Edge of Chaos

"I encourage you to come to the edge of chaos and learn with the children what life is really about." Raymond H. Hartjen

Monday, June 25, 2012

Benefits: It Depends on Who is Asking




Having taught split classes for a number of years I would cheerfully welcome the opportunity to work in a multiage class. The benefits have been enumerated and elaborated upon not only in the readings within the confines of the current course that I am taking, but also in literature elsewhere.


As I reflected on one of the assignments/ creating a benefits chart, I was thinking of my teaching practice for the last number of years. My understanding of curriculum, student learning, assessment, and evaluation have changed over the years. Perhaps what has deepened the most for me is my knowledge of the continuum of learning. 

This is the part that I think would be the most difficult aspect of a multiage class. Ostensibly it appears that it would not be any different in a single-aged group, but I believe that given the age gap, etc. you would need to be extremely vigilant in terms of the development of each child. With a three-year age gap and associated range in development and cognition, this may be somewhat challenging to address. The interests of a ten-year-old may differ vastly from a thirteen-year-old for example.

Supporting teachers in a multiage classroom so that they have time to plan, prepare, and assess students in a multiage classroom is pivotal. It would require a commitment not only from the teachers involved, but also from the administration and the greater community. 

This, I believe is the answer to the question, "Benefits: It Depends on Who is Asking?" If we have the support of the key players involved, then obviously a multiage classroom(s) is the most beneficial to student learning in terms of engagement, success, ownership, and pride. However, if there is a lack of understanding of what multiage learning looks like and a lack of necessary supports and training, there might be problems in the future. 

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