Camtree Digital Library (Univ. of Cambridge)
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Working in mixed-level groups
No full textContext: This study was conducted at Escuela Normal No. 1 de Nezahualcoyotl, a teacher training college in the State of Mexico. The focus was on addressing the challenges of teaching mixed-level English learners. The group consisted of 35 first-year students with varying English proficiency levels, ranging from A1 to B1 according to CEFR standards. The diverse language abilities, along with the need for collaborative learning, posed a challenge for both the teacher and students.
Aims: The project aimed to explore effective strategies for teaching mixed-level groups while fostering collaborative learning. Specifically, it sought to understand how students felt about working with classmates of different proficiency levels and whether a structured grouping approach could promote language development and teamwork.
Methods: Data were collected using student questionnaires, reflective journals, and classroom observations. The exploratory phase investigated students' attitudes toward mixed-level group work and their preferences for collaborative activities. Based on findings, an action plan was implemented that involved grouping students by proficiency levels using a colour-coded system, assigning specific tasks, and monitoring group interactions.
Findings: The results showed that structured mixed-level group work promoted greater cooperation and language practice. Students at higher levels took on supportive roles, helping peers with explanations and corrections, while lower-level students gained confidence through peer support. Observations revealed improved teamworking skills and increased participation from all students. Additionally, students reported feeling more comfortable and motivated to collaborate with classmates, which created a positive and inclusive classroom atmosphere.
Implications: This study highlights the potential benefits of structured grouping strategies for managing mixed-level classrooms. Teachers working in similar contexts might consider implementing flexible grouping systems to balance the needs of students at different proficiency levels. Such approaches can foster peer learning, improve teamwork, and encourage active participation, benefiting the entire group
Using letter tiles
Get PDFContext: The study was conducted in a private bilingual middle school in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The research involved a third-grade group of 22 students aged 14-15 with a CEFR B1/B2 English proficiency level. The students, accustomed to a fast-paced curriculum, attended four 50-minute grammar lessons per week. The teacher focused on letter tile activities, which she had previously used to encourage whole-class participation and motivate learners.
Aims: The research aimed to evaluate students' and teachers' perceptions of letter tile activities, particularly their impact on participation, motivation, and learning. The teacher also sought to explore how competitive elements of these activities influenced students' feelings and engagement.
Methods: The study used student questionnaires, peer observations, peer interviews, and reflective journaling. The questionnaire collected students' feedback on their preferences, experiences, and feelings regarding letter tile activities. Observations and interviews provided insights from colleagues, while the journal captured the teacher's reflections.
Findings: Most students enjoyed letter tile activities, found them helpful for improving English skills, and preferred working in teams. However, many described the activities as stressful, with some losing motivation when unable to win. While most felt challenged or motivated by losing, others felt disappointed or embarrassed. Peer feedback echoed these sentiments, noting the activities' academic benefits but also highlighting their competitive pressures.
Implications: The findings suggest that teachers using competitive classroom activities like letter tiles should consider incorporating collaborative elements to reduce stress and promote inclusivity. Other educators might design activities where all teams can earn points based on task completion rather than speed alone. Regular student feedback can guide modifications to ensure activities remain engaging and effective
Assigning effective homework
Get PDFContext: This study was conducted at Escuela Normal de Cuautitlan Izcalli, a teacher training school in the State of Mexico. The participants were 29 female students aged 19-21 at CEFR A1 level, studying English as part of a bachelor's degree in preschool education. They attended three weekly sessions of 1.5 hours each. Students were not completing homework consistently, which affected their progress, particularly after extended teaching practice periods.
Aims: The research aimed to explore how to make homework an effective and motivating learning tool. Specific objectives included understanding students' perceptions of homework, identifying tasks they preferred, and improving its effectiveness to encourage consistent completion.
