In a typical classroom, there will be a range of learning abilities. There will be those students who struggle to keep up, those who are right on grade level and those who are so advanced, they are bored. There are several teaching methods that will help teachers meet the needs of every student in their classroom regardless of ability.
Promote Learning in Centers
Setting up centers in the classroom with activities for the students to complete will enable every student to learn at an appropriate rate. Centers can be an effective use of instructional time while enabling a teacher to work with a small group of students. Teachers should use creativity in coming up with appropriate tasks for each student, keeping in mind each student's ability level.
Color coding the leveled tasks at each center will help prevent higher level students from finishing tasks that are too simple, while allowing the lower level students to not become frustrated with more difficult tasks. In order to prevent students from picking up on what color stands for what level, the colors can be changed each week. Display a chart showing which students are on which colors.
Utilize Student Grouping
Partnering students together for projects will enable those students with a higher ability assist those students with a lower ability. Teachers must think carefully about how to group the students together in order to most effectively enable all students to learn.
Assigning roles for individuals working in a group will give ownership to every student, and ensure participation. Jobs can include: scribe, timekeeper, encourager (to ensure that everyone participates), speaker (to present information to the class), and reader.
Read more about student groupings in the classroom.
Creating Appropriate Assignments for Students
When using an assignment for the whole class, teachers should take care to focus on more than one learning style. This will give more students the ability to successfully complete assignments. Teachers should also make some assignments open ended so that each student can complete the assignment at his or her individual ability level.
Read more about student learning styles.
If any of the students in the class have an Individual Education Plan, there are some specific strategies for modifying assignments for individual learning disabilities. The special educator is a great resource for teachers to get ideas from, even if the child in question does not have an IEP.
Teaching a group of students who are at multiple ability levels presents unique difficulties. Even so, teachers are expected to not only teach each student in their classroom, but to see each of these students succeed at grade level. Utilizing strategies that work with various ability levels will help teachers in this endeavour.
Related Information:
A Cooperative Teaching Model - Find out how co-teaching a class can benefit both the teachers and students in the class.
Understanding Auditory Processing Disorders - Learn what an auditory processing disorder looks like and how to improve student learning.
Lesson Planning Tips for New Teachers - Find out how to write a lesson plan, the importance of each aspect of a lesson and more.
Jennifer Wagaman - Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has both public, private and administrative experience in the education field.
Join the Conversation