ERIC Number: ED382020
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1994
Pages: 64
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-1-874016-33-X
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Mixed Ability Teaching: Meeting Learners' Needs. Netword 3: Teaching Languages to Adults.
Ainslie, Susan
This guide, designed for teachers of second languages to adults, discusses instruction for student groups of mixed abilities. The first chapter examines the factors that determine mixed ability, including: student motivation, interests, and needs; linguistic ability; general educational background; learning style; age; external pressures and time available to study; and anxiety. The teacher's need to differentiate between learners is also discussed. Chapter 2 describes strategies for getting to know the students: pre-course counseling; questionnaires; ice-breaking classroom activities; activities to help students know themselves; and record-keeping. The third chapter offers techniques for creating the right classroom atmosphere, developing students' study skills, involving learners, planning and organizing lessons, and starting on a small scale. Chapter 4 enumerates strategies for fostering learning: providing variety in the classroom; using a progression setting appropriate achievable goals; deciding whether to use different tasks for different ability levels; using role-play; supporting independent learning; dealing with ability differences in group oral work; group and pair work; and grouping. Appended materials include a sample 2-hour lesson plan, catering for mixed ability, notes on the responsibilities that devolve to administration, and a brief discussion of accreditation. Contains fourteen citations for further reading.
Descriptors: Academic Advising, Accreditation (Institutions), Adult Education, Adult Students, Class Activities, Classroom Environment, Classroom Techniques, Educational Strategies, Foreign Countries, Instructional Design, Lesson Plans, Multilevel Classes (Second Language Instruction), Program Administration, Questionnaires, Recordkeeping, Second Language Instruction, Second Languages, Student Characteristics, Student Motivation, Student Needs, Student Participation, Study Skills, Teacher Student Relationship
Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research, 20 Bedfordbury, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4LB, England, United Kingdom.
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research, London (England).
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A