Essay

Thesis Statement:

In multilevel English classes, teachers have to face the challenge of using varied materials, activities, and techniques to engage the interest of the learners and assist them in their educational needs and goals.

Controlling Ideas:

- varied materials
- activities
- techniques to engage the interest
- assist them in their educational needs and goals

Writing andComposition Class

Professor: Donald Scott

Essay

Written by: Karla Mora Montero

Date: June 6th, 2009.

Introduction

There are many classes in our schools which are large and multilevel. Students differ in their abilities, language competence, learning styles, interests, etc. The problem is how to cope with discipline, how to change students' attitudes and develop motivation.Besides, every teacher has to do his/her best to realize the syllabus and reach the aims like good teaching climate, cooperation, communication, student-centered teaching, etc. The choice of good strategies to teach the English language skills is important and possible.

Teaching English in Large Multilevel Groups

In our country, generally because of funding limitations, scheduling difficulties,number of learners, and program logistics, students of all levels, from beginning to advanced, are placed in one single class. Teachers, therefore, have to face the challenge of using varied materials, activities, and techniques to engage the interest of the learners and assist them in their educational needs and goals.

One important aspect of working with multilevel groups is the correct andefficient use of materials. The facilities in the classroom have a direct impact on the learning process. If possible, try to provide reading materials, such as textbooks, dictionaries, magazines and newspapers. Also, to help students enter an environment where they feel stimulated, use visual aids, like posters, maps, and charts. Arrange the students so that they can move into groups easily,and allow them to work not only individually, but also in pairs and groups. Each class has to be carefully planned, so that any handout, picture, practice or any other material is already photocopied, cut, or arranged as required. That way, no time will be wasted and chaos won’t reign in your group.

Activities are also a helpful means of engaging into an interesting, interactive, andinformative class. They can be used when new vocabulary is introduced, to check the answers to a practice, or to review grammar structures. With them, all four skills can be developed, and you can encourage students to participate at all times. Some recommended class activities include: student questionnaires, pair interviews, small group discussions, whole class activities, a writing sample, androle-plays. Just take into consideration that students cannot concentrate on an activity for more than a limited length of time. If an activity goes on too long, the mind begins to wander, no matter how fascinating the subject. The best thing to do in this case, is to introduce different tasks to be done with one or more different topics. That way, the attention span will remain the same throughout thewhole class.

Another thing to consider is the importance of keeping the group interested and motivated. In a large class, interest is particularly important because as soon as a group of students loses interest, they are likely to either cause trouble or crate the kind of distraction that will focus on them rather than on the lesson. To avoid this, there are three important steps to follow:

-Arouse students’ curiosity by introducing meaningful existential questions, and by presenting topics in an original and appealing way.

- Create a series of game-like activities with clear goals and motivating processes that guide students through involving tasks into thoughtful and insightful use of language.

- Make use of attractive visuals, activities that convey and receive meaning,...