Introduction - IS MUNI

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Introduction

As the borders of the European Union states are smaller every year, the

importance of learning English language is growing up. People are much more

interested in learning different foreign languages. These facts might be also important to

our language teachers who should help the students to develop a real interest in learning

foreign languages.

This diploma thesis argues that the knowledge of the importance of different

teaching methods, especially methods for heterogeneous classes and the right attitude to

the students, is a key to effective classroom management. It suggests some ways for the

teachers how to use amounts of various teaching methods to motivate the students to

work with enthusiasm and the appropriate approach.

In the theoretical part, I will try to introduce a number of different approaches,

e.g. interest, humour, empathy, which involves many useful practices for pleasurable

learning. These teaching approaches and the teachers’ efforts might create an unstressed

surrounding for the students’ successful learning.

It is also very necessary to mention that we can find a great amount of various

approaches and methods, so I have chosen those, which have influenced me the most

and have given an essential contribution to this work.

The practical part of the diploma thesis consists of two pieces of the

Questionnaire, one designated for the English teachers at primary schools and the

second for the primary school pupils. These questionnaires are prepared in detail with

various kinds of opened and closed questions and checklists for marking. Teachers may

use these questionnaires for their self-evaluation and critical assessment.

The learning process would be wonderful for the students if all the teachers were

approaching their students with a significant understanding. The main reasons for

creating these questionnaires were to let the teachers think about their own teaching and

classroom management.

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1 The definition of heterogeneous classes

The authors approach the term heterogeneous classes or mixed-ability classes

differently. Luke Prodromou analyses the term mixed-ability class in this way: “All

classes are, of course, mixed ability. Although there are mild and acute cases of mixed

ability, all classes are made up of individuals who differ in any number of ways.”

(Prodromou 1992: p.7)

Natalie Hess describes mixed-ability classes as “multilevel classes” and states in

her publication Teaching Large Multilevel Classes this attitude: “It is not easy to

provide an exact definition of what constituents a large multilevel class. Since all

learners are different in language aptitude, in language proficiency, and in general

attitude toward language, as well as in learning styles, we can probably say that most

language classes are multileveled. Language classes also tend to be highly

heterogeneous. That is, students in many of our classes are different genders, maturity,

occupations, ethnicities, cultural and economic backgrounds, as well as personalities.

Multilevelness then, as much as class size, is a matter of perception.” (Hess 2001: p.1)

Another outstanding tutor Penny Ur explains her view on this issue in the

following way: “There is in fact no such thing as a ‘homogenous’ class, since no two

learners are really similar; and therefore all classes of more than one learner are in fact

heterogeneous.” (Ur 1991: p.302)

Penny Ur approaches the term mixed-ability in a different way. She thinks this

term is misleading and adds that “however, the implications of the term ‘ability’ include

not just the immediate observable ‘ability to perform’ of the learners, but also their

‘potential learning ability’; and the former is not likely to be a simple one-to-one result

of the latter. Learners’ present proficiency may have been influenced by various other

factors such as different previous opportunities for learning, better or worse previous

teaching, higher or lower motivation. Even if we rephrase the term ‘mixed-ability’ and

say ‘mixed proficiency’, this still does not cover all aspects of heterogeneity as applied

to a class of language learners. Learners are different from one another in all sorts of

other ways that affect how they learn and need to be taught.” (Ur 1991: p.302-303)

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From the definitions above we may deduce that mixed ability class or

heterogeneous class is almost every class or better said every class that is being taught

by the teacher. As every person is completely different, the foreign language classes

also have non-homogenous pupils. One of these topics is, for example, that not

everybody is able to learn so hard or quickly as the other one. To cope with this difficult

situation is very demanding both on the teacher and on the students. The student may

try his/her best when learning and study also a lot at home. The teacher should think

about his/her pupils and try to acquaint with different range of suitable methods of

teaching. The teacher is the main person who may solve properly this situation of

unbalanced classes and I am convinced that the teachers are willing to create a positive

classroom climate in their classes.

2 The differences

In the book A Course in Language Teaching Penny Ur resumes learner

differences in these main categories: “Learner populations differ according to various

parameters: whether the learners are beginner, intermediate or advanced; whether they

are young children, adolescent or adult; their objectives in learning the language, and

how they are motivated; whether their environment outside the classroom is target-

language or mother-tongue; how heterogeneous or homogenous the class is; the size of

the group; and many more.” (Ur 1991: p.273)

The variability among the students is quite big and every person is endowed with

the different abilities when learning the foreign language. We may look at the

differences among students in a more detailed way. Penny Ur states in her publication A

Course in Language Teaching some differences between learners in heterogeneous

classes:

Age and educational level: At primary school the students are divided into class

according to the age group, so we do not need to deal with the topic of younger and

older learners and the different approach to them. As these learners are approximately of

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the same age, these students should have somehow similar view of the world and their

knowledge.

Language knowledge: The main observed difference between the learners is the

amount of language they know. But also the knowledge itself may have the roots in all

sorts of other reasons besides ability. It could be for example previous studying of the

foreign language, teacher’s attitude, the motivation from the side of the teacher, etc.

Some of the students know more - more vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, etc. but

the others are not so successful.

Learning experience: Every student in the class who learns the foreign language

has different experience with learning languages and therefore the difference is obvious.

On the other hand not every person is learning for the same length of time as the other

student, so the duration of studying the foreign language is also quite essential. When

creating a new class, almost everyone has been taught before by another teacher, so the

whole class needs to get used to a new teaching style and class management of the

teacher.

Precondition: Another difference is that some of the students do not have such a

precondition for studying the foreign languages as the other learners. Some of them

really try to study hard, they would like to be better, but it is sometime not possible to

achieve any higher goals.

Personality: The personality of the pupil is one of the biggest aspects for the

teacher to cope with. As every person is different the learning of every single person

may be on a different level.

Interest: We can find out that interests play a great role in the differences among

students. The teacher is the right person who is supposed to develop a great amount of

teaching methods, styles and attitudes to his/her students and who should be educated in

the area of how to captivate the students to the learning subject.

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Attitude to the language: The attitude that a student should have to the foreign

language is a perception of values. Some of the students are achieving much more

because their attitude towards studying is higher than of the other ones. The student’s

attitude may be closely connected to the motivation.

Motivation: When the parents or teachers do not develop a real motivation, the

student would not feel learning foreign languages as attractive and could become very

indifferent in the lessons.

Intelligence: Also the intelligence of the learner is another point of view in

which the students may differ. The role of the teacher here should not be judging or

pushing the less smart pupil, but find the way towards him/her and try to be empathetic

and understandable to the student’s condition.

Self-discipline: Very obvious difference that might be seen on the students is

self-discipline. Some of the learners would always be prepared for the lesson, would do

their homework or would try to do the task in a best way, even if they would not be

considered to be ‘a star’ in their language knowledge.

Literacy skills: We may also notice the literacy skills of the learners that some of

the students have an endowment to study foreign languages whereas the other students

are not blessed with such a talent.

Learning style: Which of the learning styles the learner prefers is another prime

motive of the difference among students. The majority of the students are visual types,

who need to see the materials and are able to remember things they see. Another

learning type is auditory, whilst the student is able to remember the best the oral

presentation of the teacher. The next type is a haptic learning type where the learners

need to touch the learning materials, brochures and things they learn. The learning

styles of the students can change during the person’s development or can also be

combined with other learning types. (Byrne 1988: p.84-111)

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Confidence: Even if some students are not gifted with a good language-learning

ability and do make mistakes, they try hard and we can see that their confidence to

extend their learning skills is admirable.

What else should the teacher observe on his/her students? The social, ethnic and

cultural background is only one hundredth of the whole list.

Luke Prodromou summarises his view of mixed ability differences in a more

specific and detailed way:

“The simplest way of looking at the class is in terms of language ability. It is obviously

too reductive just to state that some students know a lot of English, and other know less,

but distinctions can be made between specified levels of linguistic ability and between

different skills: between phonology, structure and vocabulary, for example, or between

discourse and communication. The successful language learner may well be adept at all

these skills, but it does not necessarily follow that the weak learner rates equally poorly

in them all. Learners usually have a variable rather than a uniform linguistic

competence.” (Prodromou 1992: p.7)

He adds the following: “…building on what the students already know has

always been a good first premise.” (Prodromou 1992: p.7)

There are many ways in which the pupils may differ and it would be of course

demanding to sum up all of these distinctions. But more important question simply

arises: What shall the teacher do with the differences of his/her students in the class?

This is the question that should be solved and as written above, we may hope that the

pupils could surely be given a special approach from the teacher’s side.

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3 The positives and negatives

The negative outcomes are that the student does not manage the learning in the

same way as the other students do and that is why he/she can feel embarrassed. Such a

student could lose his/her motivation and is not willing to study harder. It may happen

that the teacher does not feel good about such a kind of student and does not call this

person so often up because the pupil is slow and frequently makes mistakes. The

student may feel that the ability to be competent as the rest of the class is almost

impossible and his/her interest in the subject is getting down. “What shall I do? What do

my classmates say about my poor results?” Such and similar questions could be asked

by the low achieving student in his/her mind. What could come up is the possible

situation where the student is not able to learn properly then. There may arise a barrier

between the student and the foreign language studying so that the student is not able to

continue his/her studies without difficulties.

Luke Prodromou summarizes in his book Mixed ability classes quite big worries

to the teachers’ and students’ attitude. “There is a danger that the attitude expressed by

‘They just don’t want to learn’ may become engrained, and frustrate the potential of

students and other learners whose situations are rather more complex. Such statements

close windows and slam doors.” (Prodromou 1992: p.3)

He also adds some more things which the teachers of the English language said

about the mixed ability classes:

‘Some of the students are advanced and lose interest in the class, and some of them

hardly know any English at all and are forced to quit.’

‘There are some students who always participate in the classroom, and others who seem

totally indifferent.’

‘Bad students are indifferent.’

‘Some of them are aggressive, and a domineering teacher can create an inferiority

complex in weak students.’

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‘Teachers are the main cause of the problem, by expecting students to learn the same

things at the same time.’

‘Weak students feel disappointed and don’t want to take part in the lesson.’

(Prodromou 1992: p.3-4)

We could sum up some of the negative outputs here. The teachers find out that

the discipline is worse in the classroom. They may find it difficult to control the

discipline problems in these classes. We might see that another problem is in the

students’ interest. The learners get easily bored and the teacher is unable to find topics

and activities that should keep the enthusiasm of all the students. The teachers could be

also disappointed that they cannot make sure that all pupils are learning effectively or

the teachers may think that the provided material is either too difficult or too easy for

their class. The next negative impact the teacher can observe in the class is the situation

when he/she is unable to arrange an activity for all the students but only for a few of

them. It means that only some of the learners seem to respond actively to the teacher’s

questions.

