Creating The Multiage Classroom

From philosophy and rationale to sample lesson plans and evaluation forms, this complete design for the mixed-age primary classroom provides practical answers to teachers', administrators', and parents' questions about planning, implementation, environment, curriculum, management, assessment, and evaluation. Reproducible forms and assessment tools ease use. Grades K-6. Index. Bibliography. Illustrated. Good Year Books. 277 pages.

Presenting a compelling case for changing our system of education from a graded, curriculum-centered approach to a multiage, child-centered approach, Understanding Multiage Education is a comprehensive exploration of the philosophy and foundations of multiage education. Veteran educators Stone and Burriss examine the "why" of multiage education, exploring how multiage classrooms' structure, environment, strategies, and assessments unfold and complement the multiage philosophy and pedagogy. Delineating the differences between a standard and a mixed-age approach, each chapter features Inside Insights, short vignettes, case studies, examples of multiage in practice and discussion questions challenging readers to engage with the core concepts and examine how we might define success in a multiage classroom. Designed for graduate-level students of early childhood, elementary, and general education courses, as well as experienced practitioners, this is an essential guide for anyone interested in understanding the rationale, implementation, and benefits of multiage education.

As schools struggle to teach all students, the multi-age teaching and learning framework has emerged as one of today’s most effective ways to structure schools. Multi-age Learning Community (MAC) Program is a professional development program in action. It presents a framework that can transform schools from a graded system to a multi-age learning environment. This multi-age school targets students’ individual and personal needs and allows students to excel and succeed. The school reform climate today focuses on schools of choice and building effective school environments. This multi-age program creates a unique school niche that is marketable to families. Parents have the option of sending their children to schools that concentrate on achievement that best meets the needs of the learner without disrupting the mandates of the curricula. This book is intended to assist educators at all levels of all school organizations, as well as give policymakers, educators and parents the information on an effective school program. This book gives information on how to transform schools into multi-age classrooms. This book is divided into four parts that explain both the theory and the practice of effective strategies for the multi-age school program: Organizational Practice, Building Culture, Learning Processes, and Assessment and Systemic Improvement. There are specific basic principles and practices that are integrated into a quality and effective framework discussed in the chapters of this book. Each chapter begins with a vignette based on my experiences in multiage schools and concludes with an educator’s reflection to recap the concepts in the chapter. Each chapter also integrates snapshots that are short real-to-life passages that bring to life concepts discussed in the chapter. Although this book discusses multi-age schools, these ideas may be applied to all school environments. To accommodate all school programs, at the end of each chapter, a section titled Application for All Schools is a framework that discusses just how to apply chapter concepts in any school or classroom program. It is recommended that the reader review the book one time in sequence and then reread each chapter as needed, to give meaning to the reader’s purpose.

If you are planning to move into multiage or have already made that transition from a conventional classroom, you will welcome the honest, practical advice that makes Exploring the Multiage Classroom a genuine handbook -comprehensive, realistic, and accessible. You will see what teachers find rewarding in multiage teaching and why it works so well for children who can learn from the models provided by the literacy and learning of other children around them. You will discover:Ideas for working with the entire class on a topic while guiding and accepting a variety of responses determined by the ability and developmental level of each child.Ways children can work effectively on an individual level, with partners, in small groups,and as a whole class.Suggestions for adapting all subject areas in your curriculum to a multiage setting.Chapters on integrated themes, oral language, student choice, literacy, math, assessment, moving into a multiage organization, and teaming.Contributions from other multiage teachers that give a picture of different ways of adapting school programs to include two to four grade spans.Appendixes that include a classroom materials list, sample schedules, and room layouts, and bibliographies of professional resources and children's books.Grounded in the relevant philosophy, research, and theory, Exploring the Multiage Classroom is a treasury of ideas derived from Anne Bingham's wide classroom experience. Using the models she provides, you will understand how to create a classroom that celebrates diversity, continuity, and community-all characteristic of multiage education.

This handbook examines practices and issues involved in the implementation of multiage programs. Data were collected through site visits at four schools with reputations for excellent multiage programs; interviews with a representative sample of parents and teachers at each school; document analysis; a survey of multiage teachers, parents, and principals at each school; and a survey of participants attending a national conference on multiage instruction. Before implementing multiage programs, six important questions should be asked regarding: the reasons for implementation, teacher roles, type of school or organizational climate, type of parent and community involvement, leadership, and factors for success that can be generalized to other settings. The following guiding principles were identified: (1) There are compelling benefits for students and teachers that justify implementing multiage organization; (2) there is no single model; (3) neither bottom-up nor top-down implementation, by itself, is effective; (4) multiage programs require major conceptual change; (5) implementation is best viewed as an evolving, long-term change at the deepest levels of teacher beliefs about how humans learn; and (6) several incremental steps can facilitate and improve the likelihood of success. A total of 17 tables and 3 figures are included. Appendices contain information on the study methodology, data collection instruments, and codebook. (LMI)

Presenting a compelling case for changing our system of education from a graded, curriculum-centered approach to a multiage, child-centered approach, Understanding Multiage Education is a comprehensive exploration of the philosophy and foundations of multiage education. Veteran educators Stone and Burriss examine the "why" of multiage education, exploring how multiage classrooms' structure, environment, strategies, and assessments unfold and complement the multiage philosophy and pedagogy. Delineating the differences between a standard and a mixed-age approach, each chapter features Inside Insights, short vignettes, case studies, examples of multiage in practice and discussion questions challenging readers to engage with the core concepts and examine how we might define success in a multiage classroom. Designed for graduate-level students of early childhood, elementary, and general education courses, as well as experienced practitioners, this is an essential guide for anyone interested in understanding the rationale, implementation, and benefits of multiage education.