X Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2018

The teaching of a foreign language for the children of our republic is one of the most important requirements in the process of implementing the future training of highly qualified specialists who actively speak a foreign language as a means of interethnic communication, both in the areas of professional interests and in social communication situations. Knowledge of a foreign language facilitates discoveries in the development of science and technology, the establishment of professional contacts with foreign partners, it provides an increase in the level of professional competence. Therefore, it is so important to study a foreign language from the very beginning effectively and with the maximum benefit for students. The variety of methods and technologies for mastering the English language leads to the need for an optimal choice of one of them or an optimal combination of complementary methods and technologies. In order to solve these problems, the teacher constructs the educational process with the help of various pedagogical ideas and technologies.

The topicality of the work is that now in the modern world with the development of technologies, communications between countries, increasing requirements for the level of knowledge and skills, teaching foreign languages at school has become increasingly relevant. The knowledge of at least one foreign language is increasingly required from school graduators. Therefore, to a foreign subject in school is given considerable attention. And since now school instruction in foreign languages is aimed at forming competencies, the purpose of which is to teach the student not only the ability to independently acquire knowledge, skills but also to teach to speak in a foreign language. Ability to speak is the main goal of communication in any language.

Interest in action research is growing, in part because it gives teachers the opportunity to learn and improve their own practice and because it gives them the opportunity to work together on common problems or everyday problems in their classes. Good research activities combine theory, practice, and meaningful application of research findings. Rehabilitation of actions promotes changes in schools, enhances the opportunities of individuals in cooperation with each other, encourages the reflection of teachers and considers new methods and ideas. Studies of actions tend to focus on a specific problem or problem that is addressed in one school.

Action research in educational activities focuses on three levels of research: individual teacher reviews, small groups of teachers or teams in one school or department, and school studies. In accordance with qualitative research, which focuses on a particular setting, most research on impact research is conducted in the same school. Thus, teachers rarely conduct research on actions involving several schools because of the complexity of the organization and the uniqueness of the set of settings or schools.

In school action research, the majority of the school community identifies the problem and conducts research along with a common goal-oriented aim. For example, the school focus on reading is the common goal of many elementary schools. Or teachers and administrators can join together in high school and try strategies to integrate cliques or groups of students to create a more collaborative environment.

One way to conduct action research is by individual teachers who seek to improve their understanding and practice in their classes. Quite often, individual teachers tend to learn aspects of their classroom that are unique to them and their students. As an example of conducting research on specific actions, a teacher can collect information by observing students in order to better understand their interests or behavior in a specific subject area. Alternatively, the teacher can choose or create simple tools or tests to collect information about students related to the problem or topic being studied. Individual study of the actions of teachers can be a useful tool for solving educational problems in their own conditions.

The object of the work is action research as a new technique to teach English at school.

The subject is a new approach of teaching English in multilevel classes.

The methods are bibliographical, practical analysis and questionnaire.

The main aim of the work is to investigate an action approach as a new approach in multilevel class at school and define its role in teaching English.

The objectives of the work are as follows:

to define the action research as an innovative technique in teaching;

to considerate the problems in classes with mixed abilities;

to look through the role games as an action research in teaching English;

to analyse the using role game as an action method in multilevel class

Investigating an action research as a new approach in multilevel class at school and define its role for teaching methodology of English language as a foreign language; also, the materials from the research can be used at the teacher training courses and will be practical for coaches.

1 Peculiarities and Types of Action Research in Teaching English in Mixed Classes 1.1 Action Research as an Innovative Technique in Teaching

Action research is a process of systematic research that allows people to find effective solutions to real problems encountered in everyday life [1, 121]. It had a long and outstanding pedigree, which covers more than 50 years on several continents [2, 256]. Historically, the term "action research" has long been associated with the work of the German social psychologist Kurt Lewin, to whom the development of the idea of investigating actions is attributed. At first he found that experimental methods were in many cases insufficient and unsatisfactory. Then he tried to find a method based on real people experience; since that time, research studies have entered the world of researchers.

According to Kurt Levin, action research is "a comparative study of the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action"; this type of research uses a "spiral step", each of which "consists of a circle of planning, action and establishing facts about the outcome of the action" [3, 43].

A more concise definition was given by Thomas Gilmore, "action research ... is designed to contribute both to the practical problems of people in the immediate problem situation and to the simultaneous achievement of the goals of social science. Thus, there is a dual commitment in research activities to study the system and at the same time collaborate with members of the system when it changes, in what is considered together as a desirable direction. To achieve this double goal, the researcher and the client need active cooperation, and therefore it emphasizes the importance of joint learning as the main aspect of the research process" [4, 160] .

O'Brien argues that "action research is a natural way to act and explore at the same time" [5, 153]. To make it clearer, Dick argues that action research is a true reflection of its names, because it is intended for the simultaneous achievement of both actions and research [6, 37]. This is critical for educational situations where teachers want to take action in the form of changes or improvements in their learning and at the same time develop an understanding that informs about the changes and is a complement to what is known.

Obviously, the role of research in the field of education research was recognized when Hutchinson and Lomax argue that action research is a study that "refers to broader issues of the curriculum and often to the administration and management of school and institutional changes" [7 , 85].

