Adapting materials for mixed-ability classes

In these cases it's important to remember that all learners will get something out of the class, but not necessarily the same things, and not necessarily what you aim to teach them! For example, the beginners may begin to get a grasp of your classroom language whilst the stronger learners may begin to be able to put a new verb tense into use.

Adapting materials and tasks

One way to adapt materials is to rewrite reading texts and grade the language accordingly for different levels. In an ideal world, where a teacher has hours and hours to prepare their classes, this may be the perfect solution. However, the reality is that this sort of adaptation is extremely time-consuming and not many teachers can actually go to this length to adapt materials for mixed-level groups. Another problem that can arise with this sort of adaptation is that it can be awkward to give out different texts to different learners. There's a danger that they will instantly realise that they have been labelled as weak or strong and, in the case of the weaker ones, this will undoubtedly affect their motivation.

I would like to offer some ideas of how you can support your weaker learners and offer extension activities for your stronger learners, whilst using the same materials as the starting point for the class. This way the preparation time involved for the teacher isn't drastically higher, and the group can still work together for most of the class.

These ideas are taken from a workshop on mixed-ability classes given by Lucy Mardel that I attended at the British Council in Barcelona last year.

Extension reading activities for learners who are ready

Ask early finishers to:

• Write new vocabulary up on the board with definitions
• Rewrite a part of the text in a different tense/from a different person's perspective
• Write their personal opinion or a short summary of the text
• Write questions about the text.

Extra support for learners who need more time

• Pre-teach difficult vocabulary and leave it written on the board for learners to refer to – use visuals if possible
• If it is a gap-fill exercise, give learners the answers in a jumbled order, with a few extras
• Draw attention to the title, pictures, etc. and set the scene beforehand so their mind is focused on the topic
• Break the text into chunks and give the option of only reading some of the text. 

Extension listening activities for learners who are ready

• Give out the transcript and nominate a 'vocabulary master' to look up tricky words or expressions in a dictionary to then explain to the group
• Focus on the accents or intonation of the speakers and get learners to copy chunks
• If it’s a true/false activity, follow up by asking why/why not?

Extra support for learners who need more time

• Pre-teach vocabulary, use visual prompts when appropriate
• Give learners time to discuss answers before feeding back to the class
• Give learners the transcript on the second listening
• If it's a gap fill exercise, supply the words with a few extras. 

Extension writing activities for learners who are ready

• Give creative tasks that learners can do at their own level
• Indicate mistakes using correction code  (sp = spelling, gr = grammar, etc.) to give learners a chance to self-correct
• Increase the word limit
• Indicate where they could use more interesting ways of saying something.

Extra support for learners who need more time

• Correct a rough draft together before learners copy up a final draft
• Reduce the word limit
• Encourage use of dictionaries/vocabulary notebooks
• Give an example piece of writing as a model before they begin writing
• Pair or group weaker learners with stronger ones.

Extension speaking activities for learners who are ready

• Ask learners to justify/defend their opinions
• Ban easy words like 'nice' to push their use of vocabulary to a higher level
• Get learners to record themselves and self-correct
• Pair higher level learners together so they really go for it. 

Extra support for learners who need more time

• Give learners time to rehearse and gather their ideas before doing a role play or discussion activity
• Pair weak and strong learners together
• Let learners make notes before the speaking activity begins and allow for 'thinking time'
• Grade learners on the effort they make rather than their ability
• With a whole class mingle like a class survey or a 'find somebody who ...', practise the questions as a group beforehand
• Give weaker learners more listening and thinking time before calling on them to answer questions.

Good classroom management tips

Grouping

It may seem contradictory to suggest that you group stronger learners together and also suggest that you group learners with different abilities. However, depending on the task and the class dynamics, I think there are usually opportunities for both types of grouping. It's a good idea to experiment with mixing up different learners, whilst also giving time for more ready ones to work together so they work to their full potential.

Giving Instructions

Giving clear instructions is vital for learners to be able to follow the class. Use hand gestures as well as words to explain the tasks and use stronger learners to check back the instructions and even explain the task to others in L1 if necessary.

Error correction

Stronger learners can probably accept more correction. However, don't over correct  learners who need more time as it will affect their confidence. Encourage peer correction and demand a higher level of accuracy from the stronger ones.

Setting goals

Setting goals for each class or for the whole term will help to focus the learners. The goals can be different for each learner, depending on their level, but realising the goals will give the same sense of achievement to all.

Further Reading

Teaching mixed-ability classes 1 

Teaching mixed-ability classes 2

This article was first published in 2008.