Week Three Topic: The Multiage Classroom

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Week ThreeTopic The Multiage Classroom

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Objectives

• v to define a multiage classroom
• v to examine differing means of planning,
  assessing and evaluating within a multiage
  classroom setting
• v  to examine the issues surrounding multiage
  settings.

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Reading and perusal

• The Early Years of SchoolTeaching Learning
  (Briggs Potter, 1999) Chapters 4 13.
•  
• Lillian G. Katz on the Project Approach. Note
  her distinction between project, unit and theme.
• http//ericeece.org/pubs/digests/1994/lk-pro94htm
  l
• Implementing the Multiage Classroom
  http//eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/diges
  t097.html
•  
• Building Support for the Multiage Classroom
• http//eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/diges
  t114.html

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Quote of the day

• Children are not equally mature in all domains
  of development at any given time. Some will be
  more numerate or more literate than others. The
  mixture of age groups is beneficial to children
  because they can proceed at their own pace in
  their own time with less emphasis on competition
  and failure than there is likely to be in a
  traditional class.
• (Briggs Potter,1999, p.368)
•  

5

• Multiage or family classes refer to primary
  school groupings of two or three year levels or
  more.
• The multi-age class is different to other
  groupings in that there is no segregation of any
  kind and children are not labelled by age or
  ability. The teacher plans activities that are
  capable of meeting the needs of all developmental
  levels that is, not separating children into
  grades, age or ability groups.
• (Briggs Potter, 1999, p.363)

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Advantages of Multiage

• 1. Reduces the changes and related stresses that
  are associated with moving to a new grade,
  classroom and teacher each year.
•  
•  

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• Traditional setting
• children move up the grades
• have a new teacher, new rules and routines each
  year
• may be separated from their friends and known
  peers
• may feel nervous, uncertain and anxious about the
  change.

• Within a MAG setting
• no abrupt or definitive move from one grade level
  to the next
• same teachers, rules and routines
• same core group of peers
• known environment.

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Advantages of Multiage

• 2. Caters to childrens differing levels of
  development.
•  This is important because childrens emotional
  maturity does not necessarily keep pace with
  their academic achievements.
• (Briggs Potter, 1999, p.368)
•  
•  

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• Traditional setting
• Children very seldom develop across all areas at
  the same rate.
• A child may, for example, have very developed
  numeracy and logical thinking skills, while
  being socially reticent and withdrawn.

• Within a MAG setting
• classrooms allow children the ability to develop
  at their differing levels while remaining with
  their peers
• competition is not promoted.

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Advantages of Multiage

• 3. Supports those children with learning
  difficulties in a manner that does not single out
  the child.
•  

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• Traditional setting
• self-esteem may suffer through blanket
  expectations/competition,
• (implicit/explicit)
• children experiencing difficulties/those who are
  less mature are more visible to peers and adults
  
• Children may suffer from the underlying
  competition associated with expectations to
  perform/conform or repeat a grade.

• Within a MAG setting
• the self-esteem and self-worth of a child who is
  experiencing difficulties in particular areas can
  be fostered
• children experiencing difficulties/those who are
  less mature are easier to cater for in the MAG
  learning environment
• Children gain from interacting with a more
  diverse group and helping younger children.

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Advantages of Multiage

• 4. Supports the fast learners who can more
  readily accelerate their learning due to the
  range of material available within this setting.
•  

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• Traditional setting
• Materials may be regulated
• conformity tends to be encouraged
• children may be pressured to reach a set standard
• regardless
• fast learners may be held back
• potentially less freedom to comfortably move at
  own pace so more chance for behaviour problems
• potentially less opportunity to enhance social
  skills.

• Within a MAG setting
• Ready access to materials
• independence and self-direction are encouraged
• children work at their own pace, accelerate and
  extend their knowledge readily
• fast learners move ahead
• boredom, disillusion and disruptiveness is
  greatly minimised because children become
  independent in a more self-directed natural
  learning environment.
• social skills are enhanced as through opportunity
  to lead and mentor.