Carr and Kemmis devote much attention to the objectives of action research when they define it as "a form of self-reflective investigation conducted by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of this practice and the situations in which the practice is carried out" [8 , 203].

Burns acknowledges that the study of action is an influential tool for studying the school and class. He argues that the objectives of research in the field of education generally fall into categories that reflect research on action as:

a means of eliminating problems in specific situations or a few improvement of a certain set of circumstances.

means of on-the-job training by equipping teachers with new skills and methods, increasing analytical capabilities and increasing self-awareness.

a means of introducing additional or innovative approaches to learning and learning into a permanent system that usually prevents innovation and change.

a means of improving the normally poor communication between practicing teachers and academic researchers and eliminating the failure of traditional research to give clear prescriptions.

a means of providing a preferred alternative to a more subjective, impressionistic approach to solving problems in the classroom [9, 160].

Glickman says that the study of action in the field of education is a study conducted by the teacher-researchers to improve problems in their classes [10, 24]. In addition, Calhoun explains research activities as fantastic studies when she says that "let's study what's going on in our school and decide how to do it better" [11, 59].

Traditionally, research in the field of education involves making useful changes in teaching teachers or teaching students, or both. Teachers, as research teachers, often want to conduct studies in their classes or schools to improve their teaching, evaluate the newly developed theory of education or the implementation and evaluation of the educational plan.

According to Hopkins, the basis for selecting teachers' teacher training is based on the following criteria:

i) The main role of the teacher is in teaching and any research). The main role of the teacher is in teaching, and any research project should not interfere with or break this commitment;

(ii) The method of data collection should not be too demanding regarding the time of the teacher;

iii) The methodology used must be sufficiently robust to allow teachers to confidently formulate hypotheses and develop strategies applicable to the situation in the classroom;

iv) The teacher should be committed to the research problem being studied;

(v) Teachers should follow ethical procedures for research;

(vi) Studying in the classroom, where possible, should take into account the perspective when all members of the school community build and share a common vision [12, 167].

In teaching as research, teaching researchers accepted the term "action research" to refer to their particular approach to research in the classroom. So far, research has proven its suitability for education and has become increasingly important in educational organizations.

There are some characteristics of action research.

Many scientists have attempted to characterize research activities in terms of school research.

McDonough offers four characteristics of research activities as follows:

1. It is focused on the participants and reflects them;

2. It is a cooperation;

3. This leads to changes and improvements in practice, not just knowledge itself; and

4. It's context-sensitive. Research activities are conducted in the classroom by a particular teacher or group of teachers who work together to undergo changes or improve their learning and learning issues [13, 75-78].

In short, Creswell offers six key characteristics of research activities:

1. Practical orientation;

2. Own practice of the teacher-researcher;

3. Cooperation;

4. Dynamic process;

5. Action plan;

6. Separation of studies [14, 102].

Creswell argues that understanding the above characteristics will help the teacher to better design his own research to read, evaluate, and use action research published in the literature.

Then these two phases are divided into seven sub-steps as follows:

Step 1: At this stage, the problem is identified, evaluated or formulated, or simply a general view of the state of the matter that the participant wants to change or improve.

Stage 2: This stage is the time to establish the facts to provide a complete picture of the situation, to help the researcher clarify the nature of the problem.

Stage 3: This stage is connected and synthesized with a critical review of the problem in the second stage. It is aimed at reviewing research literature to find out what can be learned from comparable research, their goals, procedures and the problems they face. Usually at this stage the researcher generates hypotheses that try to enlighten some facts of the problem.

Stage 4: This is the stage when the researcher begins to gather relevant information to test the hypotheses proposed in the previous stage. However, it is important to note that this testing of hypotheses is not a statistical test, but an action that demonstrates the compatibility of evidence with hypotheses. Levin also suggests that even when someone has finished testing the hypotheses, he should keep the status of "hypotheses", not "conclusions", because he can face situations when these hypotheses are not applied.

Stage 5: At this stage, teachers and other participants in the joint team will discuss, discuss and make decisions about the choice of research procedures, including the choice of material, teaching methods, distribution of tasks, etc.

Stage 6: At this stage, participants participate in the implementation of the action plan. They determine the circumstances and methods of data collection, classification and analysis; they also jointly monitor the task and consider the selection of evaluation procedures.

Step 7: This step includes the interpretation of the collected data and the overall evaluation of the study. At this stage, the research cycle is likely to be repeated. At the end of each cycle, the study results are studied; some proposals and tests are proposed, etc. It is finally forecasted to be communicated to the public [14, 142-149].

Considering action research as an activity research, Nunan develops seven steps in the action research cycle:

Step1: Initiation – A problem triggers the idea of action research

Step 2: Preliminary investigation – Baseline data are collected to help understand the nature of the problem.

Step 3: Hypotheses – A hypothesis is formulated after reviewing the initial data.

Step 4: Intervention – A number of strategies are devised and applied.

Step 5: Evaluation – An assessment is carried out to evaluate the intervention. Some steps may be repeated.

Step 6: Dissemination – A report of the research is published. Ideas emerged from the research are shared.

Step 7: Follow-up – Alternative solutions for the problem are continually investigated [15, 237].