The advantages of heterogeneous classes are for example that these classes can

provide very rich foundation of human resources and that the individuals can enrich the

others with their experience, their varied opinions and ideas. The students can cooperate

and build such an environment where the students can understand each other, where the

high achieving students could tolerate and help to less achieving learners. These classes

may provide a bigger opportunity for creativity and innovation, the teacher could find

the teaching more interesting and challenging. (Ur 1991: p.305-306)

“Here are the key advantages of heterogeneous classes:

• no ceiling on average and weaker student achievement

• opportunities for students to learn from and teach each other

• greater diversity of learning styles benefits all - if it leads to greater diversity of

teaching techniques”

(Picciotto 2007: p.1-2)

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There is to say that it can sometimes happen that some teacher could behave in

an inappropriate way when teaching a student who has not well developed the ability of

understanding. Let add this example in such a situation where the teacher would see

only not very good results of a student. The teacher would be getting nervous because

he/she could not be able to cope with such a hard situation on his/her own. It may

happen that the teacher has not got a good feeling about his/her job, and the positive

atmosphere in the classroom between a weak student and the teacher may be

interrupted. As a result of this there can also arise a rivalry among the students in the

class because the people in a kind of a team/class prefer successful students and are not

very indulgent with the reluctant ones. Such a problematic student is therefore viewed

as slowing the class or annoying the rest of the class by not understanding the subject

matter.

But, on the other hand, we can see that some other teachers may somehow cope

with these difficult circumstances. They know that they are the appropriate persons who

could help such student. The teacher then acts in the way to motivate and involve such a

pupil into the learning process. The teacher tries to praise the student and tries to

support him/her. The teacher knows that using appropriate teaching techniques and

encouraging atmosphere could solve this disconsolate situation in the class.

4 Recommended teaching strategies

4.1 Be an investigator

“Teachers who do not investigate the efficiency of new methods and who do not

actively seek their own personal and professional development may find the job of

teaching becoming increasingly monotonous. Teachers who constantly seek to enrich

their understanding of what learning is all about and what works well, on the other

hand, will find the teaching of English constantly rewarding.” (Harmer 1991: p.243)

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It is the most important that the mixed ability class teacher himself/herself wants

to develop into a better teacher. The teacher tries to do his/her best to investigate new

methods of teaching and uses various amounts of activities and sources for his/her

students. It is essential that the teacher seeks for new information, attends seminars for

English teachers, increases his/her professional qualification or passes additional

certificated exams in the English language. Then the teacher may hand over the

knowledge to the students without any trouble. We must admit that the teacher should

be informed about various developments which are connected to teaching and that

he/she may share his/her acquaintances with the learners. We know how good

impression teachers leave on their students when they bring something new (idea,

activity, game, information, report or whatever) to the class.

4.2 Motivate the students

Motivation seems to be a precondition for a pleasurable learning. Perhaps all the

authors and pedagogues occupy with a motivation. Among them we can name for

example Natalie Hess, Penny Ur or Jeremy Harmer.

“Motivation is having the desire and willingness to do something. A motivated

person can be reaching for a long-term goal such as becoming a professional writer or a

more short-term goal like learning how to spell a particular word.” (Wikipedia 2007:

p.1)

Rod Ellis defines motivation as referring to “the efforts which learners put into

learning an L2 as a result of their need or desire to learn” (Ellis 2007: p.1)

The desire to learn may come from many reasons. Perhaps the parents motivate

the student to have better marks and to have a nice attitude to the school and studying

itself. It can also be the motivation to achieve something in the life, to get a better-paid

job and to have good knowledge of foreign language. The student could also study hard

because he/she wants to travel abroad or have friends in different countries. Or another

reason for motivated student could be to communicate in a target language with some

native speakers living in the country. The learner may have a desire to travel all around

the world and get to know many different people or nations. Maybe the student wants

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only to be able to understand British or American broadcasting or to be able to read the

literature in a target language. We may find many reasons why people learn different

languages, maybe it is only this one sentence that might be caught in a person’s mind:

“You are as many a person as languages you know.”

Armenian Proverb (Baer 2003: p.1)

Penny Ur reminds that motivation is one of the most important matters for the

heterogeneous class teachers and suggests that “learner motivation makes teaching and

learning immeasurably easier and more pleasant, as well as more productive: hence the

importance of the topic for teachers.” (Ur 1991: p.274)

Penny Ur summarizes different kinds of motivation in her publication A Course

in Language Teaching as follows “…distinction between ‘intrinsic’ motivation (the

urge to engage in the learning activity for its own sake) and ‘extrinsic’ (motivation that

is derived from external incentives). Both of these have an important part to play in

classroom motivation, and both are at least partially accessible to teacher influence.

Intrinsic motivation is in its turn associated with what has been termed ‘cognitive drive’

– the urge to learn for its own sake, which is very typical of young children and tends to

deteriorate with age.” (Ur 1991: p.276)

As might be seen above, the motivation that goes from inside of the learner is

very important and this kind of motivation should a person have on his/her mind. It is a

big success when nobody forces or persuades the learner to study. The will of the

student to learn the foreign language is much more valued than studying without a self-

inspiration.

According to Penny Ur we may characterize the motivated students in this short

summary:

• The pupil finds it important to succeed in learning.

• The learner still devotes the energy and effort to learning.

• The student is willing to learn new things and takes learning as a

challenge.

• The pupil is ambitious to achieve also more difficult aims.

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• The learner is well aware of the goals of learning and tries to achieve

them.

• The student is patient and understands that some failures is he/she able to

overcome easily. (Ur 1991: p.275)

The key to the successful studying then, as Penny Ur indicates, is “the learners’

own awareness of successful performance, however this is attained: the more confident

they become and the more able to recognize such success on their own, the less will

need explicit support from someone else.” (Ur 1991: p.278)

4.3 Be a good teacher

Jeremy Harmer asked in his publication How to Teach English varieties of

people the question ‘What makes a good teacher?’ and he got the following answers:

• “They should make their lessons interesting so you don’t fall asleep in them.

• A teacher must love her job. If she really enjoys her job that’ll make the lessons

more interesting.

• I like the teacher who has his own personality and doesn’t hide it from the

students so that he is not only a teacher but a person as well – and it comes

through the lessons.

• I like a teacher who has lots of knowledge, not only of his subject.

• A good teacher is an entertainer and I mean that in a positive sense, not a

negative sense.

• It’s important that you can talk to the teacher when you have problems and you

don’t get along with the subject.

• A good teacher is … somebody who has an affinity with the students that they’re

teaching.

• A good teacher should try and draw out the quiet ones and control the more

talkative ones.

• He should be able to correct people without offending them.

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• A good teacher is … someone who helps rather than shouts.

• A good teacher is … someone who knows our names.”

(Harmer 1998: p.1-2)

“Points Arising from Research:

• The most powerful single factor that enhances achievement is feedback –

positive, encouraging, clearly targeted.

• The setting of appropriate, specific and challenging goals is critical.

• Effective teachers make purpose and content explicit, plan carefully, use

systematic assessment and feedback, make connections, encourage

children to think about thinking and model what they want the children

to do.” (Highland Council Education 2007: p.1-2)

There are many qualities that a good teacher should have and we may see the

most important ones that are essential for easy and fluent running of the English lesson.

We can find a great inspiration in a book A Course in Language Teaching by Penny Ur:

Clothes: For a teacher it should be important to dress nicely and look good.

Personality: A teacher should be kind and not too strict.

Movement: A teacher should not only sit behind the desk but he/she should be active

and use body language for his/her explanations.

Teaching: A good language teacher should care about his/her teaching and should try to

do his/her best to teach in a more interesting ways.

Relationship: A teacher should be warm and friendly towards students.

Names: One of the most important preconditions is to know the students’ names.

Questions: A teacher should ask lots of questions his/her students and not to lead a

monologue talks.

Interest: A teacher should be interested in each learner as a person.

Empathy: A teacher should understand his/her students and should be able to see their

problems and difficulties.

Mistakes: A good teacher is not angry or upset when a pupil makes a mistake.

Learning: A good teacher tells the students how to study better and more efficiently.

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Board: It is essential that a good teacher uses a whiteboard quite often.

Comprehension: A good teacher is able to explain the teaching subject in a different

way when the pupils seem not to understand.

Observation: A teacher should be able to change the lesson plan according to students’

wishes and the current mood in the class.

Humour: A good teacher is able to use humour in the lessons and to make fun.

Speed: A good heterogeneous class teacher is able to adjust the speed of the lesson to

the needs of all the learners.

Creativity: A good teacher should sometime let the students run the lesson if they have

some special plan in what to say and how.

Teaching aids: It is important that a good teacher can effectively use various teaching

aids (maps, pictures, brochures, books, dictionaries, etc.).

Activities: A teacher can use a wide amount of different activities and games.

Praise: A good teacher is able to praise the student for his/her good performance.

Working style: A teacher knows that the students need to work differently: in pairs, in

groups, as a whole class, individually, etc.

Opinion: It is very important that the teacher asks for the student’s opinion.

Attraction: A good language teacher can always capture students with interesting things.

Help: If the students need help, the teacher is always willing to discuss every problem

with the class.

Tests: A good teacher always tells the students about writing tests beforehand.

Explanation: A good teacher is able to explain the grammar or other subject matter to

students that they can understand.

Tiredness: A good language teacher understands that students are tired after demanding

lessons at school.

Invisibility: A good teacher should call up all the learners without difference.

Talks: A good teacher should be able to speak also about student’s life, about problems

at school or about other pedagogues.

Pushing: A good mixed ability class teacher should not push weak learners.

Education: A very important factor is that the teacher should be educated, experienced

and should have professional behaviour.

Clarity: A teacher should make his/her explanations clear.

Beliefs: A good teacher should trust his/her students and should make the students to

have a confidence in himself/herself.

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Advice: A good teacher should be able to give advice to his/her learners.

(Ur 1991: p.290-294)

Some of these characteristics, which a good teacher and primarily a

heterogeneous class teacher should have, I have experienced during my school teaching

practices when studying at the University. When having at least most of these, then the

teachers could surely get positive feedback and appreciation from their students.