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Advantages of Multiage

• 5. Eliminates the trauma of being kept down or
  repeated.
•  

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• Traditional setting
• Children suffer through having to repeat a grade
  level I was kept back!
• Its public!
• they suffer from
• peer separation
• boredom of repeating non-problem areas
• innate knowledge that they have failed.

• Within a MAG setting
• Children suffer less trauma
• children work at their developmental levels
• a child of say, eight years may be working in the
  area of literacy at the six year old norm level,
  but working at the eight year old norm level in
  numeracy
• all children, regardless of their chronological
  age are a member of the MAG class so children
  feel comfortable working within a variety of
  groups within the class.
•  
•  

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Advantages of Multiage

• 6. Social development is enhanced because
  children interact and learn within a variety of
  group settings.
•  
•  

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• Traditional setting
• more teacher-whole class interaction, less
  opportunity for student-student interaction
• more opportunity to compete/less motivation to
  assist others
• less opportunity for social interaction and
  exposure to higher level linguistic models and
  mature behaviours of older peers
• teacher as authority
• less opportunity for independent learning and
  developing strong positive interpersonal
  relations.

• Within a MAG setting
• More opportunity to collaborate and develop
  social skills student-student interactions
• more opportunity to develop leadership qualities
  and cooperative values helping younger children
• younger childrens language skills and maturity
  facilitated via interaction with older peers
• teacher as faciliator
• facilitates independent learning more positive
  interpersonal relationships.

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Advantages of Multiage

• 7. Students more readily develop leadership
  skills through peer and cross-peer tutoring.
• -         Leadership and pro-social behaviours
  have been observed to increase in mixed age
  classes.
• (Briggs Potter, 1990, p. 369)
•  

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• Traditional setting
• Classes based on communicating information from
  teacher to large group
• authority of one person in charge
• members take in information and follow
  instructions (conformity and passiveness)
• new arrivals have to fit in with existing social
  groups without older peer modelling.

• Within a MAG setting
• Classes more closely resemble the natural social
  structures of families and villages
• members imitate, instruct, advise, direct, follow
  and respond to each others ideas
• new arrivals settle in and make faster progress
  (older models in group) than in traditional
  settings.

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Advantages of Multiage

• 8. Encourages greater responsibility because
  older children help younger children to enforce
  rules.
•  

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• Traditional setting
• In a single age class only a selected few have
  opportunity to exercise responsibility for others
• geared to encouraging competition
• implicit assumption that all are same age and so
  should be capable of achieving the same things
• potentially less opportunity to enhance social
  skills through caring for or mentoring younger
  children.

• Within a MAG setting
• More valuing of children as individuals and
  sharing
• Older children in mixed age groups are more
  likely to organise younger childrens
  participation without bullying (Stright French,
  1988)
• Most children at some stage will have opportunity
  to demonstrate leadership skills e.g. when caring
  for and mentoring younger students. (Briggs
  Potter, 1990)

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Advantages of Multiage

• 9. Allows time for children, parents and
  teachers to form a long-term relationships.
•  

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• Traditional setting
• Short term context room and teacher/s and
  commitment
• teachers less encouraged to form close
  relationship with students and parents
• not connected to younger siblings
• teachers view - new class next year

• Within a MAG setting
• Long term context and commitment
• more opportunity for close relationships to form
  between parties
• prepares the way for younger siblings
• sibling already familiar with the particular
  class context
• teacher/s in better position to cater for
  children through long term knowledge and
  relations with family.

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Disadvantages of Multiage

• 1. Teacher/s may not remain at a particular
  school for the required number of years.
•  
•  

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• Teacher transfer policy
• Due to a variety of circumstances, teachers are
  transferred from schools.
• If this happens with regularity, the smooth
  functioning of the MAG classroom will suffer.
• A certain continuity and stability of staff is
  required if multiage groupings are to function
  effectively and reap the advantages.

