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Article published In: Language Teaching for Young Learners
Vol. 3:1 (2021) ► pp.66–92

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Pedagogical challenges of foreign language teaching in mixed-age primary school classrooms

A teacher-researcher’s insights

 | University of Leipzig
Published online: 16 April 2021
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.19016.kos
Abstract
An increasing number of primary schools, mainly in western European countries, have established mixed-age (M‑A) classrooms due to the belief of the teaching community in the pedagogical and social benefits of this approach. In the area of foreign language teaching, the M‑A approach has gained popularity, particularly at the primary school level. However, despite the increase in the number of M‑A foreign language classrooms, the benefits of this approach remain unclear. This lack of clarity might be caused by the lack of research on M‑A teaching practices in foreign language classrooms. In this article, I first describe what M‑A classrooms are and address relevant research findings on M‑A teaching. At the heart of the article, I address in detail some important pedagogical challenges of M‑A teaching. Specifically, I consider in what ways and to what extent differentiated instruction is possible in these classrooms. Later, I discuss the issue of the “right” approach to M‑A teaching and provide some pedagogical suggestions.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1What are mixed-age classrooms?
    • 2.2General education research on M‑A classrooms
      • 2.2.1Research on cognitive and social benefits of M‑A classrooms
      • 2.2.2Research on teaching practices in M‑A classrooms
    • 2.3Research on mixed-age foreign language classrooms
      • 2.3.1Models of mixed-age language teaching
      • 2.3.2Research on peer interaction in mixed-age classrooms
    • 2.4Summary of research on M‑A classrooms
  • 3.Pedagogical challenges of M‑A language classrooms
    • 3.1Differentiation for students’ interests
    • 3.2Differentiation for students’ language skills
    • 3.3Differentiation through teacher’s scaffolding
    • 3.4Differentiation through peer interaction
  • 4.Some pedagogical suggestions for M‑A primary school language teaching
    • 4.1The “right” approach for a mixed-age primary school classroom
    • 4.2Combining same-age and mixed-age teaching
    • 4.3Tasks and storyline in M‑A primary school classrooms
    • 4.4Promoting peer assistance and peer mediation
  • 5.Conclusion
  • 6.Future directions
  • References
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