to raise participants’ awareness of different approaches and attitudes to teaching mixed ability classes
to raise participants’ awareness of the impact that teachers’ attitudes to mixed ability classes have on learners
to help participants explore and evaluate different strategies that can be used when teaching mixed ability classes
Lead in Time: 5 min
Materials: board, markers
Procedure:
☺ (5 min) Ask participants the following questions:
What do you understand by a mixed ability group?
Have you ever taught a mixed ability group? Tell us about it.
How do you pitch your lessons with the mixed ability groups? What level do you teach to? within a mixed ability group – the stronger, theaverage or the weaker students? Why?
Possible answers:
A mixed ability group is a group where students differ in terms of language background, learning speed, learning ability and motivation, language level, learning styles etc.
2 & 3. Answers will vary.
Establish that a mixed ability group is a group where students differ in terms of language background, learning speed, learning ability and motivation, language level, learning styles etc. Write the following question on the board:
What level should we teach towithin a mixed ability group and how?
Ask participants to think about this question but not to answer it immediately. Tell participants that we will try to answer it in this session.