Methods: The teacher used a student questionnaire, a teacher reflection journal, and a focus group to collect data. The questionnaire gauged students' opinions on the usefulness of homework, the types of activities they preferred, and their perceived benefits. A journal allowed the teacher to reflect on how she assigned homework, communicated its objectives, and managed student responses. The focus group provided deeper insights into students' preferences and challenges.
Findings: The initial findings revealed that homework tasks often lacked clear objectives, leading students to view them as purposeless. Many struggled with unclear instructions or found the tasks too difficult or time-consuming. Students preferred dynamic, creative tasks such as grammar games, listening exercises, and activities using videos and songs. They also expressed a desire for homework that aligned with their personal interests and practical skills like listening and speaking. In response, the teacher introduced a homework calendar, clearer instructions with explicit objectives, and tasks involving songs, videos, grammar exercises, and online activities. Students reported feeling more motivated, confident, and engaged. Notably, they found listening and speaking activities particularly beneficial for improving pronunciation and comprehension.
Implications: The study highlights the importance of planning purposeful, well-structured homework tasks that align with student interests and learning objectives. Teachers might consider using dynamic and creative tasks, clear instructions, and visual tools like homework calendars to motivate students and support consistent practice. Integrating authentic materials, such as songs and videos, can further engage learners and improve language skills
Helping children of different abilities to explain their reasoning and build on ideas in mathematics
Get PDFBackground and purpose: This study came from my observations of paired work with children of different abilities, where I found more able learners would frequently just tell the other child the answer. I also perceived that higher ability children saw little benefit to their own learning from group or paired activities.
Aims: My research focused on how to support children of different abilities to explain their mathematical reasoning and build on their own and each other’s ideas
Study design or methodology: I worked with children in two mixed-ability pairs from a mixed Year 3 and Year 4 class (ages 7-9). I recorded a baseline assessment which I analysed using T-SEDA codes. From the baseline I identified that very little dialogic talk was happening at all in the classroom. I then worked with the children to set ground rules for talk and to help them to develop a meta-awareness of the importance of dialogue to their own learning.
Findings: I developed “talking mats” which brought together stem sentences to support children in their dialogic interactions. A second cycle of data collection showed a substantial improvement in the amount and quality of talk between pairs.
Implications for practice: Explicitly explaining to the children why dialogue is important was a key element in improving the dialogue, particularly for the child of highest ability. Giving children the sentence stems gave them a structure which supported their talking. As well as giving them vocabulary to start them off, it appeared that the lower ability children felt that it gave them explicit permission to ask for help. By spending time creating the conditions for effective dialogue, they began to see it as an important element of the lesson and the learning in its own right not just a precursor to the worksheet
A case study inquiry into how dialogic practice influenced Year 7’s understanding of Britishness
No full textThis case study research concerns itself with controversies surrounding the Fundamental British Values (FBV) policy within secondary education and offers a persuasive case study which shows geography to be a promising subject for schools seeking a critical pedagogic response to the FBV policy. Dialogic practice in the form of students’ self-reflection was found to be influential in synthesising Year 7’s understanding of FBVs with strands of geographical learning. Finally, this research has purposefully positioned geography as a relevant and versatile subject, equipping students for life in modern Britain
Moving beyond exposition: an action research project exploring the extent to which Year 10 students’ appreciation of context might enhance their understanding of, and response to, poems studied for GCSE English Literature
No full textIn an educational climate where cultural capital, knowledge and literary heritage are prized, the requirement for GCSE English Literature candidates to show an understanding of the social, historical and literary context of texts studied is acknowledged to be a problematic area. This study, undertaken with a class of Year 10 students in a state-maintained, non-selective secondary school, examines students’ opinions and different attitudes to both the value of contextual knowledge and how to teach it. The implications of the study are that students respond powerfully to certain texts with minimal contextual background. However, the study also suggests that adopting a contextual close reading approach, where text and context are considered alongside each other, can assist students in harnessing contextual understandings and cultural capital to illuminate language and make meaningful contextual references
