TEGR 120 Lesson 1.1: Introduction to Multigrade Teaching PDF

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION LESSON 1.1: INTRODUCTION TO MULTIGRADE TEACHING Lesson Summary In this lesson, you will be introduced to the concept of multigrade teaching....

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION LESSON 1.1: INTRODUCTION TO MULTIGRADE TEACHING Lesson Summary In this lesson, you will be introduced to the concept of multigrade teaching. Topics include the differences between multigrade and traditional single-grade (monograde) teaching as well as the perspective of different countries in multigrade teaching together with the possible reasons, effects, advantages, and benefits of teaching in multigrade classes, and factors affecting the establishment of multigrade classes. This lesson will help students gain a wider perspective towards multigrade teaching. Learning Outcomes By the end of this lesson, you should be able to: a) Define multigrade teaching. b) Assess the factors under which multigrade teaching becomes a necessity. Discussion What Is Meant by Multigrade Teaching? 'Multi' means plenty, many, or more than one. The word 'grade' means level. Multigrade, then, refers to many grades. One teacher is required to teach many grade levels at the same time. Every multigrade school experiences this when there are more students than teachers. 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. A Multigrade class is made up of students in several (two or three) grade levels with one teacher for an entire school year. Multigrade schools are those which have classes that combine students of different ages and different abilities in one classroom. A Multigrade class involves students of different ages and developmental levels, with different skills and learning abilities learning together with one teacher. In the traditional single-grade teaching, or monograde as it is sometimes called, the teacher teaches only one grade. The learners in each grade are usually of the same age but may differ in abilities. In different parts of the world, different terms are used to describe multigrade teaching. Sometimes people refer to this as: split-class teaching double-grade teaching multi-level class teaching multi-program, composite class vertical streamed classes integrated class teaching DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION Visayas State University Alangalang Brgy. Binongto-an, Alangalang, Leyte Philippines Page 1 of 6 Telefax: +63 53 565 0600 LOCAL 1098 FM-VSU-03 V1 06-11-2020 Email: [email protected] Website: www.vsu.edu.ph No.  Multigrade teaching is a word used to describe the instruction of students from several grades, typically of children from a number of grades usually in one class. But it is capable of different definition in different countries as the following examples demonstrate: Multigrade Teaching in Nepal has been described as the situation in which a teacher teaches more than one class at the same time either in the same classroom or in a different classroom. In Malaysia, multigrade teaching is instructing students from two or more grade levels in a single classroom. The combination is usually of grades close to each other; for example, one and two, five and six. In Pakistan and Australia, as many as five or six grades may combine in the one class. These situations necessitate the use of certain instructional strategies and classroom management. In the case of China, Multigrade-class or multiple-group teaching is the preferred definitional approach as these terms highlight more ability level and age-based groupings. Of particular concern in China is the question of language grouping. In remote areas in the south- west of China, some ethnic minority groups speak a language other than Chinese. As a result, teachers involved in Multigrade Teaching sometimes have to solve the problem of how to teach pupils with different language backgrounds in their own language in the same class at the same time. Multigrade Teaching in Indonesia is commonly found in small to large sized schools in which a teacher teaches more than one grade or class at the same time, either in different classrooms or in the same room divided by a partition. One preference in the Philippines is to talk of multigrade teaching where a teacher teaches two or more grade levels in one classroom. It may also connote teaching a class of pupils with differing levels of ability and pupils of different ethnic groups who are to be taught in their native languages. Multigrade teaching is different in two main ways: The curriculum for the grades being combined is integrated, that is, common elements from the different year programs are combined into one program for the class. There is not two or three separate programs operating, just one that provides different levels of challenge to the students The learning is student centred, not grade level centred, so students have the opportunity to work at their level of ability, through the different levels of activities provided by the teacher. The needs of the student determine the teaching and learning; learning is student driven. Page 2 of 6 Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation. FM-HRM-15 V0 11-12-2021 Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment. No.  The following list reflects some of the diversities found among students, and which need to be appreciated by teachers: 1. Age 2. Ability 3. Developmental level 4. Background 5. Experience 6. Motivation 7. Interest Multigrade versus Single-Grade Characteristics Multigrade Monograde Methods A variety of methods are A whole-class approach is used to meet the needs of used to meet the needs of individual learners who individual learners with have different abilities and different abilities in the are in different grades. same grade. Organization More time is needed for The teacher is responsible organizing and planning for only the mandated instruction. curriculum for that particular grade. Relationships Because of the small class The school population is size, the teacher appears larger, so it is more to be part of the family difficult to develop unit. interpersonal relationships. Tutoring Peer tutoring is employed. Usually group leaders Older learners serve as assist others. teachers and role models. Teacher training Many teachers have no Many are trained with multigrade training and government support. lack technical support. Number Fewer children are Normal class size is 40 to frequently in multigrade 60 students who are of the classes, but there are same age and same grade, different ages in different but have different abilities. grades, and students have different abilities. Page 3 of 6 Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation. FM-HRM-15 V0 11-12-2021 Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment. No.  