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Disadvantages of Multiage

• 2. Greater demands are made on classroom
  management and planning skills.
•  
•  

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• MAG teacher planning and organisation
• Teachers need to be extremely well organised,
  well planned and flexible.
• Teachers need to cater for childrens different
  stages and have activities planned that allow
  children to practise their skills, extend,
  consolidate, revise or revisit what they have
  learnt.
• Teachers need to promote MAG and communicate
  effectively with parents and community members
  and be able to welcome them into their
  classrooms as co- facilitators of learning.

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Disadvantages of Multiage

• 3. Potential for teacher/child or teacher/parent
  personality conflict is accentuated due to the
  extended time together.
•  
•  

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• MAG teacher interpersonal skills and confidence
• In spite of everything it is always possible to
  have personality conflict with a child or their
  parent.
• Potential conflict may be exacerbated if the
  child is with the same teacher for a number of
  years.

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Disadvantages of Multiage

• 4. Greater potential for narrowing of learning
  experiences over time.
•  
•  

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• If a teacher has likes and dislikes in curriculum
  areas this may reflect on the learning
  experiences they provide over a three year period
  e.g. music, drama, maths, HPE.
• BUT there is usually more than one teacher which
  typically allows teachers specialisations to
  come to the fore and school administrators would
  have a duty to monitor the situation.
• Team teaching, cooperative teaching.

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• Rural schools, one teacher schools, teaching
  principal schools are inevitably multiage!
• Rural school communities are often more accepting
  of the multiage classroom as traditionally they
  have never been any different.
• The isolation and locality logistics usually mean
  that these communities function on a collegial
  basis and the school setting is no different.

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Weighing it up

• The advantages of the multiage classroom setting
  outweigh the disadvantages.
• Multiage settings meet with criteria for
  Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP).
• DAP provides an educational program that is age
  appropriate and appropriate to the individual
  needs of the child.

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Weighing it up

• DAP considers the childs progression through
  developmental stages and is based on the
  assumption that learning must be child-centred
  and child-directed and that the teachers role is
  that of facilitator.
• (Hallahan, Kauffman, Lloyd, 1999, p.198)

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How to plan for Multiage 1

• Teachers of multiage classes need highly
  developed management skills. They need to be
  extremely well organised and be a manager of
  learning and people. Gaustad (1995, p.1) states
  that the teacher of multiage students needs an
  indepth knowledge of child development and
  learning and a larger repertoire of instructional
  strategies than most single-grade teachers
  possess.

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How to plan for Multiage 2

•  Teachers need to
• plan open-ended activities that are accessible to
  students at a variety of levels
• know when and how to best group children for
  tasks
• be proficient in assessing, evaluating and
  recording student progress

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How to plan for Multiage 3

•  Teachers need to
• be able to teach social skills and independent
  learning
• know how to plan work cooperatively (as team
  teaching is commonly combined with multi-age
  classrooms)
•  be able to explain multi-age practices to
  parents and other community members
• build understanding and support for their use.

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How to plan for Multiage 4

•  Teachers also need to
• Identify childrens abilities in each area of the
  curriculum areas
• ascertain the previous experiences of the
  children and their areas of interest
• make some flexible forms of stage-based and
  interest groupings

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How to plan for Multiage 5

•  Teachers also need to
• study curriculum requirements and determine which
  activities will be whole class activities and
  which will be small group activities
• create an appropriate physical layout of the
  classroom and the necessary learning centres.
• provide areas for independent learning. This
  might be as simple as a construction area for
  five year olds with blocks or a research area for
  seven year olds with information texts and
  computer access.

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•  
• Plan around a curriculum integration device
• e.g. project approach that has been generated by
  the childrens interest. Remember that planning
  for multiage is cyclic and therefore, the same
  curriculum integration device cannot be repeated
  for as much as three years depending on the age
  levels of the students.

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• When choosing a curriculum integration device,
  will it adapt to childrens different stages.
• Is it challenging enough for the older students?
  
