Ten classroom-tested strategies for teaching learners with a wide range of ability levels.
# Teaching Students With Different Ability Levels
There is no doubt that we will see greater disparity in ability levels amongst the students in our classrooms. Teachers can expect to have classrooms that consist of a wider variety of ability levels than ever before. Having taught in multi-age and multi-grade inclusive classrooms for many years, here are 10 strategies that truly work.
Start With the Right Mindset
All the students in your class are YOUR students. That means it is ultimately your responsibility to teach them. Yes, you can use the support of the special education teacher, paraprofessional, learning specialists, and colleagues. However, your students should be spending most of the day with you, learning as much of the same material as their peers, and receiving their learning supports in your class to the greatest extent possible.
Create a Classroom That Welcomes All Learners
Give students the message that they belong despite any challenges they face. Help your students adopt a growth mindset and have regular discussions with them about individual strengths and areas for further development. Explain that everyone learns at different rates and in different ways, which will foster a greater understanding of variation in individual abilities. Teach them the power of adding the word 'yet' when they talk about something they cannot do.
Use Universal Design for Learning
Using the principles of Universal Design for Learning, design a class lesson that provides ways for your students of different ability levels to access, work with, and learn curriculum. Use multiple means of introducing the lesson such as showing a video, teaching a song, or reading a story. Use multiple ways of having the students interact with material to help them learn. Provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate their learning.
Plan for the Range of Learners
For each subject, think of your students who are working at grade level, who need support to work at grade level, who are not yet working at grade level, and who work beyond grade level. For some subjects such as ELA and Math, you will want to group students according to ability level. However, there are many opportunities for heterogeneous groupings as well. You can create groups based on interests, learning style, or preference.
Having taught in multi-age and multi-grade inclusive classrooms for many years, I can assure you that teaching students with a vast array of needs can be done. It requires the right mindset, the right strategies, and the right support systems. But when those things are in place, the results for every student in the classroom are remarkable.