By: Zoe W.

If you have ever taught a group of students, you have likely discovered that those groups often have mixed levels of ability. It can feel difficult to try to teach a subject to a group with varied levels, especially when you are limited to a short class time. Not to worry; following these three tips can help you to manage this type of class group with ease. 

Encourage Interaction Between Students

One of the great things about GOAT tutoring is the availability of group lessons; students can book lessons for up to five learners at a time. This provides a platform for encouragement and interaction between students, which is an excellent way to bridge any gaps between learning levels.

For example, when teaching an online essay writing course, I often had students with varying writing abilities. Maybe one would be great at crafting clear and detailed paragraphs, while another was excellent at structuring but struggled with making correct subject/verb agreements. I would set a timer and have each of them write for 5 minutes on a given topic, then give them the opportunity to provide feedback on each other’s work. This way, even though they were at different levels, they were both able to work independently and benefit from the group setting. Key here is reminding students to provide not only constructive feedback but also to cite positives!

Learning Pairs

A similar way to encourage learners of all levels to work together constructively is to create pairs. If you have a variety of students with different levels, you could pair up those who are more advanced with a student who may be at a more intermediate or beginner level in the subject. That way, the beginner student can be guided by the more advanced one, and the advanced student is given the chance to both share and review past lesson content. 

Set Individual Activities

A good way to ensure that each student has something they can do at their own level is to provide individual activities. You can teach the topic at an intermediate level, and then assign each student an individual activity tailored to that student’s level. This way, everyone will be challenged and learn the same material, but be able to advance according to their own abilities.

GOAT’s small class settings ensure that tutors can get to know individual students well, making this a simple solution to the problem.

Being flexible in your teaching and ensuring that you have worksheets or activities for each level before the lesson begins will make this easier!

Next time you have a group of students with different levels, try one or two of these tricks to ensure that each student gets the attention and challenge they need.