One of the points we may see above is that the teachers should give an advice to

their learners not only how to learn more efficiently at home but also in the class. Good

heterogeneous class teachers should want their students to do the following: to establish

special grammar and vocabulary books, to work with a high quality dictionary, to keep

all the written assignments in portfolio, to listen to the radio or watch the TV in English

language, etc. Luke Prodromou stands similar standpoints aiming at the learner

autonomy. (Prodromou 1992: p.26-27)

4.4 Arouse an interest

Everybody needs a big interest when doing something properly and this

demonstrates also Harold E. Palmer in his book The Principles of Language-Study. “It

is only too evident that every lesson must be made as interesting as is compatible with

pedagogic soundness. Few people learn anything well unless they are interested in what

they are learning.” (Palmer 1965: p.88)

When the parents do not create in their child a real interest in the learning

subject then the mixed ability class teacher should try to captivate the students by a

huge amount of varied interesting ways. We can find some inspiration sources in the

book The Practice of English Language Teaching by Jeremy Harmer.

• Add some new materials or activities, trips or excursions.

• Incorporate games or jokes into the lessons.

• Have talks and speak with a correct English pronunciation.

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• Speak about why the students learn foreign language.

• Discuss what the learners can achieve when knowing a foreign language.

• Tell the learners that they are young and fresh to study.

• Everybody can be good at languages and it is a big advantage to speak

any foreign language.

• English is not difficult for those who study with enthusiasm.

• Languages are needed nowadays.

• When becoming adults then you could find better-paid job with English

knowledge.

• Everybody would like to communicate with foreigners living in our

country.

• It is brilliant when you understand what people want from you on your

holiday abroad.

• Everybody wants to travel and get to know new things - culture,

monuments, people, etc.

(Harmer 1991:p.1-30)

The heterogeneous class teachers should try to be a bit creative and should use

some interesting activities where all the students have to think themselves about the

advantages of learning foreign languages. The activities may include these questions:

Why do we need to study languages? How would my ‘Dream English lesson’ look like

and what could I learn in that lesson? Which foreign country have I visited? What did I

like and dislike about that country? The teacher should not forget to discuss each time

all the opinions with his/her students.

It is not easy in every class to create an appropriate interest in all the students for

studying English language but the teachers should “stimulate the thinking of those who

are less interested while stretching the thinking of those already involved.” (Hess 2001:

p.62.)

Evoking in the students a constant, steady interest is important not only when the

course is beginning but generally in every lesson during the year. Penny Ur speaks

about fluctuations in learner interest which cannot be left out, and subsequently the

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teachers should think about possible outcomes. “Some temporary lowering in learner

interest can be caused by factors beyond our control – the need of the learner to take a

short break, for example, or external distractions – but there are also certain teacher

behaviours which can quickly catch or lose learner interest, and it is important to be

sensitive to their effect. Teacher-associated fluctuations in interest are more obvious in

classes of younger or less autonomous learners, but can be observed to some extent in

all classes.” (Ur 1991: p.282)

4.4.1 Interest by children

As this thesis is focused on teachers teaching primary school pupils, we should

draw the attention to the children. There is a possibility of noticing some interesting

opinions that the young learners need for their smooth studying:

“Three very important sources of interest for children in the classroom are

pictures, stories and games: the first being obviously mainly a visual stimulus; the

second both visual and aural; and the third using both visual and aural channels as well

as activating language production and sometimes physical movement.” (Ur 1991:

p.288)

Teaching children is much different from teaching for example adults. The

approach to the pupils should be very empathetic and sensitive because of the age of the

learners. As written above, Penny Ur suggests using pictures for such young learners.

Pictures relatively easily stimulate pupils’ mind and create bigger fantasy and

imagination. Visual materials, when they are glamorous and colourful, may extend

children’s thinking and resourcefulness. When telling stories to his/her class the teacher

could also use pictures to simplify the meaning and the content of the spoken text. Most

of the children enjoy written and spoken word when they can also see in the pictures

what is going on. Games are one of the most favourite activities of the youngsters. But

what is more important, the teachers should connect the games with the meaningful

learning. Some games are made only for fun but teachers should search for such games

through which the students can learn meaningfully and successfully.

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4.5 Be empathetic

One of the most difficult acquisitions is to be able to deal with empathy. It may

be sometimes demanding for some teachers to be empathetic after the whole day

teaching with having only small brakes. But the more empathy the teacher is able to

invest in his/her students, the more successful teaching with a true feedback he/she may

get. The students can appreciate the mixed ability class teacher very much when feeling

that the teacher is willing to understand them and their worries.

What we discussed above also Joachim Appel introduces in his publication

Diary of a Language Teacher. “As far as language teaching is concerned the additional

point should be made that empathy is credited with playing a decisive role in the

acquisition of a foreign language.” (Appel 1995: p.46)

What is considered to be very difficult when trying to be empathetic is to be a

good listener. The teacher may listen to everything that his/her students say in the

lesson. But the teacher himself/herself should ask the learners to discuss some topics

concerning teaching, learning, homework, evaluation, assessment, school, other

pedagogues, etc. This way of equal and direct approach would be the most appreciated

by all learners.

Class discussions and conversations build the main part of the whole teaching

process. And these talks concern not only the teacher and the students’ interactions, but

also teacher and parents debates. The next step for the teacher is to be able to speak to

his/her students not only in the class but also outside the class or school building,

because the learners need to feel the positive effect from the teacher almost everywhere.

Quite important of the mixed ability class teacher is to ask the students questions. When

the teacher takes decision on his/her own then the students do not have any opportunity

to express their opinions. The teacher should think about every little event which

happens in the class and should discuss it with the pupils. The class’s behaviour is the

genuine indication that every teacher should pay attention to.

Written feedback is one of the most often used methods from the majority of the

teachers. But the teachers may not only stay with this kind of ‘getting to know what the

19

pupils think’, but they should not be afraid to discuss the various branch of opinions in

front of the class.

It may happen sometimes that the teacher is not sure whether the students have

understood what the teacher wanted from them to do. There is nothing wrong about it

when the teacher repeats his/her request or asks again if everyone has understood. To

ask some student to say the requirement to the whole class once again is a very

appreciable attitude. Whether you think the learners still do not understand, or if the

task is too difficult for the class to identify, do not be ashamed to use your mother

tongue. This idea supports Jeremy Harmer who states: “It is always wise to check that

they have grasped what they have to do, and where possible, the students’ native

language can be used for this.” (Harmer 1991: p.239)

The teacher David A. Levine has a very bright opinion. He would appreciate to

teach teacher’s empathy also at University. “My initial response is that we can't afford

not to teach empathy and its companion behaviors. I define empathy as a way of

thinking and being that is intentionally caring and compassionate. In practice, empathy

is a combination of social skills that include high-levels of listening, perspective-taking,

decision-making, and helping others. Each of these skills can be taught through teacher

modelling, the articulation of clear and concise classroom expectations, relevant social

skills-learning sessions, and the recognition that empathy is a critical component of a

classroom culture that is caring and emotionally safe.” (Delisio 2006: p.2-3)

4.6 Encourage the learners

Encouragement, praise or approval, are important for everybody. Not only

children or young, educated or qualified, low achieving pupils or weak pupils need a

compliment. That means that everybody would like to hear a nice word after any kind of

effort. Success may come even if the pupil has its weaknesses.

Mary Underwood gives in her publication Effective Class Management ten

suggestions for a sense of purpose.

20

“1. Address every student by name and encourage the rest of the class to do so

too.

2. Always be polite to your students and expect them to be polite to each other

as well as to you.

3. Make sure that you do not show favouritism towards particular students.

4. Plan clearly what you are going to do in each lesson, but do not stick so

rigidly to it that you disallow even valid interruptions.

5. Tell the students what you want to achieve in the lesson and then, at the end,

say how successful you think you have been.

6. Include every student in some way during each lesson if possible and do not

let one or two students monopolise the class.

7. Provide opportunities for the students to talk and listen to each other rather

than all communication being between you and them.

8. Say what you mean and mean what you say. As far as a purposeful class is

concerned, the firmness of your disapproval is an important part of your

relationship with the group.

9. Do the things which you have told the students you will do. (e.g. I’ll bring it

and show it to you at our next lesson.’) If you are bad at remembering, keep

a notebook in which to write reminders to yourself.

10. Be consistent in how you deal with your students. If you have said that

certain behaviour is not acceptable (e.g. eating in class), then you must

enforce the ‘rules’.”

(Underwood 1987: p.35)

This encouraging class management is one of the most truthful that every

heterogeneous class teacher may confirm. Using and remembering names of the

students is the basics when starting teaching every class. To be polite and fair is another

important step and every teacher can be quite sure that the students would appreciate

this attitude with a positive feedback. When a teacher prefers some students or a student

to the rest of the class, it will always bring negative reactions from the rest of the pupils.

When a teacher manages to approach all the students with the same standpoint, he/she

may experience great feeling from his/her job. Every lesson cannot get along without

the evaluation at the end of the lesson. The teacher should be so kind, and tell his/her

students how they were working during the lesson. The teacher may also say what

21

he/she liked about particular students or about the whole class. The teacher should not

exaggerate his/her praise but he/she also should not spare his/her commendation – it

means to be reasonable. It may happen that some students want to talk more than the

others and the rest of the class keeps quiet. The teacher’s task is to find an appropriate

way how to shift the attention to other pupils who have not been speaking yet. We may

find very important to communicate in the class all together and not to let some students

step out of the group. The teacher, of course, is the main coordinator and is responsible

that none of the learners would be marginalized in the class. “Teachers need ways of

ensuring that every student gets a fair share of turns at asking or responding or

whatever, without all the rest of the class losing interest.” (Underwood 1987: p.41)

The teacher may also ask the students to assess themselves. If the teacher leads

the pupils to their self-evaluation from the beginning, it may have a positive outcome on

every pupil in the class. The learners then would not be afraid to say: ‘Ok, today I did

not work very well but I will try to do my best the next lesson.’

Mary Underwood claims the following: “Every opportunity should be taken to

give encouragement to students who are making a real effort and not just to those who

are being most successful.” (Underwood 1987: p.40)

4.7 Use humour and joke

“We can use the language to make humour accessible for students and,

conversely, use humour to make the language accessible. In my opinion, humour is one

of the best vehicles for language teaching and its motivational value cannot be

overestimated!” (Medgyes 2002: p.5)

“Of all classes, mixed ability classes are particularly riddled with differences, of

talent, personality and opinion. Yet one thing that all learners, from wide range of

cultures, fortunately seem to agree on is the importance of pleasure.” (Prodromou 1992:

p.120)

22

Humour and fun are very important to every human being. Everybody needs to

feel relaxedness and to be in a good mood. Also the pupils are happy to hear some joke

from the teacher and when they can feel that the teacher is good tempered. There could

be nothing worse than the strange atmosphere from the teacher’s side in the class.

Moreover, humour can create friendship, sympathy and favour to all.