•  
• Will it lend itself to independent extensions of
  learning?
•  
• Will it entice the younger children to want to
  know more?
•  
• Does it draw on the some background and prior
  experience from all age levels?
•  
•  

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Lessons might be introduced to the whole class,
then children guided through a variety of stage-
based activities. Teacher monitors learning
experiences and ensures that children are working
on activities that require minimal supervision at
times when s/he may need to introduce new
concepts to other groups.
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Classroom support

• Recruit as many parent and community helpers in
  the class as possible. They are an invaluable
  resource and help create a meaningful link
  between the school and the community.
• Timetable their assistance into the weekly plan
  for the class. Utilise their particular skills
  (e.g. woodwork, sewing, craft, music, gardening).
  

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• Program teacher aide time and consider how you
  can demonstrate to helpers how they can best add
  value to the learning situation.
• They will need to know the basic classroom
  routine and general rules.
• It is also advantageous to provide pointers to
  assist them to carry out the tasks you set
  successfully.
• Pointers may include how to constructively
  listen to readers, supervise learning
  activities and games, and respond to childrens
  squabbles or complaints etc.
• Try to ensure their experience is a successful
  one and their time and assistance is
  acknowledged.

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Adding value to volunteer helpTraining and
Recognition  

• Some schools provide training for their
  volunteers and issue certificates documenting
  skills such that the volunteer can then use the
  certificate in gaining paid work in the future.
• Besides MAG teachers and students saying thank
  you, the school may also participate in showing
  appreciation e.g. a morning tea once a term for
  all volunteer helpers.

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Planning on a daily basis  

• When planning for P-Year 3
• utilise the optimum learning time for young
  children wisely e.g. a block morning session
• during this time, external interruptions to the
  class are kept at a minimum and specialist
  lessons are scheduled for another time of the day
• be prepared to negotiate with specialist teachers
  (i.e. Physical Education, Music, Library
  teachers) to have these lessons in the middle or
  afternoon sessions.

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Checks and balances on curriculum  

• Ensure that the learning activities that are
  being facilitated by you as the teacher provide
  an appropriate balance of time between curriculum
  areas.
• Although the nature of the multiage class often
  precludes the strict demarcation between one
  subject area and another, the teacher needs to
  plan and facilitate the learning experiences in
  such a way as to ensure that the necessary areas
  of the curriculum are being given due attention.

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Classroom environment

• Ideally the multiage classroom needs
• floor space including a meeting area for
  children sit in circles or other groupings for
  discussions or story time
• work stations for such activities as reading,
  writing, computing, maths games and activities,
  puzzles and blocks, science, music, drawing and
  collage/construction, water play, listening and
  viewing
• sufficient resources to cater to the needs of
  children at different stages within the class

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Classroom environment

• Ideally the multiage classroom needs
• desks, chairs along with larger tables that older
  or bigger children will feel comfortable working
  at when in groups
• bright, stimulating and inviting interiors -
  childrens work needs to be celebrated and
  displayed inside the room.
• arrange for as many display and cork board areas
  as is possible.

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Classroom environment

• Ideally the multiage classroom needs
• activities and resources need to be readily
  accessible by the children
• children need to know the routine of the room,
  where to access materials for say, collage, how
  to operate computers effectively and how to tidy
  up their areas well
• outline safety considerations to children and
  reiterate them frequently so they know what is
  expected. (e.g. walk dont run, do not move
  around with scissors etc.).

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So what are the issues involved?
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• Study Activities
• Search and collect information on how to
  integrate curriculum areas when planning.
• How does New Basics integrate curriculum areas?
  Investigate Education Queensland website
  http//education.qld.gov.au/
• Revisit New basics curriculum organisers
• http//education.qld.gov.au/corporate/newbasics/ht
  ml/about/about_co.html
• 4. Investigate the Multiage Association of
  Queensland http//www.maag.org.au/
• (25.00 to join via the web)
• 5. Investigate Multiage links at
  http//www.multiage-education.com/multiagelinks/