Using the National Curriculum

The work of a Basic Skills tutor today is very different to that of tutors ten years ago. We have more resources available to us, although we still help students write postcards and use cheque-books. Our understanding of how we teach even these relatively simple tasks has greatly improved due to the introduction of the National Curriculum.

However, teaching mixed ability groups has always been problematic. Historically, we taught on an individual basis, with the tuition revolving largely around worksheets. Tutors today are encouraged to develop group lessons which are both creative and interactive. The Curriculum offers a wealth of practical ideas but this remains one of the most challenging aspects of the work.

For those of you who are feeling weighed down by the Curriculum with its references and burdened by the need for differentiation in very mixed classes, here are ten tips to help any tutors teaching mixed ability groups.

Use ideas from the Curriculum

Use ideas in the Curriculum to help you prepare activities on a theme or topic that can be used at a variety of levels. This should be something that is familiar to the whole group. For example, television soaps, advertisements or supermarket shopping are all good themes. Some themes can be used for literacy and numeracy students in the same group.

Curriculum references

Use just two or three curriculum references to summarise the aims for the group in the session. Take these from the middle level for the group. Stretch the less able learners. Provide opportunities for the more advanced learners to consolidate their knowledge and share it with the group. Refer to the Sample Activities listed on the right-hand pages of the Curriculum.

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