Péter Medgyes introduces in his book Laughing Matters a list of the main

justifications for using humour in the language teaching. “Humour:

• is a good vehicle for providing authentic cultural information;

• builds bridges between cultures;

• practices language items in genuine contexts;

• brings students closer together;

• releases tension;

• develops creative thinking;

• provides memorable chunks of language;

• reinforces previously learnt items;

• generates a happy classroom;

• enhances motivation;

• enriches textbook-based courses;

• introduces a refreshing change from routine language-learning procedures.”

(Medgyes 2002: p.5)

Of course, the teacher should avoid using offensive jokes or comics. Such

humour could insult some of the students and the teacher may lose his/her authority.

When the teacher uses for example jokes about poor people, ethnic communities,

disabled or elderly people, drinking, religion or sex that may not be considered as a

‘good joke’ which should upgrade the atmosphere in the class. Maybe this would be

sometime difficult for the teacher but it is substantial to choose more plotted humour.

The teachers should bring into class really innocent material to meet with success.

(Medgyes 2002: p.4)

“Let’s not forget that only happy teachers can make happy students.” (Medgyes

2002: p.7)

23

4.8. Involve all students

4.8.1 Whole class

The teacher may choose from a wide range of different class work. One of the

most common lay out is when the teacher stands in front of the board and talks to

his/her class. This kind of sharing information is very easy for the teacher but quite

boring for the pupils. However, the learners often cannot pay attention to the lecture

more than several minutes. Most of the teachers appreciate talking to his/her class only

in case of introducing some new activity, task or when explaining the grammar. Such a

way would be suitable and every teacher may use it.

4.8.2 Pair work

Compared to the method mentioned above, pair work may be a more interesting

technique of the class management. We could consider this way of learning to be much

more suitable for students because they may share opinions with their partners. A very

good solution for heterogeneous classes would be dividing the learners into pairs

according to their abilities. The more achieving student could help the less achieving

one. This kind of teamwork may also train tolerance of the students.

“The strategy of having students work in pairs is a practical approach to learning

that can boost significantly the involvement of students in their own learning and

thereby their level of achievement.

Strategy:

• Students can be paired for single activities or for longer duration;

• Pairs can be assigned by the instructor or be self-selected;

• Pairs can consist of students at a similar level of ability or at a different level.”

(Baron 2007: p.3)

24

4.8.3 Individual work

“The concept of ‘individualization’ in education is sometimes identified with the

provision of a self-access centre, or even a full self-access learning programme.” (Ur

1991: p.233)

Some students prefer studying on their own. They like quiet learning atmosphere

or not being disturbed by anyone. The teacher may of course take notice of these

learners and he/she should arrange a space for them to work individually for some

period of time. “Individual study is a good idea precisely because students can relax

from outside pressure (provided there is no time limit or competitive element) and

because they can rely on themselves rather than other people.” (Harmer 1991: p.248)

In heterogeneous classes the students may prefer working on their own. The

speed of working the learners choose would not disturb anybody. Also their possible

fear of speaking in front of the whole class could be eliminated when having time for a

preparation of the task. Working on someone’s own may give freedom to the pupil who

is feeling under pressure when working in a group. We may say that some

heterogeneous class students like working more autonomously and without a constant

supervision from the teacher’s side.

Penny Ur says about individualization in language learning that “it does imply a

serious attempt to provide for differing learner needs within a class and to place a higher

proportion of responsibility for learning on the shoulders of the learners themselves.”

(Ur 1991: p.233)

4.8.4 Group work

“Groupwork is a cooperative activity: five students, perhaps, discussing a topic,

doing a role-play or solving a problem. In groups, students tend to participate more

equally, and they are also more able to experiment and use the language than they are in

a whole-class arrangement.” (Harmer 1998: p.21)

25

“In group work, learners perform a learning task through small-group

interaction. It is a form of learner activation that is of particular value in the practice of

oral fluency: learners in a class that is divided into five groups get five times as many

opportunities to talk as in full-class organization. It also has other advantages: it fosters

learner responsibility and independence, can improve motivation and contribute to a

feeling of cooperation and warmth in the class.” (Ur 1991: p.232)

As can be seen above, group work may also have positive feedback on some

slow learners in the class. These can listen to the students who are more talkative. The

less achieving pupils can say their opinion – because it is better for them to talk in

groups than in front of the teacher and the whole class – or may have an important

position or responsibility in the group. Luke Prodromou describes working in groups

and its advantages in relation to heterogeneous classes: “Group-work may help bring

students of different abilities together to help and support each other, sharing diverse

backgrounds and experience, or it may merely reinforce the differences in the class,

functioning as a strategy for separating and keeping apart students of different linguistic

abilities.” (Prodromou 1992: p.73)

“Both pairwork and groupwork give the students chance for greater

independence. Because they are working together without the teacher controlling every

move, they take some of their own learning decisions, they decide what language to use

to complete a certain task, and they can work without the pressure of the whole class

listening to what they are doing. Decisions are cooperatively arrived at, responsibilities

are shared.” (Harmer 1991: p.248)

4.8.4.1 Different material in groups

Jeremy Harmer advises to use different material in the groups and “when

teachers know who the good and less good students are, they can form different groups.

While one group is working on a piece of language study (e.g. the past continuous), the

other group might be reading a story or doing a more advanced grammar exercise.”

(Harmer 1998: p.127)

26

Natalie Hess states that “it is important to create activities that will keep the

more advanced students interested and at the same time allow the less advanced

students to make progress at their own pace.” (Hess 2001: p.137)

The teacher may also interact with all the students in heterogeneous classes

when using “different tasks with the same material” (Harmer 1998: p.127). This would

mean for example that the teacher could ask different questions to the text. Less

achieving students may answer easier questions whilst more achieving learners could

answer more difficult ones. Another example would be that the good students prepare

easy questions for not so good students and vice versa. When the worse student answers

some question, the better one could transfer this sentence or statement into more

complex. Very nice and relaxed activity might be acting or role-playing of various jobs

that people can do. The less achieving students would use easy sentences to explain

what role they are presenting and on the other hand, more achieving students would

speak about the role itself (e.g. where and who could do that job, how it is demanding,

how much money could approximately the person on this position earn, etc.)

It may happen that some group finishes before the other groups. It is a situation

that surely happens to every teacher. The teacher cannot always expect that such a

group would be quiet and disciplined. This classroom situation seems to be quite easy

for the teacher to solve because every teacher may ask the group to discuss the current

issue in more details. The teacher can ask the students to think of more possible

solutions to the matter. Another possibility is to give some extra tasks or activities to the

group (which every teacher should have prepared), or to work with the group until the

others finish. Jeremy Harmer suggests the following “…one way of dealing with the

problem is for the teacher to carry around a selection of ‘spare activities’ – little

worksheets, puzzles, readings etc. – which can be done quickly (in just a few minutes)

and which will keep the early-finishing students happy until the others have caught up.”

(Harmer 1998: p.133)

27

4.9 What not to forget

There are many principles and teaching methods which the teacher should not

forget to ‘take’ into class in his/her mind. As all the teachers are different, everybody

may improve himself/herself in some other area. There is a list of advices that were not

said before and the teachers should remember.

• Respect all the learners with their positive and negative sides.

• Give students time to listen, think and answer.

• Listen to the meaning as well as the language mistake of the student.

• Let finish the student what he/she wants to say.

• Increase the possibilities for the students to speak.

• Sit in the circle with the students so that you are one of them.

• Learn from your mistakes and from your teacher colleagues.

• Want the students to be responsible for their own learning.

• Allow students to make decisions about their learning process.

(Scrivener 1994: p.15)

28

5 Conclusion

Since teaching heterogeneous classes is a matter of every teacher, because

heterogeneous class is every class that is being taught, there is a chance for the teachers

to study various amount of teaching materials and try to work harder on themselves.

There may be nothing better than contented teachers because of the great teaching

atmosphere in every class.

What is more, these techniques may lead the teachers to efficient and

encouraging class management that every student would appreciate. The main step

when acquiring these techniques should be primarily done by the teacher before

entering any class because naturally the first lesson is the most testified for the learners.

The personality of each teacher shows how stimulatory and efficient process of learning

the future lessons may bring.

Nothing could be better than practice, I hope these techniques may help many

starting teachers to develop positive approach to the pupils without regard to whichever

differences between students.

29

Practical part

The practical part of the diploma thesis consists of two main parts. The first one

– The questionnaire for the pupils – reflects the students’ opinion of the teacher and

evaluates the teacher’s attitude in the English lesson. The second one – The

questionnaire for the English teachers – contains 3 sections of questions based on how

‘good’ the teacher is. The evaluation, the graphical charts and the assessment of the

current situation at schools can be found in part 3 Evaluation. These questionnaires

were distributed at the primary schools in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and its surroundings.

6 The questionnaire for the pupils

A very difficult question for every teacher is how to motivate the students and

how not to get them bored or uninterested. My intention of this questionnaire is to get to

know whether the teachers’ approach in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and its surroundings

requires a change. Maybe, some of the teachers in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm need to

study more about the mixed ability teaching methods. The question about how to be a

‘good’ English teacher depends not only on which teaching methods we choose, but

also what our relationship with the students is, how we treat them and what we think

about individual pupils in our class.

We may see then from the questionnaire what the current situation in Rožnov

pod Radhoštěm classes is and how the teachers teach. It could be seen as well what the

students of the English language think of their teachers.

The questionnaire for the students is meant for primary school pupils and is

divided into three parts. The first part is dealing widely with the teacher. We are

wondering what the behaviour of the teacher in the class is. It may also be very

interesting finding how the presentation of the new subject matter looks like. We could

see what the teaching ability of the teacher is. This part should reveal whether the

teacher concentrates on the whole class and if he/she prefers some students to the

others. We can find out whether the teacher is trying to be active in the class or if he/she

30

is uninterested. From the outcome of the questionnaire it will be evident whether the

teacher lets the students speak and asks a lot of questions, or if the teacher is less

proactive. Another outcome will show whether the teacher likes to be listened by his/her

class and mostly does not let the students ask the questions. This part is also dealing

with the teacher’s preference of some of the students. The result of this part of the

questionnaire will show how the teacher approaches his/her students during the English

lesson. We may see whether the teacher understands weaker pupils and whether he/she

treats them with the appropriate respect. Does the teacher push weak learners or does

he/she approach all the students the same?

The second part is dealing with the teacher and his/her ability to anticipate the

students’ problems. It will reveal how the teacher tries to motivate the students and how

the students feel in the class. We are wondering how the teacher teaches and if he/she is

able to understand the difficulties the students have. We are interested whether the

teacher recognizes the situation when the students need to slow down and on the other

hand when they are able to work quicker. How does the teacher act when the pupil

makes a mistake? It could also be very notable to see from the responses in the

questionnaire whether the teacher is able to teach what the students need and how a

‘good’ observer the teacher is. We may see also how kind and helpful the teacher can

be. It may be possible to judge the skills of the teacher in difficult teaching situations.

