ALIYA remembers being labelled a ‘slow learner’ by her teachers, due to her low grades in secondary school. Amina recalls being called a ‘problem child’ by her parents who were called in often by teachers who wanted to report her disruptive behaviour in class. She found the classes boring — the work being done didn’t match her high ability. Aliya, on the other hand, had no learning problems as she discovered in secondary school — she just needed different teaching strategies to make learning easier.

Individuals are hard-wired to learn, to grow and to work. Yet many lose motivation early on in life when they are put into performance categories by teachers who do not possess the skill level to support them. Many teachers assume they understand the reasons behind low performance; very few dig deep into its causes or invest time or effort in solution-oriented methods. Mixed-ability classes are a natural phenomenon; no two individuals learn at the same pace. The challenge for teachers is to focus on differentiated learning strategies while communicating with all students equally. Many learners who revel in the teacher’s attention will display disruptive behaviour, for which there could be a myriad of reasons.

Teachers who communicate with everyone equally, don’t leave such students hungry for attention. Using pair work to engage high-ability learners in helping their peers come up to speed, lessens the load on the teacher in large classes. Rather than correcting their behaviour, teachers may want to connect with them by asking questions or have them summarise the content studied. Ongoing verbal communication establishes a rapport with the teacher and has a strong positive impact on motivation levels.

It is not only the students’ motivation, but also the teacher’s that determines learning outcomes. Research shows that teachers who are enthusiastic about their subject and maintain an ‘eager beaver’ attitude in class have students who learn through self-help. A teacher’s own motivation at work is directly correlated to students’ desire for success, hopes and aspirations. A teacher’s motivation, as well as their attitude, also affects the students’ receptiveness and response to feedback.

Few teachers investigate the causes of low performance.

In fact, the feedback style and techniques used in mixed-ability classes have a strong impact on driving learning. Most teachers try to give well-meaning but intuitive feedback which may not always go down well with learners who are resistant to being corrected. If teachers know their students well, they are in a better position to orchestrate feedback in a way that is non-judgemental, performance-driven and focused on outcomes rather than the personal traits of students. Teachers who have learnt to communicate negative feedback in a way that is palatable to the students — directed at their work and not their personality — are the ones who manage to inspire the students and earn their trust. Most meaningful, lifelong learning has its roots in inspiration that instils confidence and self-belief.

Since time immemorial, curiosity and inspiration have been the main catalysts for learning and innovation. As teachers focus on content, they often overlook the possibilities in developing learner autonomy. The real challenge for teachers is not to get children to study, but to increase their desire to learn, and this is a strategy that works at every age and level of schooling. Often, teachers who face the challenge of large classes resort to ability groupings which can be a dangerous strategy, as it sends the lower ability groups into a downward spiral. They know they are being categorised and benchmarked against their more successful peers, and the psychological exclusion they may feel could well last a lifetime.

Ability groupings also rest on the subjective opinion of the teacher whose skill and judgement is called in when deciding when and where to place a student, and how long they should stay with one group. Children are fast learners, sometimes regrouping is needed on a weekly or daily basis and cannot be done as efficiently as one would like. For many students, ability groups lead to decreased motivation.

Instead, a 10-minute window of personalised teaching can work wonders to get a child to ‘switch on’ to learning. After all, it’s personalised attention that students go to external tutors for. If we could try and replicate the essential bits of their tutoring experience within the classroom set-up, we may mitigate some of the learning gaps that are often thought to be related to ability rather than teaching strategy. The well-known adage, ‘if a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn’ is an apt solution and worth acting upon, especially in the current post-pandemic recovery time.

The writer is senior manager, professional development, at Oxford University Press Pakistan and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.
neda.mulji@gmail.com
Twitter:@nedamulji

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2022