Where I Started
My first experience in a multi-age classroom was my final teaching internship. I had a student who expressed a great deal of distress with her situation in the classroom. Because the school is in a small town, students attend here until grade nine, then move on to the high school in the next town over. This student had a comfortable social circle the previous year, but most of those students moved on to the new school this year. She was struggling with being left behind and having, to use her words, no friends in this school anymore.
I began thinking about the effects on students as a result of being in a multi-age class. Was this a common experience for students who develop relationships with students in other grades? How did students and teachers view the benefits / hindrances of multiple grades in the same classroom?
I began thinking about the effects on students as a result of being in a multi-age class. Was this a common experience for students who develop relationships with students in other grades? How did students and teachers view the benefits / hindrances of multiple grades in the same classroom?