Unit 1 - Classroom Management – Mixed-Ability Classes

[Carmen Pliego]

1. What factors do you consider important in causing mixed ability? Put these in order of importance for you:
1. Motivation
2. Personality
3. Aptitude
4. Attitude
5. Learning Style
6. Previous Exposure

2. Look again at the classroom scenarios in exercise 1 and the solutions suggested by teachers. What do you think of the teachers' suggestions? What else would you do in these situations?
I concur with the solutions suggested by the teachers due to the fact that there will always be different kind of students in every classroom.

3. "Every group is a mixed-ability group." Do you agree with this? What are the implications of this statement for teachers?
I strongly agree since teachers cannot control their students abilities but they can set a variety of activities in order to match them with their students learning styles, for example.

4. Mixed ability is usually considered to be a problem. But is it? Could there be some advantages to having students of different levels and abilities in the same class?
It is indeed. Nevertheless teachers should be aware of it in order to be in control of the class by suggesting a variety of activities to the students to match with their different abilities therefore students have the chance to share how they deal with their weakest abilities and all of them might learn.

[Ruth]

1. What factors do you consider important in causing mixed ability? Put these in order of importance for you:
PREVIOUS EXPOSURE
LEARNING STYLE
MOTIVATION
PERSONALITY
ATTITUDE
APTITUDE

2. Look again at the classroom scenarios in exercise 1 and the solutions suggested by teachers. What do you think of the teachers' suggestions? What else would you do in these situations? I agree with the solutions suggested by teachers in the different scenarios. It’s very important to know our students although in all groups we have the same conditions: mixed ability groups
3. "Every group is a mixed-ability group." Do you agree with this? What are the implications of this statement for teachers? Yes, every group is a mixed-ability group, because every student has a different personality, and teachers have to know how to work with their students.
4. Mixed ability is usually considered to be a problem. But is it? Could there be some advantages to having students of different levels and abilities in the same class? If the teacher know how to handle the situation and guide the students, they can share their knowledge with the others and help them each other.