We invited educators from around the world to share their questions about teaching teen English language learners. Dr. Jodi Crandall is here to provide answers!
Jodi is a Professor Emerita and Co-Director of the MA TESOL Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is also a Series Editor of multiple National Geographic Learning programs, including Impact for teen learners. In this post, Jodi responds to a question that’s probably on many teachers’ minds: How to group teens in class?
“Is it better to group teenagers with friends, so they feel more at ease, or with others so that they don’t get distracted talking about other topics in their L1?” – Silvia, Argentina
JC: You can benefit from using both groupings. Let’s say you want to ask your teens about their experiences related to one of the topics or activities in the book. If you group them with friends, they are likely to engage in a good conversation, mixing in their first or dominant language. That’s OK, but then they need to share with the class using English as much as possible. Keep the groups small so all will have a chance to speak. If there are more than three friends, divide them into groups. You may also want each of them to meet with three other groups.
Other times, you may want to assign them to groups based on a variety of factors:
- their interests as these relate to the topic
- their level of proficiency
- their strengths in each of the four skills — letting those who are best at speaking, reading, or writing work together
You can use the 1-3-6 model:
- Ask them to develop something individually. It may be answering a question related to the unit theme, an interesting photo, or an individual who is highlighted in the unit.
- Then have them share their ideas in groups of three to discuss their individual ideas and learn from each other (They could be friends).
- Lastly, combine two groups of three to come to a more comprehensive understanding (Make sure that the two groups do not have the same friends). Each person shares at least one idea. You may also want to ask each group of six to appoint someone to report to the whole class.
Note: Some refer to this as a 6-3-1 model, with six different individual ideas at the beginning, to small group discussions expanding their ideas in threes, and finally a whole group synthesis.
This model allows students to develop confidence in getting their thoughts together, then sharing them with a small group (and learning from each other) before discussing with a larger group. It also develops deeper understanding of the topic they were discussing. Provide a list of possible ways they can share, so that every student or group feels confident. Sometimes a list or a drawing can be a good way of sharing with the larger group.
It can be challenging to manage groups, especially if you want students to move to new groups. One way to manage this is to have all students in groups of three and have them count off: 1, 2, and 3. When you announce that it’s time to move to another group, have the 1s go to a group on the left; the 2s to a group on the right, and the 3s stay where they are. That way, everyone is in a new group.
Grouping strategies can make a big difference in how teens engage with English and with each other. Try out different models to see what works best for your learners — and don’t be afraid to adapt as you go.
If you found Jodi’s advice useful, keep reading…
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COMING SOON! We have an exciting professional development webinar in September: Beyond the Test: Real-World Assessment for Teen English Learners presented by Dr. Joan Kang Shin.
