MultiageLearning

Handbook

BytheSt.PaulSchoolMultiageTeam:
SandraCormican
JanaBoschee
LouiseBridgeman
CarolynDavey
CarmenLarsen
MatthewNew
RobynStephanic

Contents

1. Preface...2

2. Multiagedefinition..........................................................................................3

3. Multiagephilosophy.6

4. AlbertaEducation:GoalsforStudentLearning...9

5. Multiagebenefits.10

6. Multiagebestpractices12

7. Gettingstarted.13

8. Researchresources...15

9. Onlineresources..16
9.Appendixes...
A.
B.
C.
D.

SplitGradevs.MultiageChart..18
ExamplesofDifferentiationinaMultiageClassroom...19
Multiage2YearPlanningGuide..20
Theme/UnitPlanningGuide...23

Preface
Thishandbookisdesignedforstaff(teachers/administrators/educationalassistants)whoare
currentlyworking,willbeworkingorareinterestedinworkinginamultiageschool.Itis
intendedtohelpstaffunderstandthephilosophybehindmultiagelearning,bestpracticesand
wheretogetstartedintheplanningprocess.Theideaspresentedherearebasedononline
resourcestakenfromteachersandschoolsalreadyimplementingmultiagelearning,aswellas
researcharticles.Thereareseveralkeycomponentstothemultiagephilosophy;howeverthereis
alsoopportunitytostructureittomeettheuniqueneedsofindividualschools.
St.PaulSchoolstartedthemultiageprocessinthe201415schoolyearwithonemulitageclass
andincreasedtosixmultiageclassesinthe201516schoolyear.Wearebynomeansexperts,but
wearelearningalotaboutthephilosophy,benefitsandprocessesbyactuallylivingit.Wehave
seenmanybenefitstothemultiagelearningsetupandareexcitedtoshareourknowledgewith
otherstaffandschools.
Sincerely,
theSt.PaulMultiageTeam

MultiageLearningDefinition

Agoodplacetobegin,iswithourdefinitionofmultiagelearning,asthereisoftenconfusionwhen
talkingwithfellowteachers,parentsandsupportworkersastowhatthetermmultiageactually
meansandhowitdiffersfromasplitgradeorcombinedgradeclassroom.

Thebasicdefinitionofmultiagelearningisverysimplyanenvironmentwherechildrenofages
spanningmorethanonecalendaryear,arelearningtogether.However,thisdefinitioncanalso
encompassavarietyof
multigraded
classroomconfigurationssuchastheabovementionedsplit
gradeorcombinedgrade.

Themultiagelearningconfigurationthatwearediscussinginthishandbookis:
thepurposeful
placementofchildrenofagesspanningatleasttwocalendaryears,ofvaryingabilities,for
twoconsecutiveschoolyearswiththesameteacherinthesameclassroom.
Letstakeacloserlookateachofthesecomponents:

thepurposefulplacement
Whereasconfigurationssuchassplitorcombinedgradesaregenerallyimplementedona
yeartoyearbasisbasedonstudentnumbersand/orclassroomspace;themultiageclassroomis
deliberatelyimplementedandintendedtobea
permanent
solutionwiththebestinterestsof
studentlearninginmind.

ofchildrenofagesspanningatleasttwocalendaryears
Multiageclassescanbeofmanydifferentconfigurations,butaremostlycombinationsof2or3
calendaryears.Inatraditionalclassroom,studentsaregroupedtogetherbasedontheirbirthdates,
whichcanrangefromJanuarytoDecemberofthesamebirthyearorfromJanuaryofoneyearto
Marchofthefollowingyear.Thisgivesthefalseillusionthatstudentsaredevelopmentallyand
academicallyequal,whichtheyarenot.AchildborninJanuaryissignificantlydifferent
developmentallythanachildborninDecemberofthesameyear.Thereforeteacherswillstillhave
arangeofdevelopmentalstagesandvaryingdegreesofacademicabilities.Thereasonforputting
atleasttwobirthyearstogether,istoallowforleadershipdevelopmentandrolemodelingfromthe
olderstudentstotheyoungerstudents.Thestudentsatourschoolaregroupedbytwogradelevels,
excludingkindergarten,soitis1/2,3/4and5/6.Itisalsopossibletodothreegradelevels
together,like13and46.

