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Dare to Differentiate!. dulidoherty.wordpress.com. Multilevel class scenario. Has this happened to you?
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Dare to Differentiate! dulidoherty.wordpress.com
Multilevel class scenario • Has this happened to you? Ms. Angelo has her class of 30 complete an exercise in the book that has them write the present continuous form of the base verb. After 2 minutes 10 Ss have finished the activity quickly and they start talking to each other. There conversation is in Spanish and not about the topic. Other Ss have barely started. They are having trouble and she goes to assist them. • What is the challenge this teacher is facing?
Factors to consider • Different educational background • Different literacy levels • Different levels of English
Our reality as EFL teachers • Every EFL class is multilevel to some degree. • Some classes levels are much more exaggerated than others. • Is there a solution?
Of course! • Differentiation • Can you plan 2 different lessons? This is differentiation, but it is hugely time consuming.
What is differentiation? • It is using certain strategies and organizing activities in your lesson so that all students of varying levels are able to succeed. • It is the choices you make that make the activities, etc. accessible to all your Ss.
Strategies • Tiered activities(routes of access) • Multilevel Activities • Flexible Grouping - Mixed ability and same ability pairing and grouping techniques • Task based learning(projects) • More scaffolding • Modified activities • Flexible assignments
Tiered Activity The teacher manipulates an activity so that it is achievable and challenging for each level. • Present continuous • A. 1. Fill in the blank • B. 1. Fill in the blank 2. check with a partner • C. 1. Fill in the blank 2. check with a partner 3. Switch the verb in the sentence that will still keep the meaning of the sentence. Ex. She is playing football. walking
* • *I want to make clear that I’m not asking you to teach them LESS, just give the lower level Ss more support/scaffolding and the higher level Ss room to expand.
My objective • SWBAT change a sentence from positive to negative in present tense by comparing pictures in a pair activity.
Douglas Reeves describes this as “not uniformity of work, but similarity of proficiency." • The idea is that students can gain proficiency even when completing different types of assignments or a different number of assignments (one big project vs. five smaller assignments).
SWBAT write a 6 line adjective poem • Challenge: you know that a certain group of your Ss will fly through this and another group will have trouble thinking of adjectives. Courage Courage is invisible Is invisible, temporary Is invisible, temporary, misunderstood Is invisible,temporary,misunderstood,discouraged Courage
Multilevel Activities • Same activity, but it allows Ss to go at their own pace or contribute what they can.
Speaking/Listening SWBAT describe someone putting on their clothes using the present continuous while watching a video.
Writing • Dialogue Journals
Dialogue Journals • Dear Ms. Emma, How are you? Today I’m very excited because I had a presentcionn en the class of english and it was great! Ruth Dear Ruth, I’m doing great! I’m so happy for you that your English presentation went so well! What was it about? Emma
Emma, today I go to school , but forgot my homeowrk. Luisa Luisa, I’m sorry that you forgot your homework. Did you tell the teacher? Emma
Dear Teacher Karin, Today was a very bad day. My father was crying to day because of the death of my mother last year. I miss her, too. I went to my grandmother’s house. Everyone was sad there, too. Thank you for the English class, Miss Karin. I love it! Yessenia • Dear Yessenia,
Flexible Grouping • Same ability pairs/groups • Mixed ability pairs/groups
Mixed grouping- speaking • Show a pictureand in groups the “lower level” student will answer the questions(“Yes, she is wearing a hat”.) Professions
Multilevel Grouping- speaking • Video – robbery – role play • – write dialogue • – one student is “low level” • - everyone has to speak 5 lines
Flexiblehomework • Flexible Assignments: • After reading a story: • Write a diary entry as the main character • Write what the character would be like if they lived in present day Guatemala • Draw and write captions for a comic of a day in the life of the main character
Student comment “ “I enjoyed having a choice of what project to do. It allowed me to focus on things that I thought were interesting, and thus I did a better job and worked harder on my project because it was less of a chore. I also think the choices were diverse enough that it allowed for a variety of people to be successful.”
Reading – Jigsaw – Tiered Assigment • Fiction Story • Adapt the first part for the lower level students • Use a jigsaw activity