a great atmosphere. (Teacher)

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What the teachers sayabout mixed-level classes

When the students are at different levels I know that whatever I do will either be too easy for some, so they’ll get bored, or too difficult for some, so they’ll get lost. It’s really not a good way to organize a class. (Teacher)

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What the students sayabout mixed-level classes

Some people in this class are so good, it makes me feel ashamed!

I can’t follow the class, it’s just too hard!

I like English, but this class is just too slow and easy. I’m bored.(Students)

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So what can we do?

Interesting activities

Helpful group atmosphere

Use our imagination to organise the material

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interesting activities

To introduce variety into large class pedagogy requires some

imagination and a little effort, but the benefits are at once

apparent: Interesting activities (create) a warmer classroom climate, increase participation,

raise levels of motivation, and enhance learning.

(David Cross 1995 Large Classes in Action. Prentice Hall.p 3)

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effective groups

Student motivation tends to increase in cohesive class groups. This is due to the fact that in such groups students

share an increased responsibility for achieving group goals, they

‘pull each other along’, and the positive relations

among them make the learning process more enjoyable in general.

(Zoltan Dornyei, 2001 Motivational strategies in the language classroom. CUP p 43.)

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well-organised material

In the large class we sometimes feel trapped in the problems of management.

[But …] Work in a large multilevel class truly forces us to invent and

develop new ways of organising material.

(Natalie Hess 2001 Teaching large multilevel classes CUP pp 4,5)

Classroom layoutteacher-fronted

Classroom layoutteacher-fronted - university class

Classroom layoutteacher-assisted

Classroom layoutstudents cooperating

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Some principles for GROUPS and TASKS

Group students efficiently

Same level task – mixed level groups

Different level tasks – same level groups

Visual (or other non-verbal) task elements

Multi-level gap fills

Tasks where other knowledge, besides language skill are necessary

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Same Task

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Easier Task Harder Task

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Some example tasks

• Does it mean anything?

(meaningful - iffy – meaningless)

• Translating ambiguity

(The cat feels cold/he put his foot down/police found drunk in street)

• Quantifying sentences

(he has large shoes/ he's quite fat/they are very good at using computers

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The drinks machine round the corner

• Dictation

• But no writing at first, only actions

• Clues from other students

• Layers of listening, progressively more precise

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Y - - ' - - s - - - - - - - i - f - - -

o – t - - dr - - - m - - - - - -.

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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---- - - -- - - .

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Students work in pairs. One person is the writer; the other is the runner. The teacher waits outside the classroom, and reads a short text.

The runner

1.The runner has to run outside, listen to a few words each time, come back to their partner and tell them what to write. The runners should ask the teacher questions such as ‘what comes after …?’ or ‘what was the word before ….?’

2. Of course it’s impossible to remember more than a few words each time, so the runner has to run back and forwards many times.

Running Dictation

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The writer

3. The writer writes down what the runner tells him or her, and also asks questions to check that they have understood.

4. Afterwards, both people check together, and perhaps with another pair to see that their texts make sense.

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Running dictation text

Today I have talked about the problem of teaching mixed ability students in the same class. I said that we can address the problem in three ways: by creating activities that interest students, by grouping students so that they support each other, and by organising our material effectively.

References

Davis, P. and Rinvolucri, M. 1988. Dictation: New methods, new possibilities. Cambridge University Press.