b. The Benefits of Using Tiered Activity
There are some problems that usually occur in multilevel language classrooms since the trainer is not able to precisely design the materials and
activities. They are commonly not aware of the different participant s’ needs. This
unawareness leads to the failures in achieving the teaching and learning objectives. There were some proofs that the English article writers of
PLUSWRITER Company had some differences so that the class was categorized into a multilevel classroom. In this research, the researcher designed the most
appropriate activity for the participants of this research. Tiered activity was offered as one of the appropriate activities to improve language skills of the
participants because tiered activities have some benefits. Graves 2000: 152-153 states that activities should build participant
s’ confidence and allow participants to problem solve, discover, and analyze. Tiered
activity lets participants involved well since it meets the participant s’ needs. The
easier activity is for the low participants and the more difficult activity is for the advanced participants. All of the participants are busy doing the activity that
meets their English proficiency level. They solve the problems inside the activity, discover and analyze the activity that agrees with their competence.
Consequently, all of the participants can do the activity. By doing the activity, the participants actually build their own confidence.
Tiered activity is also able to help trainer alleviate some problems happening in multilevel classroom. By using tiered activity, as what Bowler and
Parminter in Richards and Renandya 2002: 59 state, trainer does not need to use three different course books with one class: one for strong participants, one for
weak participants, and one for midlevel participants. Tiered activity can engage all of the participants with different proficiency level. Besides, participants are
more discipline since all of the participants actively do the activity that is relevant to them. The trainer also easily measures the achievement of each participant
because they participate actively in doing the activity. In addition, tiered activity can also produce the same or similar results of all the participants. Both of lower
participants and higher participants are interested in doing the activity and in achieving good results.
c. Deciding When to Tier an Activity
In relation to how to tier an activity proposed by Heacox 2002: 95, there are some ways in deciding the appropriate tiered activities based on the
participant s’ characteristics in a classroom situation or context. When some
participants need more time to work and other participants are ready for more advanced work, trainer should design tiered activities by challenge or by
complexity. When varied resources could be combined based on participant s’
needs and readiness, trainer should provide tiered activities by resources. When an activity in one material can lead the participants to have both basic and more
advanced outcomes, trainer should give the participants tiered activities by outcomes. When in achieving the same outcome participants are able to work in
some kinds of ways, trainer should support the participants with tier activities by process. When the activity allows the participants to show what they have
learned, trainer should tier the activities by product. Furthermore, there are also some options in distributing tiered activity.
Everyone may work on Tier 1. In this case, trainer should provide some activities according to certain topic to discuss. All the participants work on the first level of
the tiered activities. They are expected to be curious with what the next tiered activities have. Then, they automatically want to have more activities. However,
if they don’t, trainer should guide them to have the other activities. Another option is participants choose a Tier they want. In this option, the participants can
have whichever tiered activities they want to work on. This makes participants enjoy doing the activities although when the activities are actually not suitable for
them. Trainer may also put the participants into cooperative groups. Participants
are expected to have further discussion related to the topic they learn in group. This can be beneficial, but when there is a dominant participant in a group, this
option may not work well. This option has an error when other participants depend on the dominant one. Besides, the option of all Tiers for all participants
can be also implemented to get information about participant s’ achievement.
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