The Rationale for the Multiage Classroom
The rationale includes the following components:
· Knowing the children over time increases the teacher’s understanding of the child’s needs and how s/he learns best
· Enables the student to build a secure relationship with the teacher and allows the teacher to get to know the child
· Opportunity for all the children to be both the younger and older members of a peer group
· Opportunity for “academic eavesdropping” and other ways to move ahead at own rate
· Skills and facts are presented in a context of strategies and concepts that can be tools for further learning
· Children can work with children of similar skill level but of different chronological age.
· Diversity in the maturity of the students fosters the development of social skills and teamwork skills
· Cooperative learning builds a sense of community as children form educational bonds
· Enlisting parental involvement widens the opportunities for success for each child
· An integrated curriculum helps to make content areas more meaningful and true-to-life which enable children to learn and retain more.
Multiage Home Goals for the Multiage Classroom