ofvaryingabilities
Ofteninsplitgradeshigherachievingstudentsofthelowergradeareputwiththelower
achievingstudentsofthehighergrade,tosupposedlymakeiteasierfortheteacher.This,however
createstheatmosphereoftheteacherbeingtheonlypersonintheclassroomthathasknowledge
togive.Inamultiageclassroom,thestrengthsofallstudentsarerecognizedandeachstudentis
valuedashavingknowledgetoshare.Soalthoughastudentmaybeweakinreading,theymayhave
astrengthinscience,thereforetheycantakealeadershiproleinthatarea.Studentsaregiven
manyopportunitiestobethelearnerandtheteacher.Theteacherstillhasanactiveroletoplayin
ensuringthatlearningskillsarebeingacquired.Teachersaretheretoteachstudents
how
tolearn,
notnecessarily
what
tolearn.Onefearweveheardisthattheabilitylevelsofthestudentswillbe
widespreadandthereforecreatemoreworkfortheteacher.However,therangeofabilitylevelsin
our3/4multiageclassesisnotanygreaterthaninasinglegrade3class.Thedifferenceisthat
thereismorethanonestudentateachlevel,sostudentsdontfeelsingledoutasbeingslow.Also,
therearemoreconfidentstudentswhocanhelpmentorotherstudents.

fortwoconsecutiveyearswiththesameteacher
Thedutiesofteachingasplitgradeisoftensharedamongteachers,asitisrecognizedthat
teachingasplitgrade(wheretheteacherisresponsibleforteachingthefullcurriculumforboth
gradesinoneschoolyear)issignificantlymoreworkthanteachingasinglegrade.Soateacherwill
onlyteachthesplitgradeforoneyear.Inthemultiageclass,theteacherhasstudentsfortwo
years,whichisofsignificantbenefitforboththestudentsandtheteacher.Studentshaveless
anxietyduringthesummermonthsandthebeginningoftheyearforthesecondyear,asthey
alreadyhavedevelopedarelationshipwiththeteacherandknowhis/herexpectations.The
teacher,aswell,onlyhastogettoknowhalfofhis/herclassatthebeginningoftheyear.The
teacheralsospendslesstimeatthebeginningoftheyeargoingoverrules,expectationsand
routines,astheolderstudentswilltakechargeandteachthenew(younger)students.Italsogives
theteachertwoyearstohelpstudentsprogressanddeveloptheneededskills.Teachersoftenfeel
ifIonlyhadabitmoretimeandinthecaseofthemultiageclasstheydo.
Somepeoplemightsayhavingthesameteacherfortwoyearsinarowcanbeanegative
experience,ifitisnotagoodteacher.Thisiswhereastrongadministrators,whohavepositive
relationshipswiththeteachers,areneeded.Ifthereisacasewhereateacherisstrugglingwiththe
multiagephilosophy,theadministratorwillprovidetheneededsupportinordertohelpthe
teacherbemoreconfidentandthereforebeabletoprovideapositiveeducationalexperiencefor
thestudents.Iftheissueisapersonalitydifferenceandapositiverelationshipbetweentheteacher
andthestudentcannotbeestablished,thereisthepossibilityofmovingthestudent.Howevera
studentshouldonlybemovedforeducationalpurposes(andnot,forinstance,tobewitha
particularfriend)andonlyaftereveryoneinvolved(administrators,parents,teacher,student,
othersupportstaff)hasmetandagreedthatthemoveisinthebestinterestofthestudent.

Tosummarize:Multiagelearningisnotjustasimpletaskofgroupingstudentsofdifferent
ages/gradestogether,butisinfactaphilosophyonhowstudentsbestdevelopandlearn.

Inorder
forthistypeoflearningenvironmenttobesuccessful,administratorsandteachersneedto
understand,aswellasbelieveinthephilosophy.Teachersneedtobetrainedinthephilosophyand
thestrategies,aswellasgivenplentyofopportunities(time)toplan(collaborate)withfellow
multiageteachers.

