Siddika Sabooni, a Language Consultant at Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), right, delivers a presentation on differentiated teaching strategies at the workshop held at the British Council in Jeddah, Thursday. — SG photo Sadiya A. Nadeem Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – The British Council held a workshop titled “One size doesn't fit all” in their premises on October 4, Thursday. Around 40 teachers from various nationalities working in universities, colleges, government and international schools attended the workshop to learn about differentiated teaching strategies in a mixed-ability classroom. Siddika Sabooni, a Language Consultant at Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), headed the two-hour interactive workshop. She was accompanied by Naeema Al-Ali, an English Language Lecturer at BIBF, and Zina Bowey, ELT Support at the British Council in Riyadh. According to Sabooni, the common problems faced by 95 percent of teachers around the world, including Saudi Arabia, in a mixed ability classroom are: some students are jumpy, some are quiet, some are talkative, some are overconfident, some have less attention span, problem of multiple intelligences, among others. Students who come from different nationalities and backgrounds also experience difficulty in adjusting with their classmates and coping with the school curriculum. Sabooni said teachers need to realize that every child is different; every child is special in his/her own way. She said in order to cater to every student's needs, teachers need to study their children and design “differentiated lesson plans” that focus not on individuals but groups. She explained that for each student to grow and to ensure that learning is taking place in the class, teachers need to move away from traditional teaching methodologies like whole-class grading and instructions, completing the lesson because the school schedule or the Ministry of Education demands it, cramming the entire lesson in a 45-minute class, among others. Sabooni further said that designing activities for students in a mixed ability class may be a tedious task, but it's not impossible if all teachers cooperate. The participants were advised by Sabooni to refer to Bloom's Taxonomy, a teaching guide based on Benjamin Bloom's broad classification of learning objectives, while preparing for a lesson, designing assignments or projects, and assessments. Participants at the workshop were given samples of model class assignments and a checklist to be used as a guide as they plan for “differentiated instructions” –– delivering the lesson in such a way that all students are able to comprehend effortlessly. They were also engaged in groups in a series of assignment-designing activities for a mixed ability classroom. Positive response was garnered from participants who were willing to execute the knowledge gained in their classrooms. At the end of the workshop, certificates of participation were also handed out to those in attendance. Sabooni has earlier delivered a similar presentation at International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) in Brighton, UK; an association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages in Dubai, UAE; and at the British Council in Riyadh and Dammam. For teachers to gain knowledge about the latest teaching methodologies, or to enhance their teaching abilities, the British Council regularly organizes workshops for them in different regions of the Kingdom under their project “English for the Future.”
