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INTRODUCTION
 Teaching a mixed-ability class
1What is a mixed-
In a sense, every language class in a secondary school can be said to be mixed
ability class?
ability. This is because every class is made up of a group of individuals, and eachof those individuals is, to some extent, different in terms of their knowledge andability. The term ‘mixed-ability’ is normally used, however, for a group wherethese individual differences are very pronounced and particularly where there is amarked difference in language level.To be more specific, mixed-ability refers to:classes in which there is a very clear difference in language level among thestudents. There may be differences in the level of their abilities in the receptiveand productive skills,
FLUENCY
and
ACCURACY
work, grammatical knowledge,size of vocabulary, command of pronunciation and so on.classes in which there are clear differences in learning style, speed andaptitude among the students. Some students seem to be good at languages or perhaps good at all subjects, able to pick things up quickly and remember them, while others are slower, lack study skills and generally experience moredifficulties in learning.classes in which there are clear differences in the students’ backgroundknowledge, knowledge of the world and their skills and talents in other areas.Some of these differences may be linked to age, sex, different levels ofmaturity, different interests and so on.classes in which there are different levels of motivation. Some of the studentsmay have a very positive attitude towards learning English while others maysee it as just another school subject.
2What problems do
Read the comments made by teachers about mixed-ability classes.
mixed-ability classes
Tick the ones you have experienced.
present for the teacher?
Grade the problems, e.g. 1 = very important for me, 2 = quite important for me,3 = not such a problem for me.
5
The weaker students don’teven try.Some of the weaker studentstry so hard but they still getbad marks.I don’t know whereto pitch my lesson.The stronger studentsdominate.We’ve got a syllabusto get through butmost of the studentsare already behind.The weaker students sit at the backand start disrupting the lesson.The stronger students get boredif I spend time explaining to theweaker ones.Half the students have finished anexercise when the other half haveonly just begun.The weaker students are always askingme things in their own language andwant everything explained in it.
 
T A S K 
Introduction: Teaching a mixed-ability class
6
Some of the really goodstudents sometimes askme difficult questionsand one even correctedme once!When I’m doing pair or groupworkI don’t know whether it’s better toput strong and weak studentstogether or put students of thesame level in the groups.Some of the students’ writtenhomework is an absolutedisaster – grammar, spelling,everything! I don’t knowwhere to start correcting it.In the conclusion (
PAGE
77) we will return to these problems and see whatsolutions we have found. The map of the book (
PAGE
3) will help you to findareas of interest to read about.
3Why does the
As you are now a teacher of English, this probably means that you were a
problem exist?
successful learner of English. Why? By thinking about the things that help peoplelearn, we will also be able to identify possible problem areas for our weaker students.Which things do you think were important in helping you learn English? Tick asmany as you like in the list below. If you think they were
very
important, put twoticks. If you feel that something was not important, leave it blank.1You liked your English teacher(s).2You thought the subject would be useful to you in the future, e.g. intravelling or in a job.3You worked hard at school in all subjects and generally did well.4You had English-speaking relatives or people in your family who wereinterested in Britain or the USA.5You found English easy and made good progress.6English classes were fun and interesting, and you liked the books you used.7Your English teacher(s) taught well.8You liked your classmates in the English class.9You studied English for many years.10You enjoyed reading or seeing films in English.11You enjoyed studying the language.12You got good marks.
If you can, ask some other adults (or higher-level students in your school)who have studied English (or another foreign language) to answer thequestions. Find out if they were successful or unsuccessful learners at school.Are any of the points listed above more important than others?
From the questionnaire, you will have some ideas about why some people aremore successful language learners than others and therefore why the problem ofmixed-ability classes exists. Here is a summary:
1Students come from different learning backgrounds
Some may have studied more English at primary level than others. Some mayhave attended private language schools for extra English. Thus they may havespent different amounts of time studying. Even if they have spent the same
 
amount of time studying, they may have used different coursebooks whichcovered different ground, or had teachers who emphasised different skills or language areas in their teaching.
2Students progress at different rates
This is likely to affect classes of students who have already studied some English.It is due to different learning styles and the way students respond to theteacher’s style and approach. Some learners may be primarily
VISUAL
,whichmeans, for example, that they like to see things written down. Others areprimarily
AUDITORY
,which means they learn best and remember things bestthrough listening. Others are
KINESTHETIC
,which means they like to learn throughdoing. If the teacher’s approaches tended to emphasise the visual element, thenit is likely that the primarily visual learners will have progressed at a faster rate.
3Some students find learning a second language easy and some find it difficult
What exactly constitutes ‘learning aptitude’ or ‘a gift for languages’ is not clear but it probably includes things like the ability to:… perceive and recognise new sounds… establish sound-symbol relationships… recognise patterns in language forms and infer rules… notice similarities and differences in meanings and language forms… memorise and recall new verbal information.
4Some students may find formal study easier than others
These students will have adopted good study habits and appropriate learningstrategies in all subjects at school. They pay attention and participate in class,they ask questions if they do not understand, they keep neat notebooks andthey do their homework conscientiously. Other students do none of these thingsand seem to make little progress in their learning. There may also be studentswho experience learning difficulties due to dyslexia, hearing or sight problems.
5Students may already have a positive or negative attitude
If students have already started studying English, they may have developed apositive or negative attitude towards the language or towards themselves aslearners. This may largely depend on how successful they have been or how theyhave been treated. For example, if they enjoyed the classes, got on well with theother students and had an encouraging teacher, they are likely to have a fairlypositive attitude. On the other hand, if they found the classes boring, didn’t likethe other students and had a teacher who constantly criticised and corrected,they are likely to have developed a negative attitude!
6There may be other influences
Things other than the students’ classroom experiences may have influenced their attitude and ability, e.g. they may have:… English-speaking family… travelled to English-speaking countries… satellite TV, CD-ROM or computers with English programmes at home… personal interests such as a love of English or American pop music… an English-speaking penfriend… a future ambition for a job that involves English.
Introduction: Teaching a mixed-ability class
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