To make it simple, Gay and Airasian propose the basic steps in action research as follows:

Step 1: Identify topic or issue to study;

Step 2: Collect data related to the chosen topic or issue;

Step 3: Analyze and interpreted the collected data; and

Step 4: Carry out action planning, which represents the application of the action research results [16, 304].

In contrast, Creswell looks at procedure of action research as detail process with 8 steps as:

Step 1: Determine if action research is the best design to use;

Step 2: Identify a problem to study;

Step 3: Locate resources to help address the problem;

Step 4: Identify information to be needed;

Step 5: Implement the data collection;

Step 6: Analyze the data;

Step 7: Develop a plan for action; and

Step 8: Implement the plan and reflect [14, 163]

In brief, these above processes of action research are different from one another since they are either basic, simple or elaborate models. During the research, one may find models either more effective or less suitable than the other ones depending of particular situations and education settings.

Areas of action research in education

The problems related to education are originated in the school. Therefore the problem of action research in education is only related with the following fields:-

Teaching practices: This field pertains to actual class teaching. The problems are related with instructional technology i.e. method, teaching aids, homework and other resources.

Behavioral Problems: The ultimate aim of education is to bring desirable behavioral changes in the students. Sometimes, some students can start doing some abnormal behavior. The problems pertaining to this aspect fall under this field

Co-Curricular Activities: co-curricular activities are integral part of curriculum. The problem confronted is the inadequate application of them in school.

Administration and organization: Having a healthy environment in the school is a special need today. This is why the solution relates to the problems in this area is very important.

Evaluation: Evaluation is an important part of the teaching process. Valid and reliable evaluation is the need of the day.

There are some advantages of Action Research in Education

For teachers, action research can have several advantages. These include reflection on education practice, identification of strategies for improvement and acquisition of research skills. Collaborative action research has the additional benefit of engaging teachers and principals in joint work to improve education outcomes.

Action research aims at addressing an actual problem in a specific education setting namely the teacher researchers are studying a practical issue that will benefit education. Besides, teacher researchers engage in action research first and foremost because of their own situation rather than someone else’s practice. In this sense, they engage in “participatory” or “self-reflective teaching”; namely, they reflect on what they have learnt and what they can do to improve their own educational situation.

Teachers as researcher and students as change-receiver profit much from action research. When looking at educational dimension of action research.

Teachers investigate their own practice in new ways, looking deeper in what they and their students actually do and fail to do.

Teachers develop a deeper understanding of students, the teacher learning process and their role in the education of both teachers and students.

Teachers are viewed as equal partners in deciding what works best and what needs improvement in their classroom or classrooms. In most cases, solutions for identified problems are arrived cooperatively among teachers.

Teachers are often more committed to action research because they identify the areas they view as problematical and in need of change. Action research is an ongoing process and its strategies can be widely applied. Professional development and school improvement are core aspects for any teacher who engages in action research.

Teacher reflection can be conducted individually or in a school-based team composed of students, teachers and administrators.

Borgia and Schuler, admits the importance of action research in education by adding that action research:

encourages change in schools;

fosters a democratic approach to education;

empowers individuals through collaboration on projects;

positions teachers and other educators as learners who seek to narrow the gap between practice and their vision education;

encourages educators to reflect on their practice;

promotes a process of testing new ideas [17, 286].

There are several limitations to action research. Theoretically, action research can be either descriptive or experimental. Most action research studies use descriptive research designs but attempt to draw conclusions about the effects of an action on some outcome. Action research studies rarely employ experimental methods, such as the use of a control group or the matching or random assignment that give experimental studies their power. Conclusions about cause and effect are reliable, only when they are based on solid experimental research designs.

Another limitation is that most action research is restricted to one classroom or school, which means that the results cannot be generalized to other classrooms or schools. Thus, action research studies often lack both internal and external validity, useful for making policy decisions.

Action researchers work in the hurly burly of their own practice. Monitoring closely this practice as they are acting within it demands space and time which, almost by definition, the practice does not give easily. It is therefore difficult to maintain rigour in data gathering and critique.

Action research is carried out by individuals who are interested parties in the research. This fact has led to criticisms of the validity of the research process, with accusations of inevitable researcher bias in data gathering and analysis.

Unfamiliarity with research methods among scholars.

Action researchers frequently explore what may constitute adequate research methods at the same time as they are researching their practice. This kind of ‘on the job’ training and consequent ad hoc planning, has led to accusations of unreliability in data gathering. To some extent, this unreliability is inevitable, but the notion only makes sense in the presence of verifiably reliable data gathering. From this perspective, action research would claim that, flawed or not, the process provides the most reliable access to practice.

Action researchers draw attention to the notion of commitment. An action researcher must be committed to rigorous examination and critique of his or her practice. This, however, is a difficult principle. Commitment cannot be measured easily and the process will continue to be criticized because of this.

Action research produces results which cannot be generalized .This is true, but someone else’s ideas or conclusions can always be tried out by other persons in their own practice, to see if they work for them .

Representations of the process of action research may confuse, rather than enlighten-The range of visual diagrams of the action research process are of varying complexity and, perhaps, not always helpful.

They can give a false sense of regularity to the teacher. Action research is a messy process, with forays into territory only partially related to the main focus of study, aborted lines of inquiry and continual refocusing. Hopkins (1993) criticizes the tight, orderly representations as having the potential to ‘trap teachers within a framework which they might come to depend on and which will, consequently, inhibit independent action’. The rhetoric of action research may be confusing, or in contradiction with the main principles of the process.

