ESL teachers want to know

"Here is my dilemma: 36 kids in the class, 10 of whom understand quite a bit. 15 who don't
understand a thing, and the others fall somewhere in the middle. I have never done group
work before so I am slowly introducing it but it has been mayhem so far! Any suggestions
for this learning environment?"

At a recent TESL-NB meeting, we posed this question to the membership. Several

interesting suggestions were shared with the group. One pedagogy that has increased in
popularity is that of cooperative learning. More than simply "group work," according to
Spencer Kagan these techniques promote collective scaffolding and positive
interdependence (i.e., encouraging language development through specific communicative
tasks for small groups). Cooperative learning techniques such as brainstorming, think-pair-
share, round-robin, 3-step interview, jigsaw and so on (see suggested reading below for
more ideas) are great ways to teach learners of varied abilities. Related to these types of
strategies is peer tutoring. It is certainly not advisable to always place strong students with
less proficient students but sometimes this can serve as a very helpful method for certain
language learning activities.

Another teaching strategy mentioned in the group was the use of artistic sorts of activities
such as drama and art. Integration of role-play, dramatic reading, theatrical performance,
and even games such as charades is a great way to increase motivation and to include
learners of varied competency levels. More challenging parts can be given to students of
high proficiency and roles involving "more action and less talk" can be given to students of
lower proficiency.

Technology is becoming another popular tool used in the ESL field. If computers are
available, software can be selected to help beginning learners develop skills and vocabulary
and more complex content-oriented software can be used as an enrichment or research
activity for more capable language learners. The internet can also be a resource for
language activities and tasks appropriate for a multilevel classroom.

See next issue for suggestions for software for the ESL classroom

Great references:
High, J. (1993). Second Language Learning through Cooperative Learning. San Juan
Capistrano, CA: Kagan Cooperative Learning. (call # at UNB-F: P118.2.H53)

Bell, J. (1991). Teaching multi-level Classes ESL. Carlsbad, CA: Dominie Press. (call # at
UNB-SJ: PE1128.A2.B45)

TESL on-line

http://www.manythings.org/
As the headline suggests this site contains "Interesting Things for ESL Students. A fun study
site for students of English as a Second Language.
Word games, puzzles, quizzes, exercises, slang, proverbs and much more." The main page
lists a variety of activities suitable for ESL learners of a variety of levels. It also contains a
"daily page" with new activities like a proverb for the day and a quiz for the day (e.g.,
words beginning with "L").

http://www.eslcafe.com/
Everyone is probably familiar with the Dave Sperling's ESL caf - a dynamic and interactive
site containing loads of useful info for ESL teachers and students. From the latest TESL job
postings to interactive discussion forums, this website is one of the most popular ESL sites
around. ESL students can find information on idioms, slang and teachers can find great
ideas in the "idea cookbook."

http://www.eslpartyland.com/
Karin's ESL partyland is another idea-filled site for students and teachers of ESL. The
student pages are filled will quizzes, various thematic lessons, discussion groups as well as
links to other useful sites. Teacher pages are a means of idea sharing among ESL educators.
The question of the week (e.g., how did your parents first meet?) gives students a chance
to write and read about topics of personal interest. A quiz called "Name that Genre" lets
students match movie titles with their genre.