Thenextsectionwillhelptoexplainthephilosophybehindthistypeofconfigurationmorefully.
SeeappendixAforachartcomparingsplitgradesandmultiagelearning

TheMultiagePhilosophy

Multiageisapedagogicalshiftfromateachercenteredandcurriculumdrivenclassroomto
studentcenteredandstudentdrivenclassroom.Themultiagephilosophystemsfromthebelief
thatstudentsneedtobeallowedtoexplore,makemistakes,teachothers,andlistentoavarietyof
people(notjusttheteacher)inordertolearn.Italsorecognizesthatstudentsaremoremotivated
tolearniftheyfeelliketheyarevaluedandhavechoiceinwhattheydoandlearn.

Thepurposeofmultilearningistohelpprovidestudentsaneducationattheirlevelof
understandingandabilityandthenscaffoldingthemtothenextleveloftheskillorconcept.Itis
alsodesignedtohelpgrowthewholestudent:emotionally,sociallyandacademically.Students
havetheopportunitytoworkwithavarietyofstudentsandtakeondifferentroleswithinthe
classroom.

Sinceitisaphilosophyonhowstudentslearnandinteractwitheachotheronasocialand
emotionallevel,teachersneedtounderstand,believeinandbetrainedinthisphilosophy,inorder
forittobesuccessful.Ifthephilosophyisnotunderstood,thesetupcaneasilyturnintoa
teachercenteredprogramsuchasthesplit/combinedclass.

Thekeycomponentsareofmultiagelearning:differentiation/flexiblegrouping,studentcentered
studentchoice,peermentoringandcollaboration(betweenstudentsandteachers).

DifferentiationandFlexiblegrouping/Peermentoring:
Ifyoucurrentlyareateacher,mostlikelyyouarealreadydifferentiatingtomeetthevaryingneeds
ofthestudentsinyourclassroom.Themodernclassroomconsistsofstudentsfromavarietyof
experiencelevels,culturalbackgrounds,visibleandnonvisibledisabilities,emotionalneedsand
economicbackgrounds.Mostteachersfeeloverwhelmedwiththeresponsibilityofmeetingall
theseuniqueneedsonadailybasisandtheideaofcreatingamultiageclassroomis
overwhelmingbecauseitfeelslikemoreisbeingadded.However,amultiageclassroomcan
actuallyalleviatesomeofthestressandpressure.
Thekeyisinhavinglessonsandactivitieswhichintegratedifferentiation,meaningthateven
thoughstudentsmaybeworkingonthesamethemeoreventask,theyaredoingitattheirown
level.Forinstance,ifstudentsarestudyingSoundandHearing,providebooksatdifferentreading
levelsinorderforthemtolearnaboutthetopicindependently;orifyouareteaching
multiplicationinmath,somestudentsmaybeworkingwithmanipulativestounderstandthe
concept,somemaybeplayinggamestopracticerecalloffactsupto5x5or9x9,whileothersstill
willbepracticing2digitby1digitonwhiteboardsinasmallgroupwiththeteacher.

Theotherpartofdifferentiationinamultiagedclassisflexiblegrouping.Thismeansthat
studentsareworkingindifferentgroupsandthereforewithdifferentstudentsdependingonthe
task.Thisfosterscollaboration(whichwelltouchmoreonlater)aswellaspeerteaching.This
peerteachingisthecomponentthathelpsrelievesomeofthepressureandstressoffofthe
teacher.Weasteacherstendtoputalotofpressureonourselvesthatwehavetodoitall.We
dont!Wecandelegatesomeresponsibilitiestothestudents.Forgroupworkorcenters,students
areinheterogeneousgroupings,whichallowsstudentstosharetheirstrengthsandpromotesthe
sharingofknowledgeamongpeers.Teachersthenarefreeduptoworkwithsmallhomogenous
groupsonaparticularskillwhichtheyarelackingorstrugglingwith.Thesegroupsarebasedon
theneedsofthestudents(whatskillsdotheyneedhelpwith),notbasedongrade(whatdoesthe
curriculumsaystudentsinthisgradeshouldbelearning).Whatdifferentiationdoesnotlooklike
inamultiageclassroomisdifferentworksheetsforstudentsinonegrade,whiletheteacheris
teachinganewskilltotheothergrade.
Participatingindiscussionswitheachother,askingquestionsandhandsonlearningactivitiesare
thebestwaysforstudentstolearn.
SeeAppendixBformoreexamplesofdifferentiationatthedifferentlevels.

