How do I teach in a manner that engages all learners

Multi-level Teaching

How Do I teach in a manner that engages all learners?

So, you've got a multi-level class that has varying levels of proficiency and want to teach in a way that involves all of the students and encourages all of them to take their learning to the next level. 

You've got a handle on the lesson design (covered in the last blog) and are looking for some tips on how to teach in a multi-level class.

Teach Your Way Around the World©

Getting Students to Show What They Know

There are a number of factors that an effective multi-level teacher needs to manage in order to set him/herself and the students up for success.  While it may seem mind boggling to think of how to juggle everything, here are four key aspects:

• Managing Engagement 
• Managing Groups
• Managing Input
• Managing Output

Teaching a multi-level lesson that engages all learners and challenges them at the right level can be frustrating or fruitful.  The outcome rests, in part, with managing multi-level learners from the beginning to the end of a lesson.

Let's check out the first one:  managing engagement in the multi-level class

The First Day

The First Day!!

Conversation Circles in Classroom

The first day in an open class like the one I teach is always excitingly chaotic.  I never know who is going to show up, what sorts of skills they will have, or what needs they have.  It makes for a fun challenge in both the planning and teaching.

Of course, after a few years of doing this, I can make a number of assumptions (all will be native Spanish speakers, most know social language, and they all know more than I think - or even them - as Caleb Gattegno said.  Yet still, the question is always:  how do I get them to show me what they know in an effective and efficient manner?

So, I set up a lesson that looked like this: