Teachers’ roles: managing different language abilities——theory 18

Learners in any primary classroom are not the same.You may have a mix of boys and girls and children from different backgrounds and cultures. These children may also learn in different ways. You can read learners in any primary classrooms also have different abilities and some learners will be better at English than others. Another role that a primary teacher has is to manage a different abilities of children and to make sure that all learners have the chance to succeed at learning English.

01 Why do learners have different levels?

Perhaps some of your learners started learning English at an earlier age or maybe they use English outside the classroom. Some learners may have physical disabilities or specific learning difficulties.

02. How can you help learners with lots of different abilities to develop their English skills?

You can use techniques in class to support some learners and challenging others. For example, using English or learners’ first language or give different activities to learners. I sometimes get learners of different abilities to work together.

03. How can you find out as much as possible about their abilities?

We should find out as much as possible about the learners’ abilities. That way we can plan lessons and give them appropriate activities that support and challenging them. When my learners do activities I watched them and make notes about them when I can. I keep records of grades of their tests. It’s a good idea to talk to parents if your learners are having problems.