2. Groups that have students
with different levels
What are some things you can do as a
teacher when you have students with
mixed levels?
Use different materials .
Do different tasks with the same materials.
Ignore the problem.
Use the students (remember what we
talked about with some grouping
techniques).
3. Big class size
How can you deal with grading, lack of
resources, the intimidation?
Use grouping techniques.
Have students be responsible.
Have group leaders.
Use choral reactions.
4. Students abusing L1 use
Once again, what can you do if this is happening
in your class?
Talk to the students abotu the problem.
Encourage/Motivate them to use English.
Only respond to English use.
Create an English environment (use English as
much as possible, expose them to as much
English as possible)
Keep reminding them.
Punishment might be necessary.
5. Uncooperative students
What can you do if your group/students are
incooperative?
Talk to individuals/group.
Write an open letter.
Ask others for help (teachers, administrators,
etc…).
Make a contract or talk about student
responsibilities.
6. Students who don’t want to talk
If students don’t want to talk, what steps can a
teacher take?
Use pairwork and groupwork.
Don’t expect fluency to happen immediately-you
may need to «control» their speech.
Use dictation, reading aloud, acting out dialogues.
Use role-plays.
It’s also important to remember that some students
simply don’t want to talk-this does NOT mean that
they aren’t learning or progressing.
10. Positive vs. Negative
Reinforcement
It’s time to do an activity!
What is the difference between positive
and negative reinforcement? (this would
be an excellent quiz question)
11. One thing to remember is that we are
English teachers, not the «English Police».
While we can dedicate some time and
some effort to discipline the group, our
focus should always be on teaching those
who want to learn. Dedicating too much
time to try to get the class under control is
unfair to those students, who in reality are
the ones you can help the most.