1.2 Problems in Classes with Mixed Abilities

Mixed ability as used in English language teaching usually refers to the differences that exist in a group in terms of different levels of language proficiency. The differences which cause problems in heterogeneous classes are in language learning ability, learning experience, mother tongue, cultural background, preferred learning style, motivation and others. Even though students are grouped according to their placement test scores, their progress rates are bound to be at different levels. Due to the mentioned differences students react to the teaching material and teaching methods individually. It is difficult to find activities that involve all the students without some getting bored and others being confused, insecure or discouraged. Weaker students not being able to follow the pace, to understand information or to express their ideas and stronger students not being tolerant to them may result in classroom management problems. Thus, teachers need to have a range of strategies for managing mixed ability classes.

There is a temptation for the educator to focus on the more advanced students. Actually, whole-class instructions and standards as well as a single interpretation of ideas are common in a traditional classroom. On the contrary, in differentiated teaching we need to offer multi-level approach by adjusting the amount or type of input, by altering timing and type of teacher’s help, by varying support materials and by adapting the expected outcomes. In a differentiated class, the teacher uses a variety of ways for students to explore curriculum content, a variety of sense-making activities or processes through which students can come to understand and “own” information and ideas, and a variety of options through which students can demonstrate what they have learned.

Teaching the students separately is not a way out as far as we intend to build the sense of community in the classroom. Putting learners of different linguistic levels together for some activities, and apart for others is a possible strategy as it is assumed that heterogeneous grouping provides pupils access to more learning opportunities. Both weaker and stronger students benefit from cooperation in pair/group activities. When a strong student works with weaker students, the student can be a source of language knowledge in the group as well as peer-correction. So, learners of higher linguistic ability benefit from providing explanations enhancing their fluency while lower ability students are guided to reach higher levels of performance. Dealing with the same challenges, high and low ability students are supposed to work at the highest possible level. The participants are sharing and producing richer work than they might have done on their own such as: brainstorming (making sure that everybody’s contributed ideas are valued), prediction, completing sentences. Within collaboration students are supported by the variation of skills and abilities of their peers throughout the learning process.

Pairs or groups can be formed in different ways:

by matching questions and answers;

pictures and titles;

categories of the currently studied vocabulary (learners/educators, countries/capitals, authors/works, devices/inventors, etc.) [18, 231].

Ability grouping, on the other hand, is a possible way to differentiate activities. Groups of weaker and stronger students separated from each other are given different tasks. So the stronger and quicker students work with more complicated tasks, whereas the weaker students deal with a simpler task or work with the teacher as a group member supporting them and providing additional instruction and guidance. The teacher would then give each group a series of questions, based on each group’s appropriate level of linguistic readiness, related to the objectives of the lesson. Another way to group the students could be based on the students’ learning styles. The technique of working through group assignments, therefore, becomes a very important weapon in the armory of the teacher of a mixed ability class.

The ways to help weaker students are:

to give clear instructions using gestures,

to make sure they understand the task,

otherwise ask stronger students explain it in their mother tongue,

to allow thinking time and making notes before speaking activities,

to reduce the word limit in productive activities,

to give examples as model before writing activities,

to pre-teach vocabulary using visual aids,

to provide a rich variety of language and visual stimulants,

to allow using dictionaries within reading comprehension tasks,

to give a tape script while completing listening comprehension task,

not to overcorrect their mistakes to avoid discourage.

It is essential for teachers to monitor students by observing/conducting surveys/talking to them to reach their needs in a variety of ways and consequently to achieve effective teaching. Students’ involvement in the process of the establishing whole-class and individual goals makes these goals more attractive. It is important to give students the opportunity to express their ideas, feelings and experiences by personalizing the tasks. Though they may lack confidence or enough language knowledge, students have an area of strong interest that can be made the focus of their program. Making interest-based learning choice obviously promotes the comfort and confidence of the students and enables a learner to explore some area in depth and in ways that uniquely interest him/her. Actually, such a comprehensive discovery oriented project can be a useful option when any student wants to learn a great deal more about a topic. Knowing students’ personalities helps the teacher to prepare and adapt materials based on a meaningful context for all learners in order to make them relevant to students as individuals, which adds variety to the classroom environment and establishes a positive atmosphere.

A mixed ability class should offer all the students an appropriate challenge to help them to progress in their own terms. It is usually necessary for the educator to evaluate and adapt the materials providing activities to respond to the diverse student needs. The intent in doing so during some parts of a lesson is to make a task more achievable. Activities applying to different levels can be assigned at the beginning of a lesson, during group activities, or during individual assessment. Adapting activities to two or three different levels of linguistic difficulty enables the student to choose a more or less challenging version at which he/she can function so that they perform to their maximum potential. These are some ideas how we can differentiate assignments:

(stronger students – weaker students )

Filling gaps - multiple choice

Writing a letter – filling missing words into a letter

Describing pictures – pictures accompanied by a wordlist

Guessing the word according to its transcription – matching the word to its transcription

Persuasive writing - Informative writing

Unprepared speaking – prepared speaking

Spelling words – filling missing letters

Free writing – modeled writing

Sentence transformation – word ordering, etc [19, 43].