StudentCentered
Inthemultiageclassroomtheplanningisdonewiththequestionsinmind,Whatdothestudents
needtolearn?Whatarethestudentsgoingtobedoing?insteadofWhatamI,theteacher,going
tobedoing/teaching?Oncetheneedsofthestudentshasbeenestablished,thenthequestionis
HowcanI(astheteacher)facilitatethislearning?andHowwillI(astheteacher)assessthe
learning?

Choice
Mostadultsdontlikebeingtoldwhattodo,nordoweenjoysittingforlongperiodslisteningto
someoneelsetalk.However,thisispreciselyhowmoststudentsspendtheirday;listeningto
someoneelsetellthemwhattheyshouldbelearninganddoing.Students,justlikeadults,wantto
haveachoiceinwhattheylearnanddo.Thatbeingsaid,thereareofcourseskillsandknowledge
thatstudentsmustlearn,butevenwithinthoseperimeters,thereareareasinwhichwecanoffer
choice.Oneofthefirstthingsweshouldbedoingatthebeginningoftheyearisaskingstudents
whattheywanttolearninthecomingschoolyear.Youwouldbesurprisedathowmuchofwhat
studentswanttolearncanbetiedintothecurriculum.Teachersalsoneedtobeupfrontwith
studentsandletthemknowwhattheexpectationsofthecurriculumare.Thisallowsforstudents
tobeprepared.Inamultiageclass,theyoungerstudentsgetapreviewoftheexpectations,which
willreduceanxietyastheyknowwhattoexpectinthefollowingyearanditalsoallowsthose
studentswhoareready,tobescaffoldedtothenextlevel,whichtheymaynothavebeenabletodo
inasinglegradeclassbecausethereisnomodeling.

Collaboration:
Anothervitalpartofmultiagelearningisthepresenceofcollaborationnotonlybetweenthe
students,butalsobetweenteachers.Inorderforthisoccur,thereneedstobeatleasttwoteachers
ateachlevel.Theteachersthencancollaborateinplanning,teachingandassessing.Itisimportant
thatteachersteachingthesamelevel,establishapositiverelationship,inwhichallofthemshare
ideasaswellaslistentotheideasofothers.
Collaborationamongststudentsoccursalmostineverysubjectareainmultiagelearning.
Studentssitattables,whichpromotesstudentinteraction,asopposedtotheisolationism
promotedthroughtheuseofdesks.Evenifdesksareplacedinpodsorgroups,thereisstilla
definitethisismyspacewhichistheoppositeofthesharing,collaborativecommunitythatisthe
goalofthemultiageclassroom.Studentslearntoshareideas,listentotheideasofothers,
disagreerespectfullyandcompromisewithallthestudentsintheclass,asthegroupschange
frequently.

AlbertaEducation:GoalsforStudentLearning

Beforegoinganyfartherwithdiscussingthebenefitsandbestpracticesofmultiage
learning,itisimportanttomentionhowitconnectstotheAlbertaGovernmentsviewon
whatstudentlearningshouldlooklike.

OnMay6,2013theGovernmentofAlbertaapprovedanewministerialorderfromthe
DepartmentofEducationtochangetheschoolact.Thegovernmentrecognizedthatinour
everchangingworld,theexpectationsofstudentlearningshouldalsobechanging,sothat
studentsleaveschoolpreparedtobecontributingmembersoftheircommunities.This
meansthatourteachingpracticesalsohavetochangeinorderreflectthenew
expectations.

