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258 •
1 APRIL 2022
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ВОСПИТАНИЕ НОВОГО ПОКОЛЕНИЯ В ЭПОХУ ГЛОБАЛЬНОГО ПРЕОБРАЗОВАНИЯ
RAISING A NEW GENERATION IN ERA OF GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION •
1 APRIL 2022
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259
TEACHING MIXED ABILITY CLASSES
Inna Khan
Head of Business Administration Korean department
in Bucheon University in Tashkent
Annotation.
Mixed-ability and multi-level students have been one of the common complaints among
foreign language teachers. It impedes proper teaching and nullifies the efforts. This article will discuss
benefits and challenges of mixed-ability classes and strategies for creating inclusive lessons.
Introduction
When I started teaching at Bucheon University in Tashkent, I got a slight shock. Teaching a group
consisting of 30 students of all possible levels of English seemed a completely wrong approach. However,
after several years of attempts to teach effectively, some constructive ways to handle mixed-ability and
multi-level classes have been crystallized.
There is some misconception about mixed-level classes among foreign language teachers. Most of
us tend to identify a mixed ability class as a class with various levels of language proficiency. Although,
mixed ability classes are not only language classes but of all courses. Since no two students can be the
same in terms of language background, learning speed, learning ability and motivation (Gurgenidze, 2012).
Besides different language proficiency, students differ in a way to perceive and process the information,
also, students are different in ways to enjoy the learning process. However, diversity in language proficiency
levels is accepted by language teachers as the main obstacle for conducting a good effective class while
difference in language proficiency level is one of the colors of the diverse spectrum of human personality.
Mixed-ability class is more of a norm than a deviation from the norm. There is nothing surprising for
teachers that people outside of the class are many-sided, but there is a tendency to expect that students in
their class should be similar in learning styles, levels and attitude to study. For teachers who experienced
undifferentiated instruction for many years, it is often hard to imagine what a differentiated classroom
should look and feel like (Tomlison, 2001).
Nevertheless, mixed-ability classes promise several advantages. Teaching mixed-ability classes requires
developed teaching skills. Therefore, teachers have a great opportunity for professional development.
Preparing for mixed-ability classes contributes to creating interesting and innovative classes. Also, diverse
mix-ability class is admitted to be a positive phenomenon and should be embraced, rather than ignored or
minimized” (Sapon -Shevin, 2005). Diverse classes provide students opportunities to see and learn a wide
range of ideas, opinions and approaches, try different strategies and develop collaborative and communicative
skills. Usually, at the beginning students demonstrate reluctant and hesitating behaviour in diverse classes,
but, eventually, if the course is organized thoughtfully, students realize the various benefits of learning
in such an environment and become active learners. Moreover, evidences suggests that heterogeneous
classrooms with focused attention to students’ varying needs, and in the context of high-quality curriculum
and instruction, can benefit a very broad spectrum of learners in areas such as achievement, attendance,
discipline, satisfaction with school, and college application and attendance rates (e.g., Burris and Garrity
2008; Burris et al. 2006, 2008); Cohen, and Lotan 1997; Tomlinson et al. 2008).
Challenges and solutions
Сhallenges of teaching mixed-ability classes include inability to teach by the course book. It is well-
known that course books are created for certain level and certain abilities students which completely
contradicts the idea of teaching diverse classes. It entails another challenge. If there is no possibility to teach
by the course book, the teacher should search for materials, sort them out and think how to implement the
materials for students. Moreover, the materials should be meaningful for all learners and meet all learning
styles and learning intelligences. At the beginning this task seems overwhelming for inexperienced teachers.
But as it was mentioned above, this is a valuable period of accumulating experience, materials, activities,
and etc. An effective strategy to solve the problem in terms of saving time could be communicating with
other teachers and receiving some feedback about materials and activities.
Often, teaching mixed-ability classes leads to dissatisfaction of students because they feel neglected if
they are struggling learners and bored and unmotivated if they are advanced learners. In case of advanced
learners or early finishers, they should be assigned a continually raised ceiling with thoughtful teacher’s
support that assures a meaningful and enjoyable learning process. Meanwhile struggling learners should
be brought to their big or small success. To materialize this goal, first of all, teachers should know their
students’ profiles to create meaningful, authentic and relevant background for the lesson. Second, it is vital
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