In order to solve the problems of mixed ability, teaching should appeal to all senses, all learning styles and all intelligences (linguistic, logical, visual, kinesthetic, rhythmic, intrapersonal, interpersonal and natural), developed by an American psychologist, Howard Gardner [20, 246]. To examine the cognitive styles in order to choose teaching methods and learning material it is advisable to fulfill a test (the one of those suitable is provided on-line: www.edutopia.org/multiple-intellegence-learning-styles-quiz). The variety and mixture of learning styles require the teacher to make use of a multi-sensory approach to choosing tasks in the classroom so the needs of each learner are met. Most of the assignments can be prepared appealing to all kinds of intelligences. The same activity might suppose multiple intelligences including creating with words, classifying, manipulating objects, listening, expressing feelings, discussing and referring to the surroundings. To exemplify, an academic investigation in the Internet to find answers to the set problem might involve sorting the material, debating as a process and an illustrated poster, a written work or an oral presentation as well as a movie or drama as a possible final product. It is commonplace that visuals are useful for all age and proficiency levels since learners are often interested in realia and visual aids like colorful images which can be used to stimulate speaking and writing. Thus, adjusting assignments to those specific needs will take into account students’ certain strengths and weaknesses.

Open-ended tasks or questions happen to be a powerful language learning tool. In contrast with traditional comprehension exercises they have a variety of possible correct responses instead of a single answer predetermined as being correct by the teacher. Unlike closed exercises such as Yes/No questions, these tasks allow each learner to perform at his/her own level and give them the chance to express themselves. ESL teachers can choose from a wide range of open-ended activities:

writing a letter,

ending a story,

response to a picture,

prediction from titles,

finishing sentences with a certain grammatical base,

brainstorming, etc.

Games, talk shows, quizzes, competitions, debates, drama hold an important role in ensuring learners’ interest in the lesson. Regardless of the differences among the students in terms of language level, they are motivated to use the target language while they are playing a game or participating in a role-play. While playing/debating/competing, attention is focused on the message and fluency instead of the language accuracy, correctness of linguistic forms, so the fear of failure is minimized. Besides, quizzes involving general knowledge might prove useful in mixed ability classes as they are based on learners’ general experience and personality rather than linguistic knowledge therefore participation is encouraged to a greater extent. A certain amount of questions need to involve simple vocabulary and structures in order to ensure fluent language production. This can offer students different ways to learn new content as well as help enhance a student’s motivation and skills.

It is also beneficial to encourage students to reflect on their own abilities by self-assessment. Portfolios/“can-do” record sheets/diaries/self-check pages are efficient way of dealing with mixed ability groups. The teacher may ask students to keep all the things they have done during the term including the extracurricular work and self-study. This record also shows the needs of the student for further progress. As a result, each student has a record of his/her progress during the term. Portfolios follow the student’s success rather than his failure and therefore add to the learning motivation. It means appreciating their good points, while helping them to improve on their weaker points. These papers based on syllabus criteria help learners record their achievements, reflect on difficulties and find ways of overcoming them. It might also make them improve their time management. This flexible learning tool supports their long-term efforts, increases their confidence about their abilities to learn language and the ways they learn it so they develop strategies to become more competent learners.

The following kinds of tasks can be used in action research as they unite the students of different levels of English skills.

1. One-minute paper - Individual reflection and cooperative review

Time: 1 to 5 minutes

Use: At the end of a lecture or to check comprehension. (Cooperative learning.)

Method: Ask students to note down for one minute what they understand the main point of the lecture to have been. They also write down areas of uncertainty. The students then discuss their notes with a person near them. Questions or areas of uncertainty can be posted on a discussion board.

Variations:

1. Main points: Students try to list three to five main points raised in the lecture. They then compare their list with others, working in small groups of no more than five students.

2. Muddiest points: Students write down the points that have confused them the most.

3. Collaborative review: Students work together to summarise the lecture in three to five points.

Notes: This is a useful strategy for students to be able to reflect on the lecture. It is also useful as a method of peer support and guidance. Linking this activity to a discussion board means students can raise their questions in a peer-led discussion moderated by a lecturer.

2. Graphic organisers

Time: 5 minutes

Use: To allow students to reflect on what they have learnt and to clarify gaps in knowledge. (Cooperative learning.)

Method: At the end of a lecture or a topic, provide students with a graphic organiser that has missing information. The graphic organiser can be a flow chart (processes), a branch diagram (hierarchies and categories), a mind map (ideas) or a table (relationships). Students are required to complete the graphic organisers. Working with the person next to them, they compare their organisers. Back in the large group, the lecturer can fill in the table with the students or show them the completed table.

Notes: Graphic organisers are a great way to simplify complex topics: students can see categories and sub-categories, the flow of a process or the relationships between ideas.

Students can also identify gaps in their knowledge.

3. Multiple choice

Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Use: To check discrete knowledge and to clarify gaps in knowledge. (Cooperative learning.)

Method: At the start of the lecture, present students with several multiple choice questions (no more than five) on the content you are going to cover, and have students discuss the answers. The use of electronic voting systems (EVS) works well here (see strategy 10 below).

At the end of the lecture, post the same multiple choice questions so that students can monitor their understanding of the lecture content.

