The one-room schoolhouse, common in most communities during the early twentieth century, was an early model of a multi-grade level classroom. While the predominant style of class arrangement today is sorted by grades, some schools are reinstating multi-grade teaching. To teach multiple grades, the instructor must have superb organizational skills and the ability to instruct students at various stages of growth. As schools, especially smaller ones, look at ways of cutting costs, more multi-grade teaching opportunities may arise in the future.
Instructions
1. Create daily routines that facilitate learning by all students in the multi-grade level classroom. Prepare a list of activities that the older students should perform daily, such as organizing and straightening the classroom library. Make younger students responsible for age-appropriate tasks as well, such as being the door-holder when the group travels to other parts of the school building.
2. Set guidelines and parameters that both students and parents clearly understand regarding classroom behaviors and discipline. Since students in a multi-grade classroom take on more responsibility for their own learning, they must also take on more responsibility for controlling their impulses as well.
3. Devise curriculum that crosses age/experience lines. Start lessons by brainstorming with the entire group on the topic of the day. Assign self-directed activities designed to meet state curriculum guidelines for that particular topic. Work with small groups, while the rest of the students work on their self-directed activities. Circulate from one group to another until you spend time with all students in your classroom.
4. Utilize multimedia tools available to you, such as computers. Use the school library as a resource center as well.
5. Arrange your classroom so that students who are doing group work won't disturb the students who are working independently at their desks.
6. Make use of peer tutoring in the classroom. Older students can spend time helping the younger ones. This helps reinforce knowledge the older students are already familiar with. It also builds social bonds amongst the students in your room.