This part of the questionnaire discusses the personality of the teacher and his/her

behaviour to the teaching subject and to each single student too.

The third part of the questionnaire is dealing with the recognition of how ‘good’

the teacher is. It could reflect the situation of students’ feelings in the English lesson.

The students tell us how much they like their teacher’s way of teaching and how they

feel in the classroom when having an English lesson. The students can appraise the

teacher from their point of view. They can say whether they feel comfortable about the

English lesson and whether they are looking forward to having a next lesson. It might

also be a very interesting finding to see if the teacher deals with the students on the

same communication level as he/she is him/herself or if the teacher is put above the

children in an inappropriate way. In this part we discuss what improvements the teacher

does to have the lesson more interesting. We are wondering to see how the teacher

motivates the students to their work and whether he/she has a good attitude to his/her

31

subject. The students may tell us whether the teacher praises his/her students when they

are making an effort. We may also find out whether the teacher is able to change his/her

teaching into a more entertaining lesson by adding any practical game into his/her

teaching process. The teacher is also observed if he/she is able to communicate with

his/her students about other information and not only about the current subject matter in

the English lesson. That means for example the teacher’s interest in his/her students’

problems, interest in the school matters or the teaching of other teachers at school.

To sum up, the questionnaire aimed at pupils is generally divided into these three parts.

The I. part discusses: What is the behaviour of the teacher in the class?

The II. part discusses: How can the teacher anticipate the students’ needs?

The III. part discusses: How do the students feel about the English lesson?

7 The questionnaire for the English teachers

The following questionnaire is meant for the teachers of English language at

primary schools. It focuses on the teacher’s attitude to the self-studying and his/her

approach to the students. This may reveal teacher’s way of teaching, which techniques

he/she uses and how much the teacher is interested in his/her students.

The questionnaire for English teachers is divided into three parts. The first part

is dealing with the professional activities that the teacher is doing in his/her free time.

We may see whether the teacher is willing to learn new information about English

speaking countries and studies further the English grammar. In this part we would like

to know how much the teacher is interested in his/her subject and what he/she does for

improving his/her knowledge. We may also get to know how the teacher is responsible

for his/her own learning, studying new vocabularies, reading texts in the target

language, writing skills and training the pronunciation. The result of this part of the

questionnaire will show whether the teacher develops the effort to achieve any other

certificated exams in his/her professional carrier. Another outcome may reveal us how

much the teacher is interested in his/her colleagues’ teaching performance and if he/she

32

is willing to learn any new pieces of knowledge from them. Also the way of thinking

about the English language and the effort to express the ideas in the target language is

the proportion of this first part of the questionnaire.

The second part of the questionnaire is dealing with the school activities that the

teacher would like his/her students to do. We may see whether the teacher requires from

his/her students to think about their content of learning in a one-year plan and what the

students themselves expect to learn. In this part of the questionnaire we discuss the need

of reading the literature or any text in the target language, the need of having a separate

exercise book for the grammar, the vocabularies and other words connected to English.

That could be jokes, songs or only phrases that a pupil is interested in. Nowadays, it is

very important to preserve all the written assignments in a portfolio of the student where

we can see the students’ progress in learning the foreign language, his/her schooling and

acquirement of all the exams, his/her notes about learning and experience with the target

language itself. The student should also be aware that in our environment there are

plenty of English words and connections to the target language and we are wondering

whether the teacher drew the attention of the pupils to them. We may see whether the

students were told to find an English-speaking pen friend or not. A high amount of

students are interested in music and that is why they should not only listen to the songs

but also try to distinguish any particular words they hear. If the students know from the

teacher about the possibility to learn form the songs they can make a big step further in

studying the foreign language. The requirement of the teacher to listen to the radio or to

watch the television in the target language also seems to be quite important. This part of

the questionnaire could reveal whether the students were informed to acquire a good-

quality dictionary and to use it whenever working with the English text. The students

should be concentrated on such learning skill that is the most demanding from them.

Another outcome of the questionnaire may expose whether the student has got the

awareness of pros and cons of the group work in the class.

The third part of this questionnaire is made of four independent questions with

four possible answers. The English teachers can choose from the attached answers the

most suitable one for them. This part of the questionnaire is aimed at four different

problems. Firstly we are interested in the teacher’s behaviour in the situation when the

pupils are tired in the lesson. Secondly we may reveal what the teacher does when the

33

pupil answers incorrectly. Thirdly it should show the teacher’s acting when the English

lesson is slowly running out of time. And the last question is connected to the ability of

the teacher to motivate the students.

8 Evaluation

8.1. Evaluation of the questionnaire for the pupils

80 primary school pupils filled out the questionnaire. We can see how the pupils

answered all the questions. The questions/statements are evaluated one by one. The

results of the questionnaire are displayed in the graphical charts. Subsequently the

current situation at primary schools is assessed. Let us start with the first part which is

dealing with the teacher:

I. 1. Učitel vysvětluje látku a sedí přitom za učitelským stolem.

(The teacher explains the subject matter and sits behind the teacher’s table.)

26 pupils answered this question Ano (Yes) and 54 pupils Ne (No).

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

It can be seen that in most of the cases the teacher explains the current subject

matter and stands or somehow moves in the classroom. In my point of view, when the

teacher stands while teaching, it seems to be a better way of teaching. The pupils can

see that the teacher is not careless and appears to be more involved. The heterogeneous

class pupils may experience that the teacher is not indifferent and the students may feel

more relaxed in the class. We may deduce that the teacher teaches with enthusiasm and

also the students could learn with undivided attention. The theory is supported by

34

Jeremy Harmer in his book The Practice of English Language Teaching and in the

theoretical part 4.3 Be a good teacher.

2. Učitel je většinou aktivní a hodně se po třídě pohybuje.

(The teacher is mostly active and moves a lot in the classroom.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

We may see that the teachers are mostly quite active during the lessons. That is a

very good attitude to the students because they can see that the teacher is willing to

attract their attention. This quality is one of many that a good heterogeneous class

teacher should have. Penny Ur also states such feature in her publication A Course in

Language Teaching. We can find the annotation in the chapter 4.3 Be a good teacher.

3. Většinou v hodině moc nemluvíme a posloucháme výklad učitele.

(Mostly we do not speak much in the class and we listen to the teacher’s lecture.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

It is seen that more than one half of all the respondents do not speak very often

in the lesson but listen to the teacher’s lecture. This phenomenon at schools should be

changed as soon as possible. Good mixed ability class teachers may be less talkative

and may give more space for students to speak. Of course the teachers need the time for

their own presentation of the subject matter but they cannot forget that the students need

35

to practise enough what they have learnt. We can find this opinion in the book by Julian

Edge and in the theoretical part 4.9 What not to forget.

4. Učitel má rád žáky, kteří jsou schopní.

(The teacher likes those students who are apt.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

Most of the students’ answers are ‘yes’. We may find many teachers who show

their sympathy with those learners who are apt. This kind of subjective view of the

students could be seen quite frequently in the classrooms. The teachers should be aware

of the fact that when a student shows good knowledge it does not always mean that this

student ought to be somehow preferred or what is more is even superior to someone

else. In another minute some less achieving student can know the right answer and the

others cannot. Especially heterogeneous class teachers should try to avoid such

behaviour where the pupils could feel some favour on certain student. Penny Ur states

thoughts like this in her books. The reference may be found in 4.5 Be empathetic.

5. Učitel přehlíží žáky, kteří jsou méně schopní.

(The teacher overlooks those pupils who are less apt.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

Obviously teachers mostly do not overlook their less achieving pupils. That is

very essential for heterogeneous class teachers. Especially, when we can see that those

36

pupils who are less achieving, have lower self-esteem and need more help and

encouragement from their teachers. The teacher should be fair to all the learners and not

to show any marginalization. Luke Prodromou and Mary Underwood state this attitude

also in their publications. We may find the reference to the teacher’s attitude in 4.2

Motivate the students and 4.6 Encourage the learners.

6. Na všechny se ve třídě dostane – všichni jsou zapojeni.

(All the learners are involved in the teaching process during the lesson.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

To a certain extent the students feel being involved in the teaching process. But

almost one third of the respondents think that there is no time available for all of them

in the class. The teachers can try to use a list of all the learners and put ticks/dots to

those who have spoken during the lesson. Then the teacher may see how many pupils

were quiet or inactive and need to be called up. The truth is that the lessons are mostly

only 45 minutes long which is not sufficient. But still, the teachers teaching in

heterogeneous classes may integrate everybody in the teaching process. Also Natalie

Hess claims such a standpoint. We may find the reference in 4.8. Involve all students.

7. Učitel se k nám chová ke všem stejně hezky.

(The teacher behaves to all of us in the same nice way.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

37

These answers are very balanced. The majority of students state that the teacher

behaves to them in the same nice way. But the ‘no’ answers are alarming. It is quite

normal to have different preferences in different people but not in the teaching process.

In the mixed ability classes the teacher should be able to be highly objective and neutral.

The teacher who feels some failing may start changing it. He/She should realize the

things he/she needs to change and he/she should start practicing the equal attitude

towards all the pupils. The teacher should control himself/herself and should speak to a

colleague about his/her experiences with resembling issue, in the first place about the

right approach to the students. We may find this thought in the book Mixed ability

classes by Luke Prodromou and also in the theoretical part 4.6 Encourage the learners.

8. S učitelem je ve třídě občas legrace.

(The teacher is sometimes also humorous in the class.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

It might be seen that most of the teachers use humour in their lessons. Many

authors describe the humour to be an important part of the lesson. We can mention

among others them for example Péter Medgyes. When the students have to pay the

attention during the lesson, they naturally need to compensate the tension from a

difficult subject matter with a humour. Such a relaxation helps the students to feel more

relieved. That is why the heterogeneous class teachers who are not in favour with the

wit may study the publication Laughing Matters. The annotation can be found in the

part 4.3 Be a good teacher and 4.7 Use humour and joke.

9. Učitel si chce být jistý, že jsme všemu porozuměli.

(The teacher wants to be sure we have understood everything he/she said.)


38

0

20

40

60

80

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

61 responders out of 80 answered this question ‘yes’. That is a very good score

because the teachers seem to be perceptive to their learners. The teachers apparently

want to know whether the students know what to do and whether they understand what

the teacher tried to tell them. Of course it is often very difficult for the students to

understand everything in the target language. The very important feature of the

heterogeneous class teacher is to be able to verify whether all the students understood

everything that has been explained. This illustrates Jeremy Harmer as well. We may

find the reference to this in the theoretical part 4.3 Be a good teacher.

