Second edition

® Young learners do not have such fixed learning styles as adults and it is an
important aspect of their development for teachers to introduce them to a range of learner groupings.

• 
  All classes are mixed ability: students are at different points in their language learning, have different learning strengths and different intelligences.
  

® When grouping students in young learner classes, it is important to consider then- cognitive and physical development. Young learners of the same age may not he at the same point in these aspects of development.
© Most of the time learners work well together in different groupings, but sometimes individual learner characteristics mean that some learners find it difficult to work together, e.g, one learner is shy and another is quite dominant.
© With a class of between 20 and 30 learners, we can manage a range of interaction patterns quite easily. With classes of more than 30 learners, interaction patterns such as pairs, groups, mingles, teams are possible, but need more careful planning.
® Gradual introduction of pair and group work is important when learners are used to working as a whole class, ft is useful to start by doing short, quite structured pairwork activities and gradually introduce longer and more varied groupings.

• 
  Activities do not always have to be done in the same learner groupings. Discussion activities can be done in teams rather than in groups or as a whole class, and role-plays in groups rather than pairs.
  

© Learners can be absent from class, ft is frustrating when we plan groups for an activity and one or more of the learners arc absent. So it's important to consider how we will manage, for example, if the predicted class of 20 (5 groups of 4) is a class of 18 on the day.
в Sometimes a student arrives late for class after we have organised the groupings for the activity. You can deal with this by putting the student in a group and have the group explain quickly to him or her what they are doing.





(See page 243 for answers)


Here is a lesson plan from a methodology book for primary learners.
Study the lesson plan and decide on appropriate learner groupings for each stage. What aspects will you have to consider when grouping the learners?


206

Time	Teacher's activity	..PMpi7s^vactMty.. r
5-10 minutes	1 Warmer: brief revision of colours.	Pupils stand in lines behind flags of di If смет colours. The teacher says ; a colour. Pupils behind the flag of : that colour put up their hands.
10 minutes	2 Bring in a goldfish or a picture of a fish to introduce the topic to pupils. Discuss the fish - what it looks like, its colour, its parts. Check who has a fish at home.	Pupils gather round the tank and say what they know about fish, 1 They tell each other something about their own fish.
	3 Tell pupils you are going to tell them a story. Pupils predict what the story will be. Get feedback from the pupils.	Pupils talk together to try to guess ;! what will be in the story. ;
to minutes	4 Explain the activity, i.e. pupils have to colour their fish as the story requests. Give out colours and photocopies of a fish drawing.	Group monitors give out crayons and blank sheets.
5 minutes	5 Tell the first part of the story with actions and pictures. Continue the story with instructions for colouring.	Pupils colour in the fish drawings, following instructions. )
5 minutes	6 Get the pupils to compare drawings.	Pupils compare drawings. >
	7 Elicit from different learners the colours of the little fish. Use sentence prompts, e.g. H/s face is...	Pupils talk about the colours of the f fish to the whole class, e.g. His face is...
5 minutes	8 Ask pupils what they thought about the story, in Li if necessary. Ask whether the big fish was right not to give the little fish colour for his lips.	Pupils give their opinions to the ) class. )

{adapted from Children Learning English by Jayne Moon, Macmillan 2000)