Contents introduction chapter I planning a comprehension instructional sequence lesson

Teaching Mixed Ability Classes
Georgina Ma

What are mixed ability classes? 
Mixed ability or ‘heterogeneous’ classes are terms used to describe classes made up of students of different levels of proficiency. These terms are misleading as no two learners are really alike and ‘homogeneous’ classes do not actually exist (Ur, 1991). All classes are to some degree made up of learners who differ in many ways. They may have different strengths, weaknesses and approaches to learning. They may respond differently to various teaching methods and classroom situations. 
In this article, I cover mixed ability factors, the problems with and advantages of teaching mixed ability classes as well as strategies for teachers who teach mixed ability classes.
Mixed Ability Factors
There are many factors that influence the characteristics of the learners that make up one single class. Some of these factors include: 

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  Age or maturity 
  
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  Intelligence and multiple intelligences
  
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  Learning style
  
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  Language aptitude
  
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  Language levels 
  
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  Mother tongue
  
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  Learner autonomy
  
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  Motivation or attitude towards the subject
  
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  Cultural background
  

Possible problems teachers may face
Teachers may encounter a number of problems when teaching in mixed ability environments. These are some comments made by teachers about their experiences of teaching mixed ability classes: 

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According to Ur (1991: 303), some of the challenges teachers of mixed ability classes may face include: 

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  Discipline - Teachers may find their mixed ability classes are chaotic or difficult to control. Discipline problems occur when learners feel frustrated, lose concentration, get bored, or behave in a disruptive manner. Some reasons why mixed ability classes may be more difficult to control may be because different learners may find the subject matter easier or more difficult to grasp, weaker learners may require more assistance from the teacher, or more advanced learners may dominate aspects of the lessons. 
  
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  Interest – Learners may differ in their learning styles, motivation and interests. Teachers of mixed ability classes may find it difficult to provide content and activities that are motivating and interesting to all learners in a class. 
  
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  Effective learning for all – In mixed ability classes it is difficult to provide effective learning for all learners. The content or activities in a lesson may be too easy for some and too difficult for others. 
  
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  Materials – Materials are usually rigidly aimed at a certain kind of learner and may not offer teachers options or flexibility. 
  
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  Individual awareness – Teachers may find it difficult to get to know and follow the progress of all learners in a class. In classes where there are many differences, teachers are not able to devote time and attention equally to all learners (Šimanová, 2010). 
  
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  Participation – In mixed ability classes, more advanced learners tend to participate more actively than weaker learners. Lack of participation or attention from the teacher, may further affect weaker learners proficiency in the subject. 
  
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  Correction – Teachers may feel overwhelmed by the marking load and may also not feel equipped to deal with the errors made by a student. For example a subject teacher may not feel comfortable correcting a learner’s language errors. 
  

Due to the frustrations felt by teachers teaching mixed ability classes, it can sometimes be difficult to see the advantages of teaching mixed ability classes. There are a number of advantages to teaching mixed ability classes. Mixed ability classes provide a rich pool of human resources (Ur, 1991). Learners come to class with different knowledge, experiences opinions, ideas and interests which can be drawn on to provide interesting, varied student-centered lessons (Hess, 2001). Such diverse classes are interesting to teach and provide greater opportunity for innovation and creativity. There is ‘educational value’ in mixed ability classrooms, as through their interaction, students can help and learn from each other (Ur, 1991:305).
Learner autonomy is developed in such learning environments, as teachers may not be able to always tend to the individual, learners help or teach each other, work together or individually. Mixed ability classes provide opportunity for teachers to develop themselves professionally, as teachers need to adopt a problem solving approach to the difficulties they face and experiment with a range of teaching approaches. Tomlinson (1999:28) aptly stated that ‘A secure teacher comes away from today with important questions to puzzle about overnight and the belief that today contains insights necessary for a more effective tomorrow.’
Teachers may feel frustrated by the challenges they face in their mixed ability classrooms and may not know how to create successful learning and teaching environments that meet the needs of all learners in a single class. Bremner (2008) states that the ‘biggest stumbling block to effective mixed ability teaching would seem to be teacher attitude. Teachers lack the knowledge of strategies to use in the classroom for a wide range of ability.’ Teachers who are familiar with the different abilities and needs of their learners and use mixed ability teaching strategies effectively are much better equipped to meet the diverse learning needs of their learners (Šimanová, 2010).