10. Učitel není příliš přísný na slabé žáky, ale podporuje je.

(The teacher supports his/her ‘weak’ learners.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

Supportive attitude towards all the students is one of the many features, which

the teacher should follow in his/her lessons. To support all the learners and not only the

‘weak’ ones, it should be the basis for every teacher and not only for the heterogeneous

class teacher. When the mixed ability students are supported by their teacher (even if

they do not achieve the best results in the subject) then their self-confidence is much

higher and also their will to learn increases. We can find this opinion also in books by

Penny Ur or Jeremy Harmer and in the theoretical part 4.2 Motivate the students.

39

The second part of the questionnaire for the students is dealing with the teacher’s

anticipation of the students’ needs.

II. 1. Učitel na nás pozná, když látce nerozumíme a vysvětlí nám ji znovu.

(The teacher recognises that we do not understand the subject matter and

explains it to us once more.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

We may see that the teachers mostly recognize how much of the subject matter

the students have understood and how much not. But on the other hand, one third of all

the respondents think the teacher is not able to find out whether his/her students need

more detailed explanation. This is very unfortunate because in the mixed ability classes

the students who do not comprehend so much could feel helpless. The teachers should

recognize whether the students really understand and check the comprehension of what

to do as often as possible. Jeremy Harmer has the same view of this issue and we may

find the annotation in the part called 4.5 Be empathetic.

2. Když udělám chybu, učitel se zlobí.

(The teacher is angry with me when I make a mistake.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

This result is very alarming. The majority of the students answered ‘no’ which

means that the teacher is not angry when the student makes a mistake. But almost a half

of all the respondents answered ‘yes’ which indicates that the teacher is not able to

40

control himself/herself and appears to be not very satisfied when the pupil answers a

question incorrectly. Particularly the heterogeneous class teachers should be very

sensitive to their assessment of the learners otherwise the less achieving pupils may get

afraid of speaking in front of the class. Only the relevant praising and encouragement

from the teacher instead of the reluctance could bring less stressed atmosphere into the

class. Penny Ur claims this idea and we may find the reference in 4.3 Be a good teacher.

3. Učitel nám radí, jak se máme lépe učit.

(The teacher advises us how to study more efficiently.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

The majority of the pupils state that the teacher advises the students how to learn

more efficiently or in an easier way. The teachers should be usually able to advise how

to learn when the pupils start studying a target language. But it is obvious that the

advice from the teacher is needed also during the entire educational process. Almost one

half of all the respondents claim that the teacher does not say how to study in a better

and more efficient way. In general, the heterogeneous class teachers should develop an

effort to pass on the students their knowledge of how to learn more effectively so that

the teachers could be sure that all the learners study appropriately. Penny Ur claims the

same opinion and we may find the reference to this matter in 4.3 Be a good teacher.

4. Učitel napíše na tabuli vše, o co ho poprosíme.

(The teacher writes on the board everything we ask him/her.)


41

0

10

20

30

40

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

These results are absolutely even. Half of the pupils answered that the teacher

writes everything the learners could need on the board and the second half claims that

the teacher does not want to write everything on the board. To write the current subject

matter on the board should not be a problem for any teacher. Writing on the board

should be the elementary practice for the mixed ability class teacher. Some less

achieving heterogeneous class students need to see the thoughts and ideas of the teacher

written on the board. These themes are supported also by Penny Ur and we find the

annotation in the chapter 4.3 Be a good teacher.

5. Když učiteli anglicky nerozumíme, vysvětlí nám vše jiným způsobem.

(The teacher explains everything in a different way when he/she finds out that

the students do not understand in the target language.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

The teachers seem to be very empathetic as they try to explain the subject matter

in a different way when the students appear not to understand. We may be satisfied

because then the heterogeneous class pupils can understand the task or something else

that the teacher intends the learners to do. An important thing for the teachers is to be

able to recognize whether all the learners have understood. We have already stated these

thoughts in previous points of this evaluation. The theory is supported by Luke

Prodromou or Penny Ur and the reference can be found in 4.3 Be a good teacher.

42

6. Tempo ve třídě je rychlé, často nevím, které cvičení zrovna probíráme.

(There is a very quick speed in the class and I often do not know which exercise

we are going through now.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

These results are quite disconcerting. The majority of the learners feel fine about

the speed in the class and know exactly which exercise is being done. But on the other

hand, a lot of the respondents may not feel very well because they do not know which

exercise is going over at the moment. The teachers seem to be not very cooperating with

their pupils and that is maybe because of the little time the teachers have in their

lessons. The teachers should help heterogeneous class pupils not to feel lonely on the

edge of the class but they should be able to actively integrate all the students into the

learning process. This attitude is supported by Penny Ur and the annotation may be

found in the chapters 4.3 Be a good teacher and 4.8.3 Individual work.

7. Potřeboval/a bych učitele, který by se mě ptal, jestli všemu rozumím.

(I appreciate a teacher who would ask me if I do understand everything.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

A lot of students really do not need a teacher who would be so empathetic to ask

them if they do understand everything that is being explained in the lesson. But we can

see that the rest of the pupils would appreciate such teachers who would ask them

permanently whether they really comprehend the subject matter or if they need a further

explanation. The ‘worse’ students of heterogeneous class pupils mostly require or

43

would be glad for a teacher who would be so kind to assist them in the classroom.

Jeremy Harmer states this theory in his books as well, and we may find the reference to

this topic in 4.5 Be empathetic.

8. Když učitel zjistí, že jsme unaveni, zahrajeme si zábavnou hru.

(When the teacher finds out that we are tired, we play an interesting game.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

We may learn that in most cases the teachers do not play an interesting game

when they see their pupils are tired. The teachers perhaps have a lot of things and

subject matter prepared, and as they would like to manage it all within their lesson they

do not find any extra space for a game. But how efficient is this approach? The students

probably need more relaxation when they are tired after several hours at school. And to

be able to concentrate on the subject matter for 45 minutes can be very demanding.

Every mixed ability class teacher should have some activities on hand in a case the

students are not able to keep the attention and are getting tired. Penny Ur and Jeremy

Harmer support these opinions. The references are stated in chapters 4.3 Be a good

teacher and 4.4 Arouse an interest.

9. Učitel používá obrázky a mapy, abychom vše lépe pochopili.

(The teacher uses pictures and maps so that we can understand everything more

easily.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

44

From the major perspective the teachers use pictures, maps or some additional

tools how to draw near the subject matter to their students. But 32 pupils out of 80

respondents claim that the teachers do not use these visual aids in their lessons at all.

We may deduce that the teachers are sometimes quite indifferent and do not put the

energy in bringing mostly large and heavy aids into their lessons. But these visual aids

could help some mixed ability class pupils to understand the subject matter better and

could help to stimulate their interests. Penny Ur advocates this standpoint as well, and

the annotation could be found in 4.4 Arouse an interest.

10. Když něco nevím, tak se nic neděje a učitel to respektuje.

(The teacher respects und understands when there is anything we do not know.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

It is apparent that in most of the cases the teachers understand that the students

do not always know everything. Everybody can be in a situation that he/she does not

know some response/information in a certain moment. That is natural and human. That

is why the teachers should stay absolutely calm and control their reactions towards the

learners. Of course the teachers want their students to know something when the subject

matter has already been discussed. But the students may have some indisposition and

need the encouragement from their teachers especially when teaching heterogeneous

class students. Jimmy Scrivener claims this approach as well and we may find the

reference in 4.3 Be a good teacher and 4.9 What not to forget.

The third part of the questionnaire for the students is dealing with the feelings of

the students about the English lesson.

III. 1. Náš učitel je vzdělaný a zkušený.

(Our teacher is well educated and experienced.)


45

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

The respondents think in most of the cases that their teacher is educated and

experienced. That is surely very positive because there could not be a professional

development and a relaxed atmosphere in the heterogeneous classes without well

educated and experienced teachers. To be a skilled teacher requires a lot of schooling,

knowledge, predispositions and a strong will. It is very important to work on the

constant improvement of the teacher’s competence as much as possible. These attitudes

are sustained also by Jeremy Harmer and Penny Ur. The reference to this issue is stated

in 4.1 Be an investigator and 4.3 Be a good teacher.

2. V hodině se často nudím, neboť mě výuka nebaví.

(I am often bored in the lesson because the teaching does not interest me.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

These results of the research are quite equal. 37 pupils are not bored in lessons

but the majority 43 students do feel bored in the lessons because the teaching/learning

does not interest them. We can see that the teachers should study more the methods and

approaches for heterogeneous classes because they maybe do not know how to motivate

the students properly. By and large the learners need to feel a pleasant atmosphere and

an unstressed environment. Harold E. Palmer and Natalie Hess also support ideas like

these. The references are written in 4.2 Motivate the students and 4.4 Arouse an interest.

3. Líbí se mi jak náš učitel angličtinu učí.

(I like the way our teacher teaches the English language.)

46


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

In the majority of the answers the students like the way their teacher teaches the

English language. Less than half of all the respondents think that the teacher is not a

good English teacher. This finding is quite disconcerting because we may see that the

learners are not very satisfied with the methods and approaches the teacher practices in

the lessons. The heterogeneous class teachers may find interesting advices in a book

The Practice of English Language Teaching by Jeremy Harmer and in the theoretical

part named 4.3 Be a good teacher.

4. Učitele zajímají i naše názory na školu a na výuku.

(The teacher is also interested in our opinions about the school and the

schooling.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

As we can see the teacher is mostly not interested in the students’ opinions about

the school and the schooling. This approach is more or less unacceptable in the teaching

process. The teachers should be able to speak about everything that the school concerns.

The subject matter, knowledge and results are not the only things the students would

like to discuss with their teachers. The students require discuss more themes. Especially

mixed ability class teachers may familiarize with those students who are not so skilful

in the target language. Joachim Appel supports this thesis and the annotation can be

found in chapters 4.4 Arouse an interest and 4.5 Be empathetic.

47

5. Učitel mě za moji snahu pochválí.

(The teacher appreciates my effort.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

These results show that most of the teachers praise their students for their effort.

To praise the pupils for trying hard should be the basis for every teacher. But generally

the heterogeneous class teachers should praise every small step or progress that the

pupil does in the lessons. We may find further reading in the publication Effective Class

Management by Mary Underwood or in the theoretical part called 4.3 Be a good teacher

and 4.6 Encourage the learners.

6. V angličtině mám dobrý pocit, hodně se toho naučím.

(I have a good feeling and I learn a lot in the English lessons.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

Most of the learners seem to learn a lot in the lessons. On the contrary almost

one third of all the respondents do not have a good feeling about the English lesson and

feel that they do not pick up much from their teacher in the class. We may seek the

problem in the students – they are not willing to learn, but also in the teachers – they

perhaps do not have the right attitude towards all mixed ability students. We could find

a lot of sage advice about effective class management in the books by Péter Medgyes or

Mary Underwood. We may find the reference to this issue in 4.7 Use humour and joke

and 4.8. Involve all students.

