The document discusses strategies for managing multi-level classrooms. It provides examples of activities that encourage collaboration between students of different abilities, such as assigning roles in group work and games that require students to build on each other's responses. It also suggests ways to challenge students of varying levels, like giving advanced students extra tasks to keep them engaged. The document emphasizes principles like variety, pace, interest, and individualization to meet the needs of all students in a multi-level classroom.

1. Multi-level classes
Multi-level classes

2. Which factors affect classroom management?
Students not Why?
using L2
Discipline What?
Motivation What?
Task What?
achievement
The material What?
Challenge What?
Multi-level classes

3. Which factors affect classroom management?
Use of L2 Unwilling / unable? Why?
Discipline Rudeness, chatting
Motivation No care over work, work done quickly, homework
Task Not finishing work, finishing quickly
achievement
The material Uninteresting?
Challenge Too easy? Too difficult?
What can you add to each column?
Can you add other columns?
Multi-level classes

4. Challenge
Below level students…
struggle to keep up with may have feelings of
instruction. inadequacy and low self-
are often dependent on esteem.
peer / teacher support to be become frustrated and blame
successful. themselves for their inability
are usually very aware of the to learn more efficiently.
fact that everyone else in need extra time to complete
class is learning more rapidly activities.
than they are.
Multi-level classes

5. Challenge
Above level students…
have more language are able to “get it” more
proficiency than the at-level quickly than their classmates
students are at risk because they can
become bored or disruptive become frustrated with the
while waiting for the other teacher for not providing
students to “catch up.” more challenging lessons
Multi-level classes

6. PRINCIPLES WORTH CONSIDERING WHEN
DEALING WITH MULTI-LEVEL CLASSES
Principle one: variety
Principle two: pace
Principle three: interest
Principle four: collaboration
Principle five: individualization
Principle six: personalization
Principle seven: choice and open-endedness
Multi-level classes

7. personalization
individualization

8. personalization individualization
Starts with the learner Starts with the needs of
the individual learner
Connects with
interests, passions and Accommodates learning
aspirations needs of the individual
Learners have a Teachers customize
voice and a choice lessons and tasks for
on what they learn learners based on
individual needs
Learners build a network of
peers, teachers and others Learners are dependent
to guide and support their on individual
learning teachers... ...to support
their learning

9. Awareness
Reading activity – two groups read a different story each.
Students X, Y, Z and A will read story quickly and start chatting
when they’ve finished so give them extra worksheet +
dictionary at start of activity asking them to identify 5 possible
unknown words. They should write the explanations. Also - give
a glossary of possibly unknown vocabulary to help students S, T
&U
X & Y finished reading task quickly as expected. Started
chatting briefly but continued with extra task. Glossary
helped weaker students (S,T, U). X & Y were still working
when everyone else finished reading task
Multi-level classes

10. Encouraging a group dynamic
Working together
•Students in groups of 5 (if possible)
•Write on the board: facilitator, secretary, monitor,
language provider, observer and explain roles.
•Stress what is important in group work:
participation, listening, learning from one another
•Students assigned roles (either choose themselves,
or teacher)
•Teacher assigns task
Multi-level classes

11. Encouraging a group dynamic
Toothpicks
•Before a group discussion, give students 5
toothpicks.
•Each time a student speaks up in a discussion, they
place a toothpick in the centre.
•Once all the toothpicks are used, students are not
allowed to talk unless they get special permission
from the facilitator.
Multi-level classes

12. Encouraging a group dynamic
All for one
•Before class, prepare questions on a recent topic.
•Groups of 4 – each student numbered 1-4. Each
group given a name.
•Ask a question. Groups have one minute to discuss.
•Choose a number randomly. student stands up and
answers the question.
•If wrong, student from next group answers.
Multi-level classes

13. Thinking time
Preference line
LEARNING ----------------------------------------- TEACHING
Writing storm
5 minutes: smells
4 minutes: sounds
3 minutes: best moment of the week / weekend
2 minutes: the future...
1 minute: favourite view
Multi-level classes

14. Thinking time
Happygraph
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Yesterday Today
Multi-level classes

15. Simple dialogue activities

16. Simple dialogue activities (2)
The teacher writes / shows dialogue on
the board.
Students take the part of Helen &
Karini and say the dialogue in pairs
Students repeat the dialogue. Teacher
erases a few words at a time.
Students draw a picture of 3 or 4
people in their real family
Students talk about their pictures
using questions & answers they have
memorised

17. The Alphabet game
1. Nominate a letter from the alphabet
2. Ask the students to think quietly of ten
Elizabeth/Table4Five on flickr
words starting with the letter & distribute
board pens
3. Invite weaker students to write their words
on the board.
4. When weaker students have finished, ask
stronger students to add words (no repeats)
5. Students choose 1 word for teacher to talk
about for a minute.
6. Students choose a word, make notes and
prepare 1 minute talk.
7. Follow-up: write up notes into
composition
Multi-level classes

18. Grow Cube
Using ‘walkthroughs’
Multi-level classes

19. Quest for the rest
Multi-level classes

20. Using YouTube with multi-level classes
The Artistifier (http://theartistifier.com)
Multi-level classes

21. PRINCIPLES WORTH CONSIDERING WHEN
DEALING WITH MULTI-LEVEL CLASSES
Principle one: variety
Principle two: pace
Principle three: interest
Principle four: collaboration
Principle five: individualization
Principle six: personalization
Principle seven: choice and open-endedness
Multi-level classes

24. Links
The Alphabet game
http://cerij.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/w-is-for-words/
Grow cube / Best of the rest:
http://kylemawer.wikispaces.com/Grow+cube+walkthrough
http://kylemawer.wikispaces.com/Quest+For+The+Rest
Simple dialogues:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/mixedability.pdf
The Artistifier
http://quickshout.blogspot.com/2012/03/create-and-exploit-silent-movies-for.html
Multi-level classes