Curriculum The curriculum is not The curriculum is geared designed for multigrade towards monograde classes. classes. Remuneration There is no special Special remuneration is remuneration for teaching possible through multigrade classes. promotion. Skills Teachers require more Fewer skills are required to skills in order to handle handle one grade. different grades. Resources The community is often The government often poor and cannot provide provides educational additional educational materials. materials. Some more reasons for the adoption of Multigrade practices: Increase access to education Overcome the shortage of teachers Modernize teaching methods Reduce dropout rates and repetition Achieve Universal Primary Education Increase participation, cohort survival and literacy rates Provide incentives as a means of teacher rationalisation to meet shortfalls during the period of reform implementation. Possible effects of Multigrade teaching: Increase enrolment (make annual intakes possible in small schools) More efficient use of facilities and resources Employ teachers more effectively Improve learning by allowing students to learn at different rates. Better quality of teaching. What other advantages can Multigrade teaching offer? It gives students an opportunity to associate and work with others on the basis of skills, abilities, interest, personality and age. It provides students with a wider range of relationship and social experiences. It promotes development of social skills. The age range is increased and so is the range of development. Students form friendships based on things other than age. Older students can help younger students with learning. It provides opportunities for older students to act as teachers in cross-age and peer tutoring situations. Research suggests that older students tend to become more responsible and independent learners. There are advantages in having the same teacher for two or more years Students learn to accept and tolerate others. It provides a more natural learning situation where students learn at their own level. Page 4 of 6 Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation. FM-HRM-15 V0 11-12-2021 Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment. No.  It increases a school’s ability to place students in the most positive learning environment because of an increased range of possible classroom organizations. What Multigrade is Not Multigrade is not one teacher running between two classrooms to teach two separate grades with separate programs. Multigrade is not two classes working in isolation in the same room, seated at each end of the classroom and being taught separate programs by one teacher. Once you have been appointed to a Multigrade class, what do you need to do next? There are many things to be considered: Teachers in Multigrade classes need to focus more on students as individual learners with individual needs. They need to KNOW THEIR STUDENTS. Teachers in Multigrade classes need to develop their scope and sequence, year, term and weekly programs, timetables and assessment strategies. They need to KNOW THEIR CURRICULUM to make sure it fits the needs of the students. They need to know how to find common elements in the curriculum to plan their learning experiences. Teachers in Multigrade classes need to be able to provide a range of challenging activities which include a range of expected outcomes. They need to provide opportunities to work individually, in pairs and a variety of group structures. They need to KNOW THEIR TEACHING STRATEGIES. Many thinks of multigrade teaching as “second class” – the last choice of poor systems and something to move away from as quickly as possible by building more classrooms and hiring more teachers or closing small schools and forcing children to go long distances to larger ones. But, in many countries, multigrade teaching is still the first choice for managing a classroom. This is true for several reasons: It helps children, especially those in remote and isolated areas, realize their right to education and therefore learn what they need – and want – to learn. It is a cost-effective approach to providing schooling to children often excluded from your education system. It encourages children from different backgrounds to learn with the help of their peers and therefore promotes cohesiveness, cooperation, and healthy competition among students, strengthens interpersonal and leadership skills and develops a positive attitude towards sharing. It benefits you as a multigrade teacher by helping you to plan your work better and be more efficient in your use of time. Through the variety of teaching practices used in multigrade classrooms, it contributes to your students’ cognitive development. Page 5 of 6 Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation. FM-HRM-15 V0 11-12-2021 Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment. No.  Factors that influence the establishment of multigrade schools: Geographical Factors Some areas are geographically isolated by rivers, sand dunes or thick forest. As a result, few people live in these areas. Examples are the mountainous villages. The children in these areas deserve education just like any other children. Therefore, under such conditions, multigrade teaching becomes the only available choice for these communities. Sometimes these small communities are far away from large schools. Many of the students in such communities are too young to travel to larger schools. In addition, their populations are too small to support monograde schools. Under these circumstances, multigrade teaching is an alternative. It makes it possible to provide basic education to sparsely populated communities. Socio-Economic Factors It is difficult to hire a teacher for each grade level when the enrolment is lower than the government-stipulated teacher/pupil ratio. It is not cost-effective to hire 7 teachers to teach 30 children. Another factor to consider is the lack of both human and material resources. Some countries have limited resources, especially in remote rural schools. They do not have the resources to hire the number of teachers needed for the system. Some rural schools do not have the basic amenities such as accommodation for teachers, an adequate number of classrooms and teaching-learning materials. As a result, many teachers do not want to work in remote rural schools. This means that these schools frequently experience a shortage of teachers. Cultural Factors Think about what happens if the children of one community must attend a school in another community. Parents may not want their children to attend a school in an area that has a different culture. They may fear that their children will be influenced, and they will lose some of their community’s values and traditions. This is frequently the case in communities that are near towns and cities. Parents may also fear that their children may be attracted to the town and leave home. Therefore, they would prefer to have a small school in their own village and maintain their traditions and values. Prepared by: Janice A. Tumanot Week: 2 Course: TEGr 120 | Teaching the Multigrade Classes Page 6 of 6 Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation. FM-HRM-15 V0 11-12-2021 Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment. No.