A case study exploring how Year 7 pupils’ understanding of India can influence their conceptions of place
No full textThis research explores how Year 7 pupils’ understanding of India can influence their conceptions of place. Findings reveal that pupils expected to learn about distant place through comparison to their own experience, a customary technique in both primary and secondary geography education, which fosters a binary understanding of the world, reinforcing ideas of ‘us and them’. By explicitly discussing the complexities of representation, place, and everyday life – concepts not usually addressed until A-level – pupils were able to dispel the idea of ‘a single story’, and began to develop empathetic understanding of the diverse reality of everyday life in distant places. India served as a contextual backdrop for their learning, and as they were exposed to more and more contemporary images and facts about India, the more they moved towards a continuum, rather than binary approach (Picton, 2008), and began to think in more relational terms (Martin, 2013)
“As clear as night and day”. Using models to aid students’ conceptual understanding of space and the Solar System in a Year 8 science class
No full textoai:library.camtree.org:20.500.14069/636Scientific explanations for basic astronomical phenomena such as the cause of night and day and seasonal variation are notoriously difficult for students to conceptualise, resulting in widespread misconception. Effective teaching of space and the Solar System often suggests the use of models as effective teaching tools. This case study, spanning six astronomy lessons with a Year 8 class, therefore investigates the impact of using seven common teaching models on enabling students to change their conceptions through implementation of a Collated Astronomy Test (CAT). The study also investigates how these students perceived the models in respect of their learning of astronomical phenomena, and provides a basis upon which possible results may guide future teaching of the Earth-Sun-Moon system and the Solar System
How do authentic materials representing LGBT+ identities impact on the learning of a high attaining Year 10 group studying French?
No full textI present a study of authenticity in language pedagogy and analyse the findings of action research into the effects of authentic materials representing LGBT+ identities on the learning of a high attaining Year 10 French group. Interactional authenticity between the language input and learners emerges as a principal concern, with focus given to the teacher’s role in its construction. Student work was found to demonstrate some interactional authenticity with source texts through relexicalisation, but conclusions on the emergence of ‘authentic voices’ remain unclear and complex. Points for further research into cross-curricular approaches and potential for LGBT+ advocacy in education are also suggested
Encouraging students to speak English in class
Get PDFContext: This study took place at the Escuela Normal de Tejupilco in the State of Mexico, involving 19 second-grade students (16 women and 2 men) in the third semester of Kindergarten and Elementary education programs. The students, at an elementary level of English (aiming for A2), struggled with speaking due to nervousness and fear of making mistakes, despite being hardworking and motivated.
Aims: The project aimed to identify the reasons behind students' reluctance to speak English and to explore strategies, activities, and materials that could encourage them to participate more confidently in speaking tasks. The teacher sought to create a supportive environment where students could improve their speaking skills without fear.
Methods: The teacher used a questionnaire, reflective writing tasks, peer observation, and lesson plan analysis to gather insights into students' feelings, preferred activities, and perceptions of the materials used. Peer observation allowed colleagues to evaluate her teaching strategies, and reflective writing encouraged students to share their challenges and needs. After analysing this data, the teacher implemented a six-lesson intervention focusing on pair work, varied speaking activities, and immediate error correction, supplemented with new materials such as images, videos, and karaoke.
Findings: The data revealed that students were not reluctant to speak but felt nervous, particularly about making mistakes. They expressed greater confidence when working in pairs and valued immediate correction, especially for pronunciation. Students responded positively to varied activities and supplementary materials like karaoke and pictures, finding them engaging and motivating. Pair work reduced nervousness, made speaking enjoyable, and fostered peer learning. Peer observations highlighted the importance of reducing teacher talk time and providing clear instructions.
Implications: This study suggests that promoting pair work, using diverse and engaging materials, and providing constructive, immediate correction can help students overcome nervousness and improve their speaking skills. Teachers may benefit from integrating student interests into lesson planning and creating opportunities for supportive peer interaction to build confidence in speaking