Many educators have always recognized the fact that students have different learning abilities and varied level of cognitive understanding. However, in the actual classroom setting, some teachers feel a certain degree of frustration when some students cannot keep up with those students who learn the lessons fast remorse is what a teacher feels, believing that he failed to meet his teaching objectives.

            A heterogeneous class is a class which is varied in ability, knowledge of English, level of cognitive development, intelligence, and learning styles. As such, teacher should acknowledge individual differences in order for him to overcome problems and find effective strategies to meet the varying needs of the students.

The Great Characteristics of a Heterogeneous Classroom

 

• Students are exposed to a variety of types of people which adds to their social experiences (Watson, 1985).
• Labels and stigmas for students are more like to be avoided (Watson, 1985).
• Teachers can develop ways of effectively meeting the need of all students in a heterogeneous classroom.
• The differences between students in a heterogeneous classroom are loud and clear. Teachers will be more likely to try to acknowledge these differences, unlike in homogenous classrooms where the assumption exists that one method of teaching will fit all students.

The Problems/ Challenges of Teaching in a Heterogeneous Classroom

• An inability to meet the needs of students who are struggling or advanced at any given time (Reid, 1981).
• Classroom management issued as a result of students who are bored or lost with the content being taught.
• An inability to create an environment in which everyone feels competent.
• Every student has an opportunity to succeed. A single experience with success is enough for a student to approach new learning situations with confidence and motivation (Stronck, 1980).
• Opportunity to discover personal strengths and show multiple intelligences.
• Less frustration due to confusion or boredom.
• More sense of control over each student’s learning progress (Tomlinson, 1995)
• A greater understanding of each student’s ability to learn.
• The reward of having a classroom that allows equal opportunity for success for all students.
• Decide on a level of achievement that indicates “mastery”. Many teachers use 80% on a pre-assessment as an indication of mastery (Reis, 1998; Reis, 1992).
• Pre-assess students to decide who has already “mastered” the material.
• Plan enrichment activities or adjust content for learners who attain a mastery level.
• Use a record to keep track of the progress of the students.

In order to make learning in a heterogeneous classroom accessible to every student, a teacher must be willing to differentiate to a certain extent. Differentiation is challenging, but there are many benefits to both the teacher and the students.

Benefits of a Differentiated Classroom

 

Student Benefits

Benefits to the Teacher

In addition to having the right environment, a good plan, and constant assessment in the classroom; there are some strategies that teachers can use to differentiate instruction. One of these is Curriculum Compacting.

Curriculum Compacting is used when a teacher encounters the challenge of a student who has already mastered a concept that other students have not.

How:

Finally, here are some practical suggestions that teacher may find helpful in dealing with heterogeneous classes:

1. To vary activities, so that different learning-styles and levels are addressed.
2. To make them interesting, so that more advanced students won’t be bored by lower-level activities.
3. To encourage collaboration, to take advantage of possibilities of peer-teaching and learning.
4. To individualize choice, in order to allow flexibility in level.
5. To ‘personalize’ activities to allow room for self-expression of different individual learners.
6. To ‘open-end’ activities to create opportunities to respond at different levels.
7. To design tasks with a clear, easily-achieved success level for everyone, plus further optional extensions for faster workers.

By: Mr. Marte E. Legaspi Jr. | T – III | Bonifacio Camacho National High School | Abucay, Bataan