LARGE CLASSES

Handout 1

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LEARNERS IN LARGE HETEROGENEOUS CLASSES

The following list suggests some ways in which learners differ from one another in a
heterogeneousclass:
language - learning ability V
age or maturity

languageknowledge - gender
cultural background personality /
- learning style (6confidence
attitude to the language motivation
- mother tongue (8 interests /

- intelligence
(17independence
1O world knowledge self-discipline

learning experience educational level

( knowledge of other languages

In what ways do learners in large classes in Vietnam differ from each other?

thoy understod d corditon

whetker the krion (ertaclases)

qroypwordord mala gert

learinq ex perieQ> Smayrf crsa

€isoot Kuir phonty

(io)kaow wodd kaosud qe qet acfivoted e linked 24ke

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Ahat is nthatthe 2 clats

 LARGE CLASSES
Handout 2A

PROBLEMS AND ADVANTAGESOF LARGE HETEROGENEOUS CLASSES

Problems of large heterogeneous classes

1. Read the following complaints of teachers who teach large classes. Match their complaints

to the problems.

hake u lso more ietnorhog

1. Discipline a."They get bored: Ican't find topics and activities that keep them
Buld posihvc
uideint w/Rules allinterested."

Ex pectatin. reatinihip
SuprotO
2. Correcting written hb. "Ican't find suitable material: the text books are "homogeneous"
pecrchiak
assignments - rigidly aimed at one kind of learner, with no options or flexibility."
tols,kmplk
Sel-ases merrb3. Interest C. "T have discipline problems in theseclasses; I find them difficult

to control".

red/rgg
d
dr
actu ties 4. Effective learning d. "I can't activate them all: only a few students the more
kird of
for all proficient and confident ones - seem to respond actively to my
temrringste
questions."
kigh-brcl

Cohaberafe

CoMeogats,
w/
. Materials e. "lcan't keep up with marking load."

6.Individual L "1 can't make sure they're all learning effectively the tasks
I
Sely-rsfsction,

awareness provide are either too difficult or too easy for many of them."

Pus ports 7. Participation d Ag.1can't get to know and follow the progress of all the individuals

in my class; there are too many of them, and they're all so

der kinds o eration different."

fun ociutes
2. What other problemsdo you find in large classes in Vietnam?

lestor Ri st.

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Handout 2B

Advantages of large heterogeneous classes

Large heterogeneousclasses are seen mostly as problematical;but they have their

advantagesas well, and some of these can be used to help solve the problems.

Such classes provide a much richer pool of human resourcesthan do smaller or less

mixed classes. The individuals have between them far more life experience and
knowledge, more varied opinions, more interests and ideas -all of which can be used
in classroom interaction. u

There is educational value in the actual contact between very different kinds of people:
co-students get to know each other's values, personalities and perhaps cultures,and
thereby increase their own knowledge and awareness of others, as well as tolerance
and understanding. enhto Cuuperoton, rise ashrcneit Supfort tolarone c wdrctandi
The fact that the teacher is very much less able to atend to every individual in the class

means that in order for the class to function well the students themselves must help by

teaching each other and working together. peer-teaching and collaboration are likely to

be fairly common, atmosphere of cooperation.

fostering an devejop rel memirly
These classes can be seen as very much more challenging and interesting to teach,
and provide greater opportunity for creativity, innovation and general professional

development.

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Handout 3
TEACHING SOLUTIONS FOR LARGE CLASSES

43,5. 1. Vary you topics, methods, texts: thus, if one day the material is not of the right level for,
or does not interestcertain members of the class, maybe the next day it will (be).
4,5 2. Make activities interesting: so that even if the language is not challenging for some of the
learners, the content
hold interest and keep
will
everyone participating.
3. Encourage collaboration: get
learners to work cooperatively
and peer-teach, So as to
maintain engagement with the language material even when you cannot directly interact
with every individualyourself.

H,6
46
4. Individualize: allow learners choice

5. Personalize:
in what tasks or materials they use and how.
whenever possible design or adapt tasks in order to allow for different
individual responses, based on learners' own experience, opinions or imagination.
6. Use compulsory plus
14 certain minimal part
optional instructions: tell the class that everyone has to do a
of the task, the rest is optional- that is, available to those who
understand/can do it/ have time/ do more. (hsmmun
wish to Ô,tfat u hae to ns.
4 7. Use open-ended cues:invite the class to respond to stimulus tasks or questions that
have
a range of possible acceptable answersrather than a single right solution.

