Multigrade Teaching and Learning

Cultural factors

Socio-economic factors

Benefits of multigrade teaching

Richer learning environment

>Greater community involvement.

>Development of health competition

> Greater understanding between learners and educators.

Co-operative Games

Co-operative games are fun ways for students to learn and practice their co-operative skills together. These skills are necessary for effective group work in a multigrade (and single-grade) class. These co-operative activities can be integrated into the program or may be useful between lessons, before a break time or when a particular skill needs to be practiced. They can also be used for the following purposes:

• Making decisions

• To practice sharing and taking turns

• To practice helping others

• For talking positively and encouraging each other

• Active listening and asking good questions

The value of any educational program will be judged according to how well it is able to achieve the goals of the program – whether the children actually learn what they are expected to learn and how well they have learned.

Inter – aging or the combination of children of different ages is more respectful of individual needs of learners and reflects real – life.

Formation of groups

The students group need not be a permanent one . It can be changed and divided according to the subjects.

The groups may belong to different grades.

Combined Class

The students in a combined class are divided according to their learning skills:

• The students are grouped according to the five categories mentioned above.

• For integrated subjects, multigrade teaching can be done in one group.

• Verification of follow-up work is essential.

Creating a Cooperative Learning Environment

Cooperative learning involves students working together in small teams or groups on a shared task to achieve a common objective. Each student may be responsible for a specific part of the group task and the group will only be successful if everyone does their work.

How children learn best and how teachers teach effectively

Methods Teachers Frequently Use

Lecture

Recitation

Discussion

Direct Instruction

Individualized Instruction and independent Study

Grouping as an Instructional Strategy

Self Directed Learner

Peer Teaching

Seating arrangement of the students

In the multigrade teaching classroom, the students are seated in a circle / in small groups. Direct attention or observation of the teacher is available in this type of seating arrangements.

The students get the opportunity to look at the teacher directly.

Prepared by:

MELYN J. MATA

IV-4

BEED

Benefits

Cooperative Learning Skills

• It enables children to be grouped by need, ability, or interest, not just by age.
• It builds leadership and responsibility in older children.
• It solidifies the skills of older children because they have the experience of teaching and working with younger children.
• It stimulates younger children through working with older children.
• It increases social experiences. Students have a broader social experience with increased opportunities to lead, follow, collaborate, and foster peer relationships.

Techniques in Multigrade teaching

In multigrade teaching, the teacher applies techniques according to his professional skill and experience

In multigrade teaching, the teacher can follow different approaches like:

direct observation,

guidance of peer group students,

lesson oriented teaching,

group learning and

supervision method.

Basic Principles of Multigrade Teaching

• Active listening

• Taking turns

• Asking good questions

• Respecting others

• Negotiating

• Sharing

• Helping and encouraging others

• Problem solving

• Decision making

• Conflict resolution

• Eye contact

Pupil Management

Discipline

1. Sets classroom rules and regulations for the children to follow.

2. Talks privately to the disruptive pupils.

3. Explains classroom rules clearly.

4. Imposes rules in passing or checking papers, quizzes and assignments.

5. Treats pupils with justice and fairness.

6. Assign pupil secretary to monitor class behavior.

7. Requires pupils to fall in line before entering and leaving the classroom.

8. Checks then accomplishments for daily routinary activities.

9. Treats pupil with justice and fairness.

Children are unique.

Children can learn best from experience.

Children can and do learn well from one another.

The role of teacher in a classroom involves setting – up and managing a learning environment that will be conducive to learning and teaching.

The implementation of the school curriculum must take into consideration the varied abilities, levels and interests within particular group.

• Assign seats for individual whole group activity.
• Schedules classroom routine such as flag ceremony, attendance taking, and classroom maintenance activity.
• Provides attendance chart to be filled up by pupils as soon as they arrive in class.
• Prepares daily/weekly job chart for the children to accomplish.
• Establish clear class routines such as passing of papers, falling in line and doing individual/group works.
• Provide an access to all pupils.
• Involve children in classroom maintenance by using the “Job Chart”.
• Allows pupils to sit by grade level facing to their own blackboard.
• Schedules daily routines and activities.

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What does effective multigrade teaching involve?

A teacher who is well – prepared to actually serve as a FACILITATOR of learning rather than as the only source of knowledge in the classroom and who is well – prepared to apply a variety of instructional strategies and techniques to suit the varied needs of learners.

A well – designed curriculum that allows for and encourages integration of subject matter areas and a variety of activities as learning experiences for the students.

• Systematic, well-organized and planned instructional delivery and grouping.
• A well – managed classroom that is conducive to learning because the necessary resources are available and the necessary discipline among the students has been developed so that they can focus on learning.
• A cooperative learning environment where self-directed learning is balanced with teacher – directed activities, peer teaching and group work.

Multigrade Teaching and Learning

Factors Contributing to the establishment of Multigrade Teaching.

What are the advantages and challenges of a multigrade classes?

Teacher

Learner

CHALLENGES

• Requires more discipline, greater concentration and more focus in order to benefit from effective strategies e.g peer teaching, group work, self directed learning.
• Less reliance on direct supervision by teacher.
• Requires more initiative and resourceful to function effectively in a multigrade class.
• May receive less individual attention from a less experienced teacher or one who is not well-trained in multigrade teaching.

Advantages

• Maximum social interaction between/among peers.
• Cooperative learning is predominant.
• Will learn to be independent, self-directed learners can learn to be more resourceful.
• Prepared for real life – situations where there is constant interaction between people of different ages, varied skills and abilities.
• Can learn to assume leading or supporting role as needed in different work situations.

Challenges

• Requires more preparation of curriculum learning materials.
• Requires more careful study of learner’s developmental characteristics across the age levels involved in the class, approaches and strategies that are effective and viable within a multigrade class.
• More investment in organization of the classroom as learning environment.
• More meticulous and systematic record keeping to keep track of student progress, curriculum development and implementation is required.

Advantages

• Can make the most of inter-age, multi-level situation to facilitate learning processes.
• Can get to know students more and carefully asses their needs and adopt appropriate teaching strategies.
• Can innovate and experiment with different age groups and deal with curriculum content across subject areas.
• Shares responsibility for facilitating learning with pupils, parents, other community members.
• More opportunities for activity – centered, experience – based approaches rather than whole group, lecture/drill/rote methods of teaching.

Planning of Teaching Activities

Proper planning makes the multigrade teaching easy and successful.

Desigining the time table

Preparation of content related teaching learning materials.

By tabulating the common competencies in the multigrade teaching, lessons / contents can be prepared.

Why do we need multigrade classes? 

‘ Multi’ means plenty, many, or more than one. The word ‘grade’ means level. Multigrade, therefore, means many grades

In other countries, multigrade classess can also be called

–  Vertically grouped,

or Family grouped or

Multiaged classes 

Multigrade classes are established to improve access to education for all Filipinos in the most economic way. In some private schools and overseas schools, multigrade classes are established for academic reasons also.

Some multigrade teachers may teach two grades, but some teach three or four grades. In very small schools, teachers may teach six or seven grades at the same time under one roof.

Sometimes this is called – a ‘combination class’ (if there are only two grades) in the Philippines. 

Why Multigrade classes exist?

Shortage of funds

teachers and

school buildings.

Multigrade classes were organized as a matter of necessity for remote barangays where the number of children enrolled could not meet the required number to organize a single grade class and assign the necessary teacher for each class.

Distance of the barrio

and small number of

students for each class.