Notes: If you are using an EVS, you will be able to quickly see if there are areas of confusion amongst the group.

Thus, modifying the content, the process, and the product of the basic curriculum is supposed to respond to the diversity of academic needs within mixed ability classes. Variety in the type of working groups, taking into consideration a learner’s intelligence preference, leveled materials, choice in presentation formats are differentiated teaching strategies that will make a classroom a welcoming and encouraging place to motivate English language learners, involve all students in the lesson and ensure their progress.

2 The Investigation of Action Research in Teaching English in Multilevel Classes at School 2.1 Role Games as an Action Research in Teaching English

Among action research we have already mentioned role play and drama. These types of work develop all kinds of communicative abilities, leads to activities that develop solutions to problems and skills of critical thinking, develop self-confidence and can be used in all kinds of multilevel classes..

In a role-playing game, children pretend to be someone else or speak like someone else using their own language skills and vocabulary. Role-playing can often be played out without special training in any lesson. This is especially important because it helps children get inside other people and understand how they feel and act. For example, pretend to be a seller, an apothecary, a fire fighter, a police officer, a doctor, an elderly person, etc. [21, 204].

A role-playing game can be simple or more complicated depending on the students' knowledge of the language. Different children can be asked to play many roles to facilitate discussion.

Drama helps students understand certain moments from life, because they play the role of others, respect and appreciate what others feel. This teaches students to communicate. Often students who do not speak in class or with an adult can express themselves in drama or role play [22, 127].

The drama can be based on stories that students have heard or read or on stories that are compiled by the teacher or the students themselves, or it can be a sketch from the work. Students can play very figuratively and play in a different way than adults can imagine.

After the action research, it is advisable to sum up some results in order to understand whether the meaning of both the setting itself and the educational orientation is conveyed to the students.

After the performance the discussion can be included:

About the heroes: 'Why did they act this way?'

About the ending: 'What would have happened if ...?'

About the continuations: 'and what do you think happened afterwards?'

Drawings, songs and poems based on the action research.

As an example of a theatrical setting, we will use the role games in action research.

The essence of the role-playing game is expressed in the fact that the game does not undoubtedly predict the end or the outcome. Interestingly, the members of the game are practically deprived of the ability to apply ready-made criteria and methods when making conclusions, and are required to show resourcefulness and initiative. Thus, students use foreign language vocabulary without thinking, simplifying syntactic systems, so that it is more clear to the interlocutor [23, 4].

Here are some of the roles that will be sufficiently interesting and effective in a role-playing game for the development of educational and cognitive activity of multileveled students in the process of teaching a foreign language in action research:

1. A person who really existed (the king, the prince, the leader of the insurrection, the military commander, the politician, etc.)

2. A fictional character (peasant, feudal, military, seller, etc.)

Preparation:

1. Planning the game.

2. Work with students:

- the title of the topic, the date of the role-playing game,

distribution of roles and tasks,

breakdown into groups, as needed - election of the jury, key players,

acquaintance with the goals of the game,

comment on goals and expected outcomes,

the configuration of the presentation of the material,

additional fiction,

as needed - consultations, rehearsals,

the production of important didactic materials,

a message on knowledge control.

Variants of knowledge control:

1. Evaluation for the work in the lesson, i.e. a specific role in the game in the work of their own group.

2. Assessment for preparing for a role-playing game (drawing, diagram, costume, crossword, news, etc.)

3. Work in the notebook during the game (recording games of other groups, table, time tape, main texts, etc.)

4. At the lesson - test work, analysis, dictation, etc.

Course of the game:

1. Organizational moment.

2. Role-playing game.

3. Reflection: an oral test at the end of the lesson, a questionnaire, an article in the school edition, an exhibition of creative assignments, etc.

Ways that can be applied in a role-playing game in multilevel classes:

1. Personification - maybe the real person will take part in the role-playing game as a teacher's assistant, a consultant, a jury member, etc.

2. Interviews - students ask questions.

3. Traveling is a test of cartographic abilities.

4. Historical message or a dispatch. Find out who had the opportunity to be the creator.

5. Historical document. Find out the creator. What kind of event are we talking about?

6. Story-telling ( metropolis, plant, cultural monument, etc.).

7. Text with blanks.

8. Crosswords, research, opinions, dates, etc.

Drama is the introduction of theater funds in the pedagogical process. Theatrical play, which is a theatrical component, is considered to be a harmonic combination of theatrical art (conventionality of attributes, features of pronunciation of speeches) with pedagogical progress in accordance with one's own goals (collectivity, distribution of roles, need for pedagogical leadership). However, the phrase "theater in the classroom" often frightens teachers, for example, it is associated with a lot of scenery, costumes, rehearsals. Just because of this, "theatrical elements" are used and are told. The task can in no case be replaced by entertainment, but it is possible to apply games to the absolute in faculty, extracurricular events, the school theater [24, 103].

Here are some ways to apply the components of theatricalization in the lesson:

1. Personification - possibly a living historical character will take part in the lesson as a teacher's assistant (consultant, guide, etc.)

2. "Who am I?" The adept draws a character, knows about him. students guess who he is.

3. Speech of a historical person (speech, program, laws, etc.)

4. Historical sketch - a small representation - the method of transferring historical information to pupils by means of role-playing in a pre-scripted scenario using theatrical attributes.