(eCT)Choesohe s txplan.

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Handout 4
TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR LARGE CLASSEs
1. Compulsory + optional strategy Can he ued intest as bons rnarks

The compulsory + optional strategy means that the class is

given material or a task and
told that a certain minimal
component of it has to be learned or done by everyone, the rest only
by some. The basic attainment requested should
be accessible to all, including the slowest; but
provision should be made for more, ormore advanced, work by those whom it is appropriate.
Thus, everyone should be able to succeed; but the amount actually done to achieve this
success will vary from individual to individual. Typically, instructions that introduce "compulsory
+ optional" work include phrases like "do at least", "if you have time", "do as much as you can
of."
This strategy can be applied to the syllabus, practice activities and tests.

Syllabus
The syllabus of a heterogeneous class should define what material every learner is

expected to master, and what further items are suggested for learning for the more advanced.
In vocabulary lists, for example, compulsory items be
will carefully presented, practiced and
tested, while the optional ones will be taught more casually and checked only in the optional
sections of the tests (see below).
Practice activities

In an exercise consisting of, say, ten questions, learners may be told: "Do at least six:

do all ten if you can or have time". Similarly in a reading activity: "Read at least half of this

passage"; or Read as much of the passage as you can in half an hour; or in writing: "Write

one paragraph more) about.." or "Spend at least forty minutes writing me an

(or account
of..."Asthese examples illustrate, different amounts of work maybe demanded from different

learners simplyby defining the time they are to spend on it rather than the number of items,
pages or books they are to get through.

Tests
Instead of making all sections of a test compulsory, two or three of the (morediffcult)
sections may be optional. Alternatively,the entire test may
made up of sections of gradually
be
increasing difficulty, with the overall instruction: "Do as much as youcan in the time". Learners
who tackle the more difficult optional sections may be then be rewarded by bonus marks;or, if

you know your students well, they may be told in advance who expected to do what in order to

pass or get full marks.

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2. Open-ending
Open-ending means the provision of cues or learning tasks which do not have single
predetermined "right answers, but a potentially unlimited number of acceptable responses. The
box in the next page illustrates a closed-ended versus open-ended exercise on the present
simple tense.

Closed-ended cues are by their very nature homogeneous.They address, and proVIde
valuable learning for, a limited range of learners: those who have just about mastered the
relevant language, can rehearse successfully given a cue
it
like and for whom such
this,
rehearsal gives useful practice. Learners who are at a lower level and have not yet mastered
the language will either not
respond at all, or are quite likely to get the
answerwrong; the result
may be to clarify what they need to work on in the
future, but they will have got no
useful practice
as such. The more advanced learners are also neglected:
the item is easy and boring, provides
them with no opportunity to show what they
can do or engage with language of an
level.
appropriate

Open-ended cues, on the other hand, provide opportunities for

response at variouS
levels. The more advanced learners can make up more
sophisticated and longer answers, the
less advanced level can listen to
other learners' responses and use them as
models before
volunteering simpler ideas of their own (such as"A
good teacher smiles"). Moreover, even a
basic exercise like this allows for expression of personal experience and opinion. Finally, the
increase in number of learner responses one teacher cue means an increase
to any
in the
amount of learner talk relative to teacher talk. This means there will
be a significant rise in the
proportion of learners in a large class who can make active
contributions to the lesson.

CLOSED- AND OPEN-ENDED EXERCISES

Closed-ended
Choose the most acceptable alternative:

Agood teacher .to class on time.

a) come b)is coming c)comes d) camne

Acceptable learner responses: A good teacher comes to class on time.

Open-ended
A good teacher comes to class on time. Can you suggest other things a good teacher
does?
Acceptable learner responses:Agood teacher makes the lessons interesting, a good
Teacher smiles, a good teacher explains well, etc.

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Handout 5
1. Look at a set of textbook exercises from Tieng Anh 10 Global Success (Vietnam

Publishing House and Pearson),obviously intended to be 'close-ended'. Transformthem

into 'open-ended'ones. Note down your own ideason how to do this, and/or exchange
ideaswith other participants.

Exercise1 (Tieng Anh 10 Global Success, Unit 8, p.89-90)

Read the texts and decide who mentions the following by putting a tick () in the correct

box.

