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Mixed ability classes are somewhat problematic for most teachers. Some institutions solve this problem by having placement tests, but this doesn't seem to work in most of our Arab world schools and mixed ability classes are inevitable . Therefore, I think the best thing to do is what Jeremy Harmer suggests: giving the students different content or material. For example, we might give student A an authentic text from a newspaper and give student B a much more simplified text tailored to his/her ability and level. We could also give different tasks . For instance, we might ask our students to look at the same reading text, but ask group A to interpret the information by reproducing it in graphic form (charts and tables). Group B , on the other hand,might answer open-ended questions. Group C might be given MCQs, and so forth.
Group the class into smaller teams, mixing the more skilled with the lesser skilled, and utilize the more skilled to help guide the remainder of the class. This guidance effort will simultaneously strengthen the more skilled by increasing their class interaction and teaching them how to effectively instruct the topic they are attempting to learn.
- Cheers
