Is your child going into a mixed grade classroom next year? Are you concerned about what this will mean for your child’ learning? Here is a list of benefits and barriers to learning in a multi-age classroom and a description of the type of student who benefits most from this arrangement.
Multi-age classroom.
Mostly this means that the class contains students from two grades. Sometimes it can mean that there are three grades in one class. One of the best classes I ever taught was a ‘three grade’ classroom. When a class is evenly divided between two or more grades the teacher knows that he or she has to have different expectations for each grade. It is when a class contains only one or two children from one grade that parents need to know exactly why their child was chosen to be in that class.
There can be many reasons for putting a child into a different grade- nt all of them are based on sound educational practice! So, if you are concerned about the class your child has been put in make sure that you get the information you need about why this happened.
Benefits of multi-age classrooms
* Not all children learn at the same pace. Your child might benefit from being with children who are at his or her level of learning
* Children learn from each other and older children can help younger children learn while benefiting their own learning. Teaching is a great way to learn.
* Having the same teacher for two or more years in a row can be a real benefit to a child’s learning. The teacher gets to know the child and time at the beginning of the year is not wasted.
* Multi-age classroom encourage responsibility for learning. Children are often given projects and expected to carry out research on their own
* Friendships – children can make friends with older or younger children depending on their maturity
* Sense of security – children feel less threatened by change and are able to concentrate more on learning
Barrier to learning in multi-age classrooms
* Noise level – because there may be children working on different projects at the same time it is easy for teh noise level to increase. A good teacher will make sure that it stays withing a ‘safe’ level.
* Rigidity of teaching – in a multi-age classroom teachers need to be flexible and open to new ways of working. Some teachers find this difficult to do and struggle to keep every child learning at capacity.
* Poor home school communication. It can be harder for teachers to let parents know what is going on in their classrooms when there is so much happening. Parents need to make an extra effort to learn what their child is doing in class.
What type of learner benefits most from a multi-age classroom?
Before I discuss this I want you to know that I loved teaching in multi-age classrooms. I found that they fitted my teaching style. So, assuming that you have a teacher who also enjoys teaching this way- these students will benefit most…
A student who …
* likes to work as part of a group
* makes friend easily
* does not need to be told what to do all the time
* comes from a multi-age family (has siblings) and is used to others having different needs
* Likes project work and the research that goes with it
What type of learner will find a multi-age classroom a difficult learning space?
A student who …
* is used to being told what to do and when to do it
* an only child who may not have had experience working with other children of a different age
* a child who likes to learn on their own
What setting is best for your child?
Next post I will be discussing how parents should react to the two types of classroom.
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About PatriciaPorter
Goodmorning. My daughter was place into a 5/6 split class this year. She is a 6th grader. I have been asking the district to place her back into a traditional 6th grade classroom since Aug 3, 2010. Since 3rd grade, when the split classroom came to our school, I had asked her current teacher if she was a candidate for this style of classroom and have always been told “no, absolutly not”. On all of her report cards (she is a solid C student, a few Bs) teachers have written that she is easily disstracted etc. We do know that her previous teacher started the “process” last year asking the children to “raise their hands” if they have never been in a split class before. This is very concerning to us, we have so many documents from past teachers saying she is easily disstracted, not a self starter, etc. We have been to the principal, past teacher (who placed her), the asst. superintendent, and Board of Education voicing our concerns. We strongly feel that the principal and past teacher are holding out because they are more concerned with other families and their protest (NEVER has anyone been able to take their child out of a split class in our building), then concerned about our child’s educational welfare…….we dont know what to do next, as we keep being told only our principal can make this change………there are 2 other 6 grade classrooms in our building and have 7 open seats between them. We are not requesting one particular room, only to have her in a traditional room where we feel a teacher is “there” for them 100% of the time, and there is not any other teaching (to the 5th graders) while our daughter is trying to concentrate and not be disstracted………..
any thoughts you have will be gladly excepted!! Jill Paris