Laura Kim

think face-to-face learning is better than

think online has more advantages
learning
Icancommunicate
1
online leaning because
than disadvantages.My school istrying to
With te3chers and other classnates
change from face-to-face to blended learning,
nnedatelyahd directly whenthave
so Sometimes we have online classes. ldon't
questions.fn cass, Ican work in groups
have to go to school, but dont feel I'm and discuss with friends. This helps me
I
missing any lessons by taking online classes. Úndersiahdthe lessons better Whenthave

Furthermore, IthinkIlearn online as much as tcanask for answers or help

aptoblen,
immediatelyIcantdo this in online classes.
Ilearn in a traditional class. I can't talkto my
teacherand classmates, butlcan email them Whavetoemailmyteachers and wait for
theit reply:
at any time. also have an online discussion
Learninginatraditional classtoom also has
board where lcanexchange comments and
fewer thanlearningonline. My.
distiacibns
ideasabout my projects withmy classmates
teachers have mäny strategiesto keep us
The only disadvantage is lreally need to have facused dnthe lessonis. lreolly enjoy my
a fast Internet connection. lessons and learn a lot

This person .. Kim Laura

1.thinks that online learning isn't asgood asface-to-face leaning.

2.galns the same knowledge in both ways of leaming.
3. hasnore direct conversatlons and discussions.
4.uses enails to contact classmates.
5. can pay more attention In class.
6.needs to have accessto hgh-speed Internet.
adontí o

Table Pos &cons 9ist:dor 4nlne

column
Add Amore

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 eeA LARGE CLASSES
Fnich he sentence)
Exercise 2(Tieng Anh 10 Global
Match the two parts to make complete
Success,Review 1,p.39) le he senten ces W yr
sentences. UWn ideo
We divide householdchores
(Oorl can buy tlckets for the Vetnam
equally in our familly,
KEDNOI da Fnos n9d week.

Iusually do the aundry.

O soeveryonehas sone responsibilities.

Don't throw away unwanted

Items, and my slster doesthe washing-up.

We can attend the V-ppop

Festival this week but sort them and send them for
recyclng.

Exercise 3(Tieng Anh 10 Global

Success,Unit 1, p.10)

2 Read the texxt and put

the verbs in
brackets in the present simple or
present continuous. open cloe te)

MrsLom isa housewite.Every day sho

Vay acfuthes
do) most the housework desr Mofrs
of
She coOks, washes the clothes, onddleans
thehouse. But today is Mothers Day.s0
Ms Lom(2 not do any housework
At fhe moment, she(8.wotah)
irown ay
her favoUste TVpograme Het children
(4.do) the cooking and her
husband5 hoy up)ne house
t)
Everybody (6. hard fomake

spada day for Mstan

a

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 LARGE CLASSES

2. Use the compulsory + optional strategy to make a classroom activity more

appropriatefor use in large heterogeneous class

SPEAKING

Work
results, using the
Chose
in pairs/groups. Discussplans
cues below
o o
to improve
t 3
life in your own village with possible

Plans Possible results

1. widen the road cars and lorries can get to the

village

2. resurface and raise the roads roads are not muddy and flooded
after rain

3. build a new school children have better learning

conditions

4.build a football ground young people can play sports

5. grow cash crops people can export the crops and

have mnore money

6. builda medical centre people's health is looked after

7. builda bridge overthe canal villagers have a shoerter way to

town

OphonelsknlcgyDrou
SChotse 1 2 Jo

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Handout 6

Further reading

Key elements in successful large group teaching:

• Be organized
Establish routines

Use a different pace for different activities

Maximizeindividual work
Use students
Use worksheets
Use pair and groupwork
Use chorus reaction
Take accountof vision and acoustics

Use the size of the groupto your advantage

Possible strategies for this type of classes:

1. ClassroomManagement:
Establish rules- It is essential to establish to
class rules from the beginning.
Be fair and consistent- Students will automatically test the rules.
Thus,don't make the
mistake of reinterpreting the rules to reflect your sympathy. Be fair with
all.

Learn names- Students will respond positively if they believe you are genuinely
interested in them.One of the ways to build respectful relationship with your students
is to learn names as quickly as possible. We can learn names by:
Association- look students and see if something strikes you.
Alice wears a blue hat.

Visual- see students and notice their faces, body posture.

John is the tallest one.

Aural- listen to the students' voice.

Diane speaks very politely.

Physical setting: If possible manage the seats on such a way that you can conduct

groupworks. But at the same time straight rows are also helpful to maintain direct eye
contact that youcan observe activities of all students.

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2. Open ending questions: closed-ended cues are by nature homogeneous.Thus open

ended Cues provide opportunities for response at various levels. May be there will be

Sophisticated and longer responses from advanced and simpler from less advanced students.

3.Closed-ended questions:
How can you conserve the forests?

a- tree plantation b- establishing a zoo C- cutting trees d- opening hospitals

Open-ended questions:

Can yoUsuggesthow can we conserve forests?

legal
trees, establishing community
forest,
Acceptable responsesmay be: byplanting
punishment who cuts trees indiscriminately, launching awareness programme
provision of

etc.

4. Enhance collaboration: Get learners to work cooperatively as we can not directly interact

ourselves and promote group work, pair work, peer comments,

with every individual

group poster presentation, etc. Group work and pair work

brainstorming, collaborative writing,
classroom because they maximize
are very much important and useful in large multi-level

students' participation.
For example, we
5. Range of tasks: Create or provide different tasks for diferent levels.
guestions for a text. Set A for all students and set
B for
might have two sets of comprehension

stronger ones. Similarly we can give different students different homework.

6. Assign home tasks: Assign
home tasks regularlybut not too lengthy. Some teachers use
leisure periods to check home task, some promote peer and group checking.
challenges of teaching in a large class is
7. Getting and giving feedback:one of the great
trying to communicatewith students on a personal level. We can use:

Class book- Place the class book where everyone will have accessto it. Devote a

your students to write their

section to comments and suggestions and encourage

thoughts.
box near the door and the whole
Suggestion box- Teacher can place a suggestion

class can be asked to evaluate any activities

and suggest.
Promote individualization: Create activities that can keep advanced
learners feeling
8.

allow the less advancedlearners to make progress at their

challenged and at the same time
OWn pace.
Take support from some students to perform certain activities like collecting
9. Use students;
worksheets, giving instructions in a small groups
homework,taking attendance, distributing
etc. They will often be high achievers.

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 LARGE CLASSES
for teacherin
a
sound really challenging
It may
methods and
texts: good organized
all students. For this
10. Vary your topics, be suitable
for
but one material may not mixing a lesson
with various techniques,
context,
our
In other word,
variety.
lesson is necessary to create
needs, interest
and learning styles.
student has different
activities
as every

Multi-level Classrooms
SomeActivitiesfor Large communicationand
participation of all

of activities may enrich collaboration,

Following type
large multi-level classroom.
anything they like about
students in

Teacher can invite students to say

Describing a picture/poster: from every
she can take 10 to 20 utterances or one idea
a famous picture. He or
student or set time limit.
drive on
teachers' experience has strong motivational
Sharing experiences: Sharing
to the course book and
share your own
the part of students. Select a topic related

experience first. Then ask students to sharefrom each group for example, My Very
First Pair of Trousers (10th grade)
News reading: Using worksheets and other self access materials promotes

individualization. Distribute photocopies of a news story, ask or write questions, what

Shappened,when, how, where, and why it happened.

Memorizing spelling: Divide the class into groups, wite 10-15 words on the board
correctly which are longer in speling, tell them to read, then erase and ask them to

write, check each groups' work,the result be the groupachievement.

will

Five minutes of writing: Give a topic like 'my best friend', or 'my country', and tell

students to write a paragraph of their own for five minutes individually.

Chain writing: A topic is given, each student writes a sentence at the top of the paper.
Then he/she passes it to another. Another will add one sentence by the first idea and
association. And then passes it on to the next student; another student reads it and
adds another sentence. Then again passes to another, and so on. There will be at
least ten contributions on each page. It can be read by a groupleader.

How many things can you find: Students be asked to write as many names as they
will

can think of 'fruits' or things that are 'made of wood'or appliances which use
'electricity'.

Whoam 1?:Tape the name afamous person to the back of each student. Students
of
goaround the room asking questions and trying to identify themselves. Once they

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 LARGE CLASSES
guess who they are they can place their nametag on the front and continue helping
other students identify themselves.

(AshokRaj Khati -adapted from www.teachingenglish. org.uk/blogs/ashoK

raj/teaching-english-large-multi-level-classrooms)

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