Jan 2 / Elizabeth Mack

Why do we combine like-levels in 1 of the 2 days per week?


The 5 research-backed reasons and what that feels like in class.


Methodology - or Madness? With proven outcomes in a fun and dynamic model, we’re the opposite of traditional language learning. And! At times, some elements, in either our model, curriculum or instruction, may cause learners to scratch their heads or, worst case scenario, feel confused and stop coming to class. No puede ser. (Can’t have that!)

The Goal: We're shedding some light on the why and how of various pieces of our model- so that we can get back to the business of having fun while learning!

Spoiler Alert: It’s how language works in the wild. Imagine you’re ready for your first trip to Mexico City as a Spanish learner, or a new team is showing up on the job site. The reality? You don’t arrive in a circle of people who all speak at your level. "Excuse me, umm, where’s my level 2 group in this restaurant?” 

Freestyle prepares you for real world scenarios. 

Now for the learning-science. [Caution: The following learning nerdiness may cause occasional clarity and improved learning.] 

1. Social and Peer-scaffolding  

Lower level learners benefit when they work with peers who are just a bit more capable. The more-able peer models the language and helps bridge the gap between what the lower-level learner can do alone and what they can do with support. This social scaffolding is widely applied in language pedagogy. 
(We warned you: it’s also referred to as the Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD.) 

2. The best learning happens through teaching

When higher-level learners explain or model language to help others, they consolidate and retain forms and vocabulary themselves (the “protégé effect”). Mixed-ability pairings produce mutual benefit rather than one-way help. 

While we’re here, check this out and how it also builds confidence, team-building collaboration and motivation.

So many wins! We must ask: Should you trust a model that does NOT provide an opportunity for like-level collaboration? (No, you should not.) 
Wait, there’s more:

3. Adjacent levels & varied practice improves long-term  retention

Mixing closely related skills or topics (e.g., similar vocabulary sets, verb patterns, or communicative functions) across a session helps learners discriminate forms and apply them in new contexts (ahem #construction) — which improves long-term retention. Combined sessions create an opportunity for productive ‘interleaving’ across adjacent (‘like’) levels.

Si~ you read that right: This strategy - closely related mixed levels -  improves long-term retention, and even problem-solving!
#ThingsYouMustKnow: Study after study shows that, despite benefiting more from this practice, learners tend to rate the technique as more difficult and incorrectly believe that they learned less from it. 

So, for the learner, it can sometimes feel like you’re out of your comfort zone (And you are! And your hidden potential lives in that zone!)

4. Levels represent a continuous cumulative  path

Our levels mirror ACTFL levels, and those ACTFL descriptors emphasize overlapping ranges and progression; adjacent sublevels share many targets (functions, grammar chunks), so combining Novice Low/Mid (Freestyle's Level 1 and 2) or Novice High/Intermediate Low (our level 3 and 4) for targeted practice proves to be pedagogically coherent.

5. The flipped model amplifies the value of combined sessions

Given our (new!) construction safety-focused video-based course, learners will now experience the occasional ‘flipped’ day 2! 

Because the lower-stakes knowledge transfer (input, vocabulary, short explanations) happens before class in a flipped model, in-class time can focus on interaction, peer feedback, and scaffolded production — exactly what mixed-level groups need to maximize gains. 

Meta-analyses and reviews show flipped classrooms increase engagement and make collaborative/individualized instruction more effective.

Conclusion

While it’s clear this pairing is mutually beneficial for both groups of learners in terms of language learning, we really love the collaboration benefits and teamwork skills that this learning environment breeds as well.

“Freestyle tricks us into learning - while we have fun!”
(yes, a real learner testimonial!…)