Someofthekeypointsoftheorderare:
thateducationfromKindergartentoGrade12be
inclusive
studentsbecome
engaged
thinkersand
ethical
citizenswithan
entrepreneurial
spirit
studentsuse
literacy
and
numeracy
toconstructandcommunicatemeaning
studentslearnhowto
gainknowledge,thinkcritically,identifyandsolve
complexproblems,manageinformation,innovateandcreateopportunities
studentsare
goodcommunicators
andareableto
workcooperatively
with
others
studentsdemonstrate
globalandculturalunderstanding

Uponlookingatwhatthenewexpectationsareforstudentstoachieveduringtheirschool
careerandthemultiagephilosophy,therearemanycommonalities.Boththeorderandthe
mulitagephilosophyseestudentsasbeingengagedintheirlearningthroughhandson
activities,questioning,thinkingcriticallyandproblemsolving.Thegoalofeducationisto
preparestudentsforoureverychanging,andincreasinglyconnectedadultworld.Inorder
todothis,wehavetorealizethatourroleasteachershasalsochanged.Weareaskedto
teachstudentshowtolearnandguidethemtomakediscoveriesontheirown.

BenefitsofMultiageLearning

Ofcourseoneofthemostfrequentlyaskedquestionsregardingmultiageclassroomsbyboth
parentsandteachersisHowwillthishelpthestudents?Thesuccessofthestudentsina
multiageclassroomisdirectlyrelatedtohowwelltheteacherunderstandsandimplementsthe
multiagephilosophy.Ifthephilosophyisunderstoodandthekeycomponentsarefollowedthen
thebenefitstothestudentsarenumerous.Thebenefitsbecomestrongerandmoreapparent,the
longerthestudentspendsinamultiageenvironment.

Amultiageclassroomfostersandpromotes:
diversity,feelingofcommunity
collaboration,cooperation,peertutoring
selfinitiatedlearning,selfmanagement
selfconfidence,selfadvocacy

Thisisachievedthrough:
integratedcurriculum
integratedstudents
flexibleanddynamicgrouping
authenticassessment
continuity(asstudentsarewiththesameteacherforatleast2years)
continuousprogress
developmentallyappropriatetasks,differentiatedinstruction
Anurturingenvironment
givingchoice

Thisinturn,resultsinstudentswho:
arefullyengagedinthelearningprocess
takeresponsibilityforthemselvesandtheirlearning
areselfregulated,increasedindependence
developstandardsofexcellence
areawareoftheirownstrengthsandareasofneed
abletoselfassessandsetgoals
areawareofthecurriculumgoalsandhowactivitiesrelatetothesegoals
positiveselfimage
positiveattitudetowardsschoolandlearning
10

 progressacademically(notnecessarilyreachinggradelevelstandards,buttheyare
makingprogressintheirpersonalskillsandunderstandingofconcepts)

Mostteachersandparentsseethebenefitsofbeinginamultiagelearningenvironmentfor
theyoungerstudents,butoftenseeitasanegativeexperiencefortheolderstudents,asthe
willbeheldback.Again,ifthemultiagephilosophyisunderstoodandfollowed,thisis
notthecase,becausestudentsworkattheirlevel,studentsareeitherprovidedsupportor
challengesasneeded.Therearespecificbenefitsfortheolderstudentsinamultiageclass:
Theydevelopastrongersenseofresponsibility.
Theyhaveopportunitiestodemonstrateleadership(whichgenerallyisreservedfor
theoldeststudentsintheschooli.e.Grade6)atanearlierage
Theyhaveimprovedselfregulation.
Theyhaveastrongerrelationshipwiththeteacherastheyarewiththesame
teacherforatleasttwoyears.
Theyaremorecomfortableintheclassroomasthereisconsistency(familiarity)
withroutinesandexpectations.
Theyarerolemodelsforyoungerclassmatesandhavetheopportunitytopeertutor
(thisappliestoallstudents,eventhosewhoareworkingbelowgradelevel,asthere
willbeyoungerstudentsthattheycanteachsomethingto).Thisisespecially
beneficialtostudentswhoarebehindtheirownagepeers,asitgivesthemaboost
ofselfconfidencethattheydohavesomethingofimportancetocontribute.

11

MultiAgeLearningBestPractices

Asalreadymentioned,itisvitallyimportantthatteachersunderstandandbelieveinthe
multiagephilosophyinorderforