In this video, two experienced teachers and one novice teacher are discussing what had happened in the novice teacher's Chinese lesson, on the ‘Million Walk for the Community Chest’. Pupils of different ability had been placed in small groups, but some found it difficult to work cooperatively with each other, and one girl appeared to feel very left out.

One important classroom strategy when catering for individual differences is to use group work, aimed at encouraging cooperative learning. But this can also introduce difficulties, because, for example, individuals in the group may come from different social backgrounds or may have very different learning needs. These differences, along with differences of ability, can become much more apparent when pupils are working in small groups, compared with whole class teaching.

In addition, if a teacher creates small mixed ability groups, the less able members of the group may easily become marginalized, because they cannot contribute as much as the others. This can reinforce feelings of inadequacy. In this circumstance, teachers need to do more than just create small groups, in the belief that this will lead to cooperative learning. They need to make sure that the groups are so arranged and group tasks are organized such that all pupils can participate. They also need to closely monitor that this is actually happening in each group.

Mentors need to be aware of these kinds of considerations, and be prepared to make positive suggestions, based on their knowledge of the pupils. In the post-lesson conference that you will see, the mentor raises important questions about group size, the setting of roles for pupils and pupil participation within the group. Is this simply a matter of behaviour management, or is it also intimately related to pupils learning? You may also notice the seating of one of the groups, and how that seems to affect one pupil’s ability to participate.

Another key issue that is raised relates to the purpose of teaching Chinese, which is not simply to concentrate on grammar and form, but also to focus on the meaning conveyed in a text.

In watching this video, try to bear in mind the points mentioned above and notice how they are raised by the participants in the post-lesson conference. Note down your reaction to the points that they make in their discussion.