48

7. Když máme psát test, učitel nám to vždy řekne dopředu.

(The teacher always tells us beforehand that we will write a test.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

We could find out that the teachers mostly tell the students beforehand that they

will write a test. Only 23 respondents claim that the teacher predominantly does not tell

them about it in advance. It would be wise from the teachers to say to the students in

advance about the possibility of writing the test so that the students could be prepared

and perhaps they may have also better results. Mixed ability class students would feel

more confident if the teacher would be so kind and notices them beforehand. Penny Ur

claims also this standpoint and the annotation may be found in 4.3 Be a good teacher.

8. Probíráme pouze cvičení z knihy, málokdy děláme něco jiného.

(We study mostly from the student’s book and do not use any other source.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

From the major perspective the students also use some other material beside the

student’s book. One third of all the respondents do not use any other teaching materials

but go mostly through the student’s book only. The teachers should be more responsible

for the materials they use in the lessons. Especially mixed ability class teachers should

bring different materials to the classrooms because the students require different levels

of difficulty. Jeremy Harmer supports these points of view and we may find the

reference to the usage of different materials in the theoretical part named 4.4 Arouse an

interest and 4.8.4.1 Different material in groups.

49

9. Hrajeme s učitelem často různé hry spojené s angličtinou.

(We play games connected to English language quite often.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

The outcome of this research shows that in most of the cases the teachers play

games connected to English language. However a high number of respondents claim

that they do not play games in English at all. Playing games is one of the most relaxing

and interesting things the teachers can do with their mixed ability class pupils. The

atmosphere may relieve in the class when the teacher uses some nice game to play with

the learners. The only importance for the teachers is to choose such games that would be

suitable for everybody in the heterogeneous class. Similar points may be found in the

book by Penny Ur and in the parts 4.3 Be a good teacher and 4.4 Arouse an interest.

10. Učitel si s námi někdy povídá o našich problémech i mimo výuku.

(The teacher sometimes talks with us about our problems also outside the class.)


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pupils

Ano (Yes)

Ne (No)

In 59 cases the respondents answered ‘no’. We see that the teachers do not tend

to talk to their students somewhere else than in the lessons. However, speaking about

problems outside the class should be the part of the teacher’s profession. Unfortunately,

the teachers feel that talking to their students should only take place in the class at

school. But it is important that a good heterogeneous class teacher is able to talk about

student’s problems also behind the class’s door or somewhere else. The learners would

feel that the teacher is willing to understand their worries. Jeremy Harmer states this

50

principle also in his publications. The reference to this topic is in the part called 4.3 Be a

good teacher and 4.5 Be empathetic.

8.1.1 Assessment of the current situation

As might be seen the teachers monopolize the lesson quite often. The students

feel that they do not train the speaking skill so often in the class because they mostly

listen to the teacher’s lecture. The teachers are mostly revealed as quite indifferent to

the student’s opinions. There is not much time in the class to talk about learner’s

problems. On the other hand, the students appreciate their teachers for being able to

explain the subject matter in such a way that all learners understand. The pupils also see

their teachers to be empathetic to all mixed ability class learners.

8.2. Evaluation of the questionnaire for the teachers

15 primary school teachers filled out the questionnaire. We can see how the

teachers answered all the questions. The questions/statements are evaluated one by one.

The results of the questionnaire are displayed in the graphical charts. Subsequently the

current situation at primary schools is assessed. Let us start with the first part dealing

with teacher’s professional activities:

I. Please mark any number of these professional activities that you do in your free

time:

� I deepen/strengthen my knowledge of the grammar rules

12 teachers highlighted this activity and 3 teachers did not.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

teachers

Yes No

51

Most of the teachers strengthen their knowledge of the grammar rules. Only the

teachers who study the grammar and verify their knowledge may be good English

teachers. It would be really appropriate for heterogeneous class teachers to search for

such grammar rules in the books that are explained in the easiest way. Then also mixed

ability class students may understand the grammar better and quicker. The teacher may

also use different grammar explanation in different groups of pupils. Jeremy Harmer

supports similar ideas and the annotation can be found in the theoretical part called 4.3

Be a good teacher and 4.8.4.1 Different material in groups.

� I talk to other teachers about my experience from the teaching


0

2

4

6

8

10

teachers

Yes No

According to the results of the research 9 teachers speak to their teacher

colleagues about their teaching experience. None of the teachers should be so indolent

that he/she does not require any small discussion about the teaching process. The

teachers should be able to cooperate with their teacher staff. The teachers engaged in the

teamwork may discuss some new strategies for the heterogeneous classes or for

example may find out positive solutions for less achieving pupils. Jimmy Scrivener also

claims this idea and we may find the annotation in the part 4.9 What not to forget.

� I improve my pronunciation by listening to the cassettes or CDs focused on the

correct pronunciation


0

2

4

6

8

10

teachers

Yes No

52

We may see that the teachers mostly do improve their pronunciation by listening

to the texts focused on the correct pronunciation. It is obvious that the pronunciation is

one of the most difficult skills in the teacher’s practice. The teachers can learn the

pronunciation by listening to the cassettes, CDs or DVDs, by the repetition of the

sentences or texts etc. but it is always quite demanding. Only when training enough the

teachers may pass on the mixed ability pupils the correct pronunciation and articulation.

Jeremy Harmer states similar ideas in his publications and the reference may be found

in the part 4.4 Arouse an interest.

� I try to talk to a native speaker as often as possible


0

2

4

6

8

10

teachers

Yes No

From the major perspective the teachers try to talk to the native speakers as often

as possible. Talking to a native speaker is quite important for the teacher in getting to

know how much response time the teacher needs to answer quickly and correctly. The

teacher may find out as well whether he/she makes any mistakes while speaking. The

teachers should also motivate their heterogeneous class pupils not to be afraid to talk to

natives whenever there is a chance. Natalie Hess claims this thesis and the annotation

could be found in 4.2 Motivate the students.

� I write letters or texts in English language to improve my writing skills

1 teacher highlighted this activity and 14 teachers did not.

0

5

10

15

teachers

Yes No

53

We may see that only one teacher out of 15 writes letters or some texts in

English language to improve the writing skill. Writing should not be left out of the

teachers’ free time activities because the teachers use the board in the classrooms very

often. When the teacher would not use the board to write on, the less achieving mixed

ability class learners could have some difficulties in how to write some vocabulary

correctly to the exercise book. Using the writing at home a lot and also in the class

should be the fundamentals for every teacher. Penny Ur asserts these standpoints and

we may find the reference in the theoretical part called 4.4 Arouse an interest.

� I ask my students what they miss in my lessons and what they like about them


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

teachers

Yes No

The outcome of this research shows that in most of the cases the teachers do not

ask their students what they miss in the lessons and what they like about them. The

students’ feedback should be essential for the teacher’s work. The students perhaps

would like to do some activities more often or vice versa they might not like some of

them. The learners are not used to tell their teacher what they like or dislike about the

teaching, so the teacher should ask the students himself/herself. The theory is supported

also by Joachim Appel and Penny Ur. The reference may be found in the chapters called

4.3 Be a good teacher and 4.5 Be empathetic.

� I read literature and texts in English language


0

2

4

6

8

10

teachers

Yes No

54

The majority of the teachers read literature or texts in English language in their

free time. This finding is very pleasant. Reading is one of the four learning skills which

should also be a strong part of a good teacher’s competence. The teacher should be able

to read a text in front of the class without reluctance and of course without any

mistakes. Reading may also be used as an individual activity in the class. While the

mixed ability class teacher discusses some topic with one group, the other group might

be reading a story. Jeremy Harmer and Natalie Hess advice such standpoints and we

may find the annotation to this issue in 4.8.4.1 Different material in groups.

� I attend seminars for English teachers


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

teachers

Yes No

We might see that the teachers attend different seminars for English teachers.

This attitude is very wise because the teachers might obtain a lot of interesting

knowledge, new teaching activities or innovative approaches in the seminars. For mixed

ability class teachers it would be appropriate to attend the seminars for heterogeneous

classes. The teachers may gain various materials for different ability levels there. Penny

Ur holds this opinion and the reference might be found in the theoretical part named 4.1

Be an investigator and 4.3 Be a good teacher.

� I search for the information about English speaking countries


0

5

10

15

teachers

Yes No

These results show us that the teachers in most of the cases do not search for the

information about English speaking countries. The teachers should be able to find some

55

information, facts, figures, pictures etc. about English speaking countries. They should

bring it to the class for their students to teach them more about the culture and customs

of the target language people. Jeremy Harmer claims similar points in his publication

and we may find the annotation in 4.1 Be an investigator and 4.4 Arouse an interest.

� I increase my professional qualification by acquiring other certificated exams in

English language


0

2

4

6

8

10

teachers

Yes No

From the major perspective the teachers do not increase their professional

qualification by acquiring other certified exams in English language. Only six teachers

try to pass some certified examinations in English language to enrich their qualification.

When the teachers teach for several years at primary school only and do not have any

possibility to speak to a native speaker, their knowledge could be at a standstill.

Reaching some certificated exams should have a positive impact not only on

heterogeneous class pupils but also on the school manager. Jeremy Harmer stands this

opinion and the annotation may be found in the chapter 4.1 Be an investigator.

� I try to express my ideas in English language


0

5

10

15

teachers

Yes No

The majority of the teachers try to express their ideas in English language. We

may find teachers who talk aloud to themselves or those who speak to themselves in

their minds in English language. Every effort to express ideas in English language is

56

very valuable. Jeremy Harmer endorses in his books to deepen the teacher’s knowledge

anyhow and we may find the reference to this theme in the part 4.1 Be an investigator.

� I observe the teaching of other teachers and I extend my knowledge through this


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

teachers

Yes No

It may be seen that the teachers largely do not observe the teaching of their

colleagues. This result is a little bit disconsolate. The teachers perhaps do not have any

time left for attending a lesson of a teacher colleague. We should know that whichever

observation is quite contributing for each teacher. The teachers might see how other

colleagues deal with teaching the mixed ability class pupils. Jimmy Scrivener claims

that a teacher should learn from his/her mistakes and from his/her teacher colleagues.

The reference may be found in the theoretical part called 4.9 What not to forget.

The second part of the questionnaire for the teachers is dealing with the activities

that the teachers want their students to do in the lessons or in their free time.

