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Language teachers know that remote teaching accentuates differences within a class. Students who need more time, repetition and reassurance can feel lost – unless we intentionally design for them. This guide explains how to support weaker learners online, assist struggling students remotely, and help language students who find classes difficult, all without slowing down the rest of the students. Using clear routines, inclusive online teaching and the right tools, you can create virtual classrooms where confidence and progress grow for every learner.

Start with clarity and differentiation in online language teaching

Differentiation in online language teaching begins with a precise understanding of all your students' needs.

• Run brief skill checks at the start of each unit (listening, reading, vocabulary, grammar); a handful of well-targeted items reveals where weaker learners need focus.
• Map access and conditions. Ask about device type, bandwidth and study environment to plan contingencies for low-tech days.
• Set one micro-goal per learner per week (for example, “Use three new adjectives to describe a photo.”). Small, specific goals keep momentum.

Remote teaching strategies for mixed-ability classes

Mixed ability is the norm online. Structure your lessons to reduce cognitive load and keep every learner engaged; again this helps support struggling learners.

• Use a predictable flow: Connect (review and warm-up) > Input (listening/reading) > Focus (language noticing) > Practice (guided) > Use (communicative) > Reflect (self-check).

Offer "must / should / could" pathways:

• Must secure essential outcomes for all learners
• Should consolidate skills for those ready to go further
• Could stretch confident learners without overwhelming others

Keep tasks short (5–8 minutes) and signal the mode clearly (listen, read, speak, write).

Scaffolding techniques for online language learning

Weaker learners thrive on intentional scaffolds that lower barriers and build independence.

Listening

• Pre-teach a handful of key words with visuals or quick gestures.
• Play audio in short chunks with a single purpose each time: gist, detail, then language noticing.
• Reveal transcripts only after the second listen to confirm understanding, not replace it.

Reading

• Set a clear purpose (“Find two reasons the writer gives for…”) before reading.
• Provide mini glossaries and encourage highlights and margin notes.
• Model skimming and scanning strategies with a quick think-aloud.

Speaking

• Share sentence frames and functional language (“I agree because…”, “Could you clarify…?”).
• Give rehearsal time with private voice notes before live speaking.
• Use small groups with roles (timekeeper, summarizer, supporter) and prompt cards.

Writing

• Co-construct a model paragraph, then move to guided writing with checklists and word banks.
• Encourage drafting and redrafting with a single improvement focus (for example, verb endings).

Online ESL support strategies like these are included in many tasks, making it easier to scaffold without reinventing materials.

How to engage weaker learners during online lessons

Engagement is a design choice. Create multiple entry points and safe participation.

• Offer varied response modes: chat, polls, reactions and voice. Let learners choose their on-ramp.
• Structure breakout rooms intentionally. Pair confident learners with developing ones, share clear prompts and keep instructions visible.
• Visit rooms to coach, not catch. Praise specific behaviors (“Nice turn-taking and great use of follow-up questions.”).

Inclusive teaching online is about psychological safety. Normalize effort and mistakes: “Thanks for trying that structure – let’s polish it together.”

Ways to motivate struggling students in virtual classrooms

Students are most motivated when their progress is visible and they receive constructive, concise feedback.

• Use quick, auto-graded practice for instant wins on accuracy.
• Keep teacher feedback focused: one or two points per task, delivered as short audio/video notes when possible.
• Allow resubmission with a success criterion (“Record again aiming for clearer word endings.”).
• Celebrate micro-achievements publicly (with consent) and privately to build self-belief.

Tips for supporting mixed-ability groups online

Build independence with targeted asynchronous supports.

• Post short screencasts (under five minutes) explaining tricky points.
• Share downloadable task cards or checklists for low-bandwidth days.
• Encourage weekly learning logs: What I tried, What worked, What I’ll try next.
• Use spaced repetition through assignable mobile practice.

How to adapt language lessons for different levels online

Planning for multiple levels is easier when you think in layers.

• Layer input: same topic, different text/audio lengths and complexity.
• Layer support: word banks, sentence frames and visuals for those who need more; open prompts for advanced learners.
• Layer outcomes: all learners meet the core objective; confident learners add a twist (for example, an extra opinion or example).

How to help low-level students in online classes

• Keep instructions concise and consistent. One slide = one task.
• Model, then co-construct before independent work.
• Use strategically: allow brainstorming in the first language, then pivot to English for performance.
• Provide accessible materials: readable fonts, captions, transcripts and mobile-friendly tasks.

Supporting your remote learners is both an art and a system. When you design with clarity, scaffold intentionally, and use the right digital supports, you can support weaker students remotely and online, as well as support struggling learners in language classes with confidence.

Anandi Vara was trained in teaching English in Kathmandu, Nepal before teaching at a monastery in Pokhara. There she taught students ranging from six to 10 years of age, both in groups and individually. Here she reveals the lessons she learned during her time there��– including how to avoid being perturbed by a cockroach attack.

Whatever you do: don’t freak out

It just makes everything worse. It’s easy for things to get overwhelming – a sense that can be made worse by the feeling of homesickness, especially if it’s your first time living abroad – but thinking rationally, and getting to the source of what’s causing the worry, usually helps. It’s important, as you don't want to share your fear in lessons because you’re the teacher and need to show confidence.

