1. helping low-level students in a multi-level group
Masha Andrievich

2. what do we mean by “level”?
what levels do you teach?
what levels are mixed in your groups?

3. what is a “multi-level” group?
– all groups, perhaps? – there is a clear difference in language level – there is a clear difference in learner types: analytical, visual, audial, kinasthetic

4. 2 most common cases
– new students in an “old” group they have been following a different syllabus – a student with learning difficulties struggles with the material others take in without noticeable difficulties

5. learning difficulties
students who never sit still
students whose attention shifts quickly
students who are always “sleepy”
students who are extremely quiet
or extremely loud and noisy
students who miss out letters in words, turn over letters, generally have problems spelling
absent-minded, loose and forget things
can you think of such students in your groups?
how consistent is this behaviour?
Видосы
SENs are very often unnoticed and hindered by what in our (teachers’) eyes is “challenging behaviour”. And the strongest marker indicating there is something wrong on a deeper level is such “disruptive behaviour” happening all the time. So tip #1: look out for patterns and for repeated behaviour, be curious and wondering

6. learning difficulties (SEN= Special Educational Needs) teachers are likely to see in their classes
– ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) – dyslexia (troubles with reading and basically decoding language) – emotive/self-control/behaviour difficulties – on the Autistic spectrum (weaker social skills)

9. read up «Дети-тюфяки и дети-катастрофы», Екатерина Мурашова, 2007
Special Educational Needs, Marie Delaney (OUP “Into the classrom series”)
Teaching the Unteachable (Wirth Publishers, 2008)
Marie Delaney webinars, e.g. “Dealing with students with challenging behaviour” on Youtube
coursera.org: “Supporting children with difficulties in reading and writing” from University of London futurelearn.com: “Dyslexia and foreign language teaching” from Lancaster University

10. why is it worth reading about?
avoid labels – see the problem instead
know the problem – can work towards the solution
build realistic expectations
see the student’s needs clearer
feel less stressed and annoyed

11. okay, so some of my students do have learning difficulties, now what?
– identify the problems (even vaguely, like “N. has problems recognising letters”, “D. never stays focused for longer that 3 minutes”, etc.) – on the paper (!) group your ss according to the problem area (e.g. “R. and Z. have problems concentrating, slow writers”, “A. and V. have problems reading”, “B. and S. have a much lower level”)

12. plan differently for the weaker students
– prepare different tasks for your learners of different levels – or plan how you will adapt the tasks you use with the group
ADAPTING

13. adapting (even on the spot?)
use the same vocabulary set, but add visuals/gestures
instead of exercises offer to copy, translate, draw a picture for the words
offer to make a simple sentence following a model (provided by you straightaway)
grouping (like – don’t like/ have – don’t have/ can do / can’t do)

14. substitute tasks Vocabulary in Use/ Grammar in Use graded readers
low-level course books

16. during the lesson
give instructions directly to the “weaker” learner(s)
help the weaker students organise themselves
– allow to use dictionaries/translators on devices
– give more time
– allow for individual attention during breaks

19. still, this is one group
– watch out for comments from other groupmates – ensure there are elements of the lesson when your group acts as a whole/ all students interact among themselves – board games, songs, action stories and crafts do not require any differentiation

20. a lesson in “6 T” warm-up for the whole class: “how are you?”
homework check – in groups
main part (new language, etc)
– in groups
board game – whole class (in mixed groups)
set homework/ recap – whole class

21. 5 favourite ideas for multi-level groups
crafts
games (board games)
simple routines for everyone
learner training
watch out for negative comments from classmates