II. Please mark any number of the following school activities that you require from

your students to do:

� To summarize the list of areas they expect to learn during the school year


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

teachers

Yes No

From the major perspective the teachers do not require from their students to

summarize the list of areas the learners expect to learn during the school year. The

57

teachers maybe consider this summary useless but through this the students could

realize how the teaching will run during the school year. The summary is quite

important for the pupils themselves because they may work on their own learner’s

autonomy and they can actively participate in the lesson plan. When the students work

individually they can adjust the learning to their own working speed and it may be very

beneficial for the mixed ability class students. This thoughts claim also Jeremy Harmer

or Penny Ur and we may find the reference to this issue in 4.8.3 Individual work.

� To write into an exercise book everything they learn every day at school


0

2

4

6

8

10

teachers

Yes No

The majority of the teachers do not require from their students to write into an

exercise book everything they learn every day at school. The students obtain so much

information during each school day that the necessity to write everything into an

exercise book is inevitable for them. And there is nobody who is able to remember

everything in his/her mind. The teachers should want their students to be responsible for

their own learning. This idea is also supported by Jimmy Scrivener. We may find the

annotation to this topic in the part 4.8.3 Individual work and 4.9 What not to forget.

� To read all the texts in English language as often as possible

All 15 teachers highlighted this activity.

0

5

10

15

teachers

Yes No

It might be seen that all the teachers require from their learners to read

whichever texts in English language as often as possible. This is very agreeable

founding. The teachers but also the students should read the English texts as often as

58

possible. The teachers should motivate the students very much to read or study at home.

Penny Ur also suggests in her publications to motivate the students so that they would

be interested in all four major skills including the reading skill. The annotation to these

points of view may be found in the theoretical part called 4.2 Motivate the students.

� To form all the grammar rules into a special grammar book


0

2

4

6

8

teachers

Yes No

These results are quite even. 8 teachers out of 15 claim that they do require from

their students to form all the grammar rules into a special grammar book. The rest of

them do not consider this activity to be important. The mixed ability class students

evidently need to sum up all the grammar rules otherwise it may happen that some less

achieving students could be helpless. The summary should help every student to

comprehend the English grammar better. To obtain a special grammar book is supported

also by Luke Prodromou and the reference may be found in 4.3 Be a good teacher.

� To keep all the written assignments in portfolio


0

2

4

6

8

teachers

Yes No

Most of the teachers want their learners to keep all the written assignments in the

learner’s portfolio. The portfolio may perfectly monitor the development of the

student’s knowledge in the target subject. The pupils should work with the portfolio

from the beginning and the teachers should encourage their learners to do so. Luke

Prodromou advocates this idea and the reference may be found in 4.3 Be a good teacher.

59

� To obtain a high-quality dictionary and use it when working with an English text

14 teachers highlighted this activity and 1 teacher did not.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

teachers

Yes No

Only one of the 15 teachers does not want his/her students to obtain a dictionary

but the rest of the teachers do advise their students to have one. None of the teachers

could easily teach without their pupils having a good quality dictionary. The teachers

should discuss with their heterogeneous class pupils which dictionary would be the

most suitable for them. Penny Ur maintains this position and the annotation to this issue

could be found in the theoretical part named 4.3 Be a good teacher.

� To realize which learning skill is the most difficult for them (writing, speaking,

listening or reading)


0

5

10

15

teachers

Yes No

From the major viewpoint the teachers do not want their students to realize

which learning skill dominates by them. Leading the pupils towards their autonomy by

learning should be one of the most essential challenges for the teachers. The learners

should be able to assess their learning and should know where they need an

improvement. Mary Underwood supports this attitude and we may find the annotation

in the chapter called 4.6 Encourage the learners.

� To listen to the radio or watch the TV in English language


60

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

teachers

Yes No

The major part of the teachers require from their students to listen to the radio or

watch the TV in English language in their free time. These activities could be very

sustaining when learning a foreign language. The teachers should tell all the students

how to study more efficiently and also what to do to deepen the target language

knowledge. Luke Prodromou and Penny Ur suggest similar points of view. The

annotation may be found in 4.3 Be a good teacher.

� To describe positives and negatives of the group work when learning at school


0

5

10

15

teachers

Yes No

Almost all the teachers do not want their students to describe the positives and

negatives of the group work in the class. The learners should know why they sometimes

learn in pairs, in groups and sometimes as a whole class. The teachers may discuss with

their learners why they study in these different ways and what are the advantages and

disadvantages of these ways of teaching. Penny Ur and Jeremy Harmer hold these

attitudes and we may find the references to these issues in the chapter 4.8. Involve all

students.

The third part of the questionnaire for the teachers is dealing with the teachers’

attitude to the students.

III. Please select only one of the following options that you tend to apply the most

often.

1. When the pupils are tired:

61

a) I try to accomplish the content of my teaching I have prepared within the

same lesson.

7 teachers selected this option.

b) I play an interesting game with pupils


c) It is difficult to continue, so I do not put further expectations on pupils

1 teacher selected this option.

d) Other suggestion (write it down, please)

None of the teachers selected this option.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

teachers

a) b)

c) d)

Mostly the teachers selected the options a) or b). They either try to accomplish

the current subject matter within the same lesson or they play an interesting game with

the pupils. Playing an interesting game connected to English would always be a

reasonable solution when the pupils are tired in the lesson. Trying to finish the content

of the lesson when the pupils are tired would sometimes bring a disapproving reaction

from the students. Jeremy Harmer and Penny Ur suggest using games meaningfully

connected to English language as well. The reference may be found in the theoretical

part named 4.4 Arouse an interest.

2. When a pupil answers my question incorrectly:

a) I am not glad and I am angry a bit because I have explained this subject matter

before


b) I re-explain the subject matter


62

c) I wait until the pupil answers correctly


d) Other suggestion (write it down, please): I wait until the pupil answers

correctly and then immediately re-explain it.


0

2

4

6

8

10

teachers

a) b)

c) d)

The majority of the teachers selected answer c). The teachers wait until the pupil

answers the question correctly. It may happen that a heterogeneous class student would

feel frustrated and under pressure if the teacher would wait until he/she answers

correctly. An appropriate solution could be to ask some other student to help to answer

the question correctly. Then the teacher or the students with the help of the teacher may

explain the subject matter once more. What is more, a good teacher makes sure that

his/her explanations are clear to every pupil. Penny Ur claims similar standpoints and

we may find the annotation in the chapter 4.3 Be a good teacher.

3. When my lesson is running out of time:

a) I hurry up because I have to finish my explanation of the current subject

matter


b) I do not hurry up and leave the current subject matter to the next lesson


c) I tell the pupils to study the current subject matter at home




63

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

teachers

a) b)

c) d)

We may see that the teachers mostly selected the option b) which states for

leaving the subject matter to the next lesson when not having enough time. The teachers

do not hurry up and thus the learners are not stressed out. So we may deduce that this

approach is the right one. When there is enough time for the explanation of the subject

matter and the teacher leaves part of his/her explanation also to the next lesson, the

mixed ability class pupils would not be feeling under pressure. Mary Underwood also

supports these ideas and we may find the reference to this topic in the chapters 4.3 Be a

good teacher and 4.6 Encourage the learners.

4. When I see my pupils bored during the lesson:

a) I try to motivate the pupils more


b) I have tried to motivate the pupils many times before but they still do not

want to study


c) I mention: “It is so quiet here!” or something similar




0

5

10

15

teachers

a) b)

c) d)

64

Almost all the teachers – except one of them – suggested the answer a). The

teachers try to motivate the students more when the teachers see their pupils quite bored

during the lesson. This attitude is admirable of course. The mixed ability class teachers

cannot be anyhow surprised or reluctant when the pupils are bored. The teachers should

make the atmosphere better in the classroom, they should try to raise the spirits of all

the learners. Any step towards refreshing the class atmosphere would be appreciated.

Jeremy Harmer, Péter Medgyes or Penny Ur claim similar points of view. We may find

the annotation to this issue in 4.2 Motivate the students and 4.7 Use humour and joke.

8.2.1. Assessment of the current situation

We may see that the teachers mostly strengthen their knowledge of the grammar

rules and read the English literature to improve their reading skill in the target language.

The teachers also require from their students to have a high-quality dictionary and want

their pupils to read the English texts and listen to the English language as often as

possible. On the other hand, the teachers are not interested in their students’ feedback.

Besides, the teachers mostly do not use the time for the observation of their teacher

colleague in his/her lesson.

65

9 Conclusion

It may be seen from the evaluation that the teachers’ attitude towards the

students could be a little bit improved in some cases. To help to do so, the teachers

could read more publications about the heterogeneous class pupils and about the right

approach to all the pupils. The teachers should definitely ask their students whether they

like or dislike the teaching of him/her and what the teacher might improve in the

lessons. What is more, the teachers should make some free time for the observation of

their teacher colleagues at school. We found out that the teachers should be more active

in searching for the information about the English speaking countries. The teachers may

also write on the board everything the pupils need. On the other hand, the teachers

attend the seminars for the English teachers where they have the chance to obtain new

teaching strategies and interesting information. What might be seen as a very important

feature is that the teachers are able to explain the subject matter in such ways that all the

learners understand.

We may say that the teachers should require from their students to do more

activities in the class – for example to write everything the students learn into an

exercise book or to think about the positives and negatives of the group or pair work.

The teachers should also support the learners’ autonomy by increasing the possibilities

for the students to work on their own and to realize what and why they learn.

Nevertheless, the teachers do require from their pupils to read the English texts as often

as possible. The teachers seem to discuss with their learners the necessity of obtaining a

high-quality learner’s dictionary. Moreover, the teachers do not hurry up in their lessons

and are able to discuss the subject matter with appropriate pace for all the learners.

The research has revealed that the students see their teachers being quite

understanding towards the less achieving pupils. The students appreciate their teachers

when they do not overlook such pupils who are less apt. The teachers mostly encourage

their less achieving students but unfortunately the teachers do not behave to all of the

students in the same nice way. In some instances the teachers should not monopolise the

lesson with their explanations too much. The teachers should be able to use the board in

66

the class more often. We may notice that the teachers are occasionally discomposed

when their learners make a mistake. The ability to control the teacher’s emotions might

be improved. The teachers should be perhaps more interested in the pupils’ opinions

and problems as well. A very pleasant founding is that the teachers want to make sure

that all the students understand their explanation. The pupils think that their teacher is

well educated and experienced which is a very positive observation. The teachers may

be more empathetic in such situations when the learners are tired and should try to

incorporate an interesting game connected to the English language. Being tactful and

also caring about the pupils’ needs should not be taken away during the schooling

process.

To sum up, in some cases the teachers do approach their heterogeneous class

learners in a right way and use appropriate teaching methods to involve all the pupils

into the learning process. Nevertheless, some teachers need to gain more experience

from their teacher colleagues or from the books aimed at mixed ability classes.

67

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Introduction - IS MUNI

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