This document discusses potential challenges that may arise in an English language classroom and provides suggestions for how to address each issue. It considers what to do if students are at different ability levels, the class is large, students use their native language, are uncooperative, don't want to talk, don't understand listening exercises, or if groups finish activities at different paces. Suggestions include using varied materials and tasks, group work, enforcing an English-only environment, addressing issues individually, and adapting activities to engagement and ability levels.

1. What if?
Chapter 13 - Harmer
Members of the group: Schmidt
Candela and Rubio Florencia.

2. What if students are all at
different levels?
 Use different materials: - Different groups
- Self-study facilities
 Do different tasks with the same
material:
- According to students’ abilities.
Eg. Reading texts (questions at diverse levels)

3.  Ignore the problem:
- Let students find their own level.
- The danger  boredom and frustration.
 Use the students:
- Peer help
- The danger  feeling of alienation or oppression

4. What if the class is very big?
 Use worksheets
 Use pairwork and groupwork:
- To maximise students’ participation.
 Use chorus reaction:
- Class division
- It’s useful at lower levels
 Use group leaders
 Think about vision and acoustic
 Use the size of the group to your
advantage: - Humour
- Drama

5. What if students keep
using their own language?
 Talk to them about the issues:
- Students may agree that it denies chances
to learn English and have feedback
 Encourage them to use English appropriately
- Native language is not banned
 Only respond to English use
 Create an English environment
- Students´ constant exposure to English
 Keep reminding them:
- During speaking exercises

6. What if students are uncooperative?
 Talk to individuals: - Outside the classroom
- Ask for students’ feelings
 Write to individuals: - A confidential letter
 Use activities: - Condition
 Enlist help: - Colleagues
- A friend' observation
 Make a language
learning contract: - Expected behaviour from Students and teacher

7. What if students don’t want to talk?
 Use pairwork: - Not so much pressure
 Allow them to speak in a controlled way
at first: -Write what students will then read
- Then, allow ask them other questions
 Use acting out and reading aloud
 Use role-play: -Taking a new identity
 Use the tape recorder: - outside the lesson

8. What if students don’t understand the
listening tape?
 Introduce interview questions: - Predictive power
 Use ‘jigsaw’ listening
 One task only: -Describe the speaker through the voice
 Play a/the first segment only:
-Predict what is coming next
 Use the tapescript: -cut into bits
- put in order as they listen
-with blanks
 Use vocabulary prediction: - “key” vocabulary

9. What if some students-in-groups finish
before everybody else?
 One group finished: - give a “spare activity”
- extra work on it
 One group doesn’t finish: - stop de activity