This was, however, tested to the limit when I had a cockroach dangled in front of my face. It took all my strength to stay calm. I gave an unimpressed look, thereby establishing myself as the figure of authority, which seemed to work.

Be aware of cultural traditions

It is important to remember that every country has its own traditions. I was teaching in a monastery, so I made sure to wear respectful clothing, even in the face of soaring temperatures. The more I learned about the Tibetan culture, the more fascinated I became by it. The students taught me how to write my name in Tibetan and the meaning behind it. I learned about Tibetan history and Tibetan culture.

I also found that the more I showed willingness to learn about the Tibetan culture, the more I bonded with the students, so that when it was time to teach, the students were more cooperative in lessons, engaging and participating more.

Teaching is two-way learning

There is so much I learned teaching abroad, both in the classroom and out. Making mistakes as you begin is only natural, but it’s whether you can learn from these mistakes that counts. No two students are ever the same so it’s a constant process of learning as you go. As a result, I learned about the environment I was in – from traditional prayer ceremonies to the Tibetan alphabet��– and about myself, notably organizational skills and a renewed curiosity about the English language.

Be Flexible

Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you’ve planned your lesson down to the smallest detail – if it doesn’t take, then it doesn’t take. I was only 10 minutes into a lesson once and I could tell that I was beginning to lose the students’ attention. Not only did it show that they were uninterested, it also distracted me from what I was doing. It was at this point that I threw out my existing plan and tried a whole new lesson: I had the students up on their feet and engaging with each other and, although completely improvised, it was very successful.

Patience is a must

During my one-on-one mentoring session, my student seemed to have no motivation. He wasn’t learning as well as the other students and had therefore given up. No matter what I tried, he refused to cooperate, but I didn’t let it put me off. I kept trying different methods until finally finding one that he responded to. I made sentence structuring into a game. It wasn’t anything fancy and consisted of scraps of paper with words written on them.

Although it took a lot of time to find the right angle, it was worth it because he soon realised that although it might take longer for him to pick things up, he would eventually get there and have a greater sense of accomplishment.

Why did I want to learn English? When I was 9 years old, I became sick of French at home and I decided to go for the "opposite": English. I fell in love with it the moment I started learning. Though I could not see the point in many activities we were asked to do, such as turning affirmative sentences into negative and questions, or transforming conditional statements, I was good at it and hoped that at some point, I would find the meaningfulness of those exercises.

Overcoming challenges in English language learning

I kept on learning English, but the benefits were nowhere to be seen. In my school, classes are monolingual and teachers and students all share the same mother tongue. However, translanguaging was not an option. I even remember being told to forget Spanish, my mother tongue, which was as ridiculous and impossible as asking me to forget I have two legs. Before I finished secondary school, I knew I wanted to take up a career that had English at its core.

From student to teacher: Finding purpose in teaching English

I started the translators programme, but soon I saw that it was teaching that I loved. I changed to that and I have never stopped teaching or learning. All the pieces fell into place as I was asked to use English meaningfully, as I started focusing on meaning rather than on grammar. And I made this big learning insight one of the principles and main pillars of teaching. Some heads of school wondered why I would not follow the coursebook. My answer, since then, has been: I teach students, not a book or a syllabus. Because I was focusing on using English with a purpose – using it meaningfully – the results were excellent, and my students were using the language. And they passed the tests they needed to take.

Teaching English with meaning: Moving beyond the coursebook

I used coursebooks, as every other teacher did, but continued to make changes that I thought would be beneficial to my learners. As I taught Didactics at university in the Teacher Education Programme, I was invited by some publishing houses to give feedback on new coursebooks. As I was told, the feedback proved to be useful, and I was asked to start modifying international coursebooks to fit the local context and design booklets to provide what was missing in these adaptations, until I was finally invited to write a series for Argentina.

In all the series I’ve written, my first comment has always been:�� “This is the result of my experience in several different classrooms, with different students from various backgrounds. This is a series by a teacher and for teachers and their learners. The focus is not on teaching, but on what is necessary for students to learn."

Flexibility has always been at the core of these series and my teaching as well. Sometimes students need more work on something, and in the Teacher’s book I included several suggestions for further activities, which I called “building confidence activities”.

Flexible teaching strategies and confidence-building activities

As I got involved with the GSE, I saw how it can help students learn much better, and how it can support teachers as they help learners. How so? Because it starts with a focus on using English rather than on learning about it, that is, learning about its grammar. I’ve shared my views on it with every colleague I can and it has been the topic of several presentations and national and international conferences. It’s a fantastic resource for both teachers and learners, but also for the wider educational community. When the scales were finally published, I remember thinking, “Oh my, I was born in the wrong century!”

I am still teaching English – working at schools as a consultant, designing professional development projects and implementing them, and yes, actually working in classrooms, teaching learners. After many years of teaching English, and still loving it, the best advice I can give is this:

Advice for English teachers

Teachers, we’re blessed in that we do what we love, and despite its challenges and hard times, teaching is absolutely rewarding. Nothing can compare to the expression on a student’s face when they've "got it".

Remember to focus on meaning, help learners become aware of what they already know and set a clear learning path that will keep you and them motivated. The GSE is the best resource and companion for this.