Preparation:

writing a script,

distribution of roles according to the level of language knowing,

preparing costumes and props,

rehearsals.

The period of the game is considered more fun for students and more difficult for the teacher. No matter how absolute and comprehensive was not the kind of modeled world, no matter how good the criteria and training of the players - all the same, the conduct of the game urges the teacher to have great physiological and mental stress in this kind of action research.

The key positive feature of the role-playing game is the probability of free communication in a foreign language.

To implement a role-playing game, decorations and props are important. The teacher introduces students to English speech clichés for modeling all kinds of communication environments in real life.

Lessons are role-playing games are training sessions for a wide range of uses that promote toughening of the motivation of teaching, the formation of cognitive work of adolescents, deepening and expanding knowledge, transferring creative educational material to the practical work of school students [25, 86].

There are all chances to be organized in various game forms: lesson-journey, lesson-excursion, lesson-fairy tale, lesson-presentation, lesson-interview, lesson-auction, etc.

Requests for lessons - role-playing games:

1. The need for the teacher's profound preparatory work for the preparation of a lesson scenario - games; modeling of actual all kinds of environments and relationships; the preparation of a group of consultants, professionals, the definition of specific tasks, and the criteria for evaluating them.

2. Selection of important equipment for the lesson, reference and other literature

3. Formation of role groups and setting before them educational tasks, ensuring independent work of students.

4. Preemptive introduction during the lessons of methods of "brainstorming".

5. Clear regulation of the time for assignments.

6. Expert evaluation of the work of the group on specific aspects:

a unique configuration of the presentation of the group's material, a study of the problem;

depth, compliance with the role frames;

adequacy of the content of the established learning task;

reasoning, validity of generalizations.

In this chapter, we will describe and analyze the English lesson in the 7th grade with the use of role play as an effective way of action research in multilevel class in teaching English.

Action research in the 7^th grade on topic «Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf»

Goal: to improve language skills in multilevel class by a role playas a form af action research.

Equipment: slides and pictures from the tale, clothes for the characters.

1. Organization moment.

Greeting, goals of the lesson.

2. Look at the board. Who is there? What is the title of the tale? What happened there?

Pupils answer.

3. Presentation of the role game:

“Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” by Roald Dahl, Revolting Rhymes

The author: As soon as Wolf began to feel

That he would like a decent meal,

He went and knocked on Grandma's door.

When Grandma opened it, she saw

The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,

And Wolfie said,

The Wolf: ``May I come in?''

The author: Poor Grandmamma was terrified,

Red Riding Hood:

Grandma: ``He's going to eat me up!''

The author:

The author: she cried.

And she was absolutely right.

He ate her up in one big bite.

But Grandmamma was small and tough,

And Wolfie wailed,

The Wolf: ``That's not enough!

I haven't yet begun to feel

That I have had a decent meal!''

He ran around the kitchen yelping,

``I've got to have a second helping!''

The author: Then added with a frightful leer,

The Wolf: ``I'm therefore going to wait right here

Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood

Comes home from walking in the wood.''

The author: He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,

(Of course he hadn't eaten those).

He dressed himself in coat and hat.

He put on shoes, and after that

He even brushed and curled his hair,

Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.

In came the little girl in red.

She stopped. She stared. And then she said,

Red Riding Hood: ``What great big ears you have, Grandma.''

The Wolf: ``All the better to hear you with,''

Red Riding Hood: ``What great big eyes you have, Grandma.''

The Wolf: ``All the better to see you with,''

The author: the Wolf replied.

He sat there watching her and smiled.

He thought,

The Wolf: I'm going to eat this child.

Compared with her old Grandmamma

She's going to taste like caviar.

The author: Then Little Red Riding Hood said,

Red Riding Hood: ``But Grandma,

what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.''

The Wolf: ``That's wrong!' Have you forgot

To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?

Ah well, no matter what you say,

I'm going to eat you anyway.''

The author: The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.

She whips a pistol from her knickers.

She aims it at the creature's head

And bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.

A few weeks later, in the wood,

I came across Miss Riding Hood.

But what a change! No cloak of red,

No silly hood upon her head.

She said,

Red Riding Hood: ``Hello, and do please note

My lovely furry wolfskin coat.''

4. The method of brainstorming. After the presentation, the teacher divides the class into 3 groups and suggests choosing a fairy tale and making up an another end. Students discuss and write down their ideas on a large sheet. It is also possible to use the poetic version of the tale.

Teacher. Divide into three groups and think about the end of some other tales. For example, "Three Pigs", "Cinderella", "Snow White" etc.

While working on fairy tales, students remember and use the necessary words, help each other.

5. Presentation of the endings of fairy tales.

6. Summing up.

2.2 Analysis of Using Role Game as an Action Method in Multilevel Class

The lesson was organized well, the goals are set for the lesson clearly. The role play was prepared in advance, so we note the close cooperation between the students and the teacher in this action research.

Active activities in the lesson are fully activated, as all the students took part, some in the scene, others in the discussion and in the brainstorming session according to their English level.

The lesson-presentation raises the psychological infusion of pupils, many pupils are eager to show their acting abilities and language skills. In preparation for the presentation, the participants practiced the pronunciation, as well as lexical and grammatical constructions.

