Teaching In Bimodal Ability Class

[foolforlove]

I teach upper mattayom in an intensive English program (IEP).

We have English and Maths instruction in English.

The recurring situation that happens is each year's incoming M4 gets comprised of 40-60% of our former IEP M3 students and the remaining students come from another school.

The incoming students' ability in English is markedly lower than our continuing M3 students. So the class becomes bimodal in English ability -- the complete opposite of a bell curve. For example, continuing students should/need to be challenged on improving their paragraph writing skills. Whereas the incoming transfer students usually have trouble caballing a sentence together.

This bimodal breakdown then continues on as they pass to M5 and M6.

The school seems to have the idea that we should still just "teach to the middle". This results really in a minority of students being satisfied: for the continuing students it's too easy, and for transfer students it's too difficult. The school also mistakenly believes that the weaker (i.e. transfer) students will learn from the stronger students. This is also false. Instead the weaker students just mindlessly copy from the stronger students, or some in some fashion get the assignments done without doing it themselves.

Our various suggestions have fallen on deaf ears. We have tried suggestions of: split the class in two; split the class in two for particular subjects; add an extra "catch-up" session (period) to have the weaker students attend; etc.

The only solutions that we could seem to implement involve what we can control inside the classroom. For example, make-up two different sets of homework and hand each student one by ability. Or maybe design some sort of self-study map through the curriculum where students would follow that path.

What have others done in similar situations?

Thanks

Edited December 27, 2010 by foolforlove

[Scott]

I've dealt with this a lot over the years and it is frustrating and difficult. You guys are on track with your suggestions and ideas. Admin, unfortunately, seldom is willing to do much.

It might be easier, if possible, to teach 'down' to the lower students and give additional work or harder work to the better students. Use a lot of encouragement, the more the lower students are exposed to asking, answering, reading, the better they get. A lot of students do catch up, but some just can't do it.

Best of luck and hopefully others will have concrete suggestions.

[foolforlove]

Scott,

Thanks for your reply. Glad(?) to hear this isn't a rare situaton.

One thing I am not sure about in your answer: "give additional work or harder work to the better students"

I try to picture doing this in my head.... and all I can see is ten hands in the air asking "why don't I have the same worksheet as Khun Lek and Khun Noi?".

How did you overcome that?

I've dealt with this a lot over the years and it is frustrating and difficult. You guys are on track with your suggestions and ideas. Admin, unfortunately, seldom is willing to do much.

It might be easier, if possible, to teach 'down' to the lower students and give additional work or harder work to the better students. Use a lot of encouragement, the more the lower students are exposed to asking, answering, reading, the better they get. A lot of students do catch up, but some just can't do it.

Best of luck and hopefully others will have concrete suggestions.

[Scott]

Simply tell them that the newer students need to have something easier, or tell the better students they will be bored. With mine, I used to humorously tell them it was so they couldn't copy.

[foolforlove]

Your last "excu-reason" about not copying seems like the winner.

Thanks much.

Simply tell them that the newer students need to have something easier, or tell the better students they will be bored. With mine, I used to humorously tell them it was so they couldn't copy.

[Scott]

One final thing you can do is give the brighter students both assignments/worksheets. That usually will stop complaints, although I've found some of the girls are more than happy to do both!