Creating their own dialogues based on other fairy tales helped students use familiar and new lexical units, and also to repeat grammatical constructions in practice, sometimes spontaneously, thereby developing speech, intuitive use of vocabulary, helped to notice the mistakes of others. Thus, the use of role games and presentations greatly influences the dynamics of mastering lexical material, since in situations and memorizing whole phrases, stories, the use of learned lexical material is quickly recalled, the use of grammatical constructions looked natural, and not by any separate element of study, as proposed in the traditional approach to teaching English.

In general, the structure and methodology of the lesson fully corresponds to the aims of teaching English in a multilevel class. The lesson developed speaking, listening, the expansion of the vocabulary was of great importance, as well as the use of grammatical material learned in previous lessons.

The staging of a well-known work with an interesting ending also introduces students to the culture of a foreign language, enhances cultural competence, evokes the desire to participate in similar scenes in the future. Students with mixed abilities felt good enough as the used language as much as they could.

Carrying out role-plays in the English lesson is an action research in teaching students to speak, contributes to motivating the educational and cognitive activity of students, the development and use of visual aids by students (schemes, tables, collages, etc.) helps students to make logical and consistent foreign language statements. Hence, the game is an effective means of activating the educational, speech and cognitive activity of students in the acquisition of foreign language, which is very important in the teaching of all four language skills.

Of course, not all students speak at the same level, but such work forms the motivation for mastering a foreign language, supports interest in the subject, improves the quality of teaching and its effectiveness.

At the end of each role-playing game, it is desirable to summarize and do an analysis in which all participants in the process should be involved. The analysis can be conducted either immediately after the game, or after some short time, when some emotions will settle down. It is necessary to discuss the initial plan, what happened, the positive and negative aspects of the game.

The analysis promotes the accumulation of experience both sociocultural and communication. The analysis can be carried out in the form of a questionnaire survey of participants.

After the lesson, a questionnaire was taken for students of grade 7 to identify the achievement of the objectives of the lesson on the following issues:

The questionnaires were distributed to the students, and they were asked to answer questions with the help of "+" in the appropriate box "yes", "sometimes", "no". There were 14 students in the class

Table 1 Questionnaire on the action research in 7^th grade «Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf»

№	Question	Yes	Sometimes	No
1	Did you feel comfortable at the lesson?	10	3	1
2	Did you manage to apply your language skills in the role-play?	8	5	1
3	Did you improve your English?	11	3
4	Did you interested in this kind of action research?	12	2
5	Would you like to participate in more difficult task using this approach?	13	1

According to the table we can draw a diagram in figure 1:

Figure 1 Questionnaire on the action research in 7^th grade «Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf»

The investigation shows a great interest of students to the role-play as a form of action research. It can develop their language skills. All students can participate in the action and use their knowledge on their own level. They also can improve their skills, enrich vocabulary, use grammar patterns and try to reach out the strong students.

So, based on the analysis, we can conclude that action research in the English language classes of secondary school might be formed on the basis of theatrical productions, role games, debates, brainstorming and other teaching methods, which will also have a positive effect on general communicative skills, and cultural perception of the world.

Conclusion

The results of the research may suggest clarification of the programs or may lead to more questions. In any case, one of final tasks of a researcher is to exchange the results with others, both in informal and informal settings. The results can be transferred to other teachers both in the school and in other schools, or exchange information verbally, in presentations and conversations, and also teacher can write about his results. Writing can lead to further analysis, interpretation and a deeper understanding of the problem - and how to act on the conclusions.

As the name implies, the action research is action-oriented. The purpose of it is to influence the actions of teachers, their actions, beliefs and consequences especially in multilevel class; action research is aimed at both understanding and improving practice. Thus, at the last stage it is necessary to decide what steps need to be taken to change or improve the practice.

Action research is usually conducted to use the collected data to help educators understand or test new or necessary methods or paradigms for teaching or administrative management. A large research study focuses on evaluating new strategies or promising practices for their potential use in training. There are many ways to implement results of repeated search results in schools. For example, learning outcomes can be used in a classroom, school or district to improve learning, procedures, and learning outcomes and understanding the teacher's understanding of instructions, deportations and applications. Often, action research leads to new questions for learning, thus creating new forms of understanding and deeper ideas in practice. This is the practical nature of action research that contributes to most of the pedagogical improvement in schools.

As it was found out, with the help of the role game as an innovative approach to teaching English of action research, pronunciation is well worked out, lexical and grammatical material is activated, listening and speaking skills are developed in multilevel class. The game develops the creative, mental abilities of the student. It is supposed to make a decision: how to act, what to say, how to win. Teaching games help make the learning process of a foreign language interesting and fascinating. The sense of equality, the atmosphere of enthusiasm give the students the opportunity to overcome shyness, stiffness, get over the language barrier, fatigue. In any kind of activity in the lesson, teacher can bring in the element of the game, and then even the most boring occupation takes on an exciting form. It is the game is one of the strong motives for teaching a foreign language.

In conclusion we can say that we have reached the following tasks of the work:

defined the action research as an innovative technique in teaching;

considerated the problems in classes with mixed abilities;

looked through the role games as an action research in teaching English;

analysed the using role game as an action method in multilevel class

Thus, we can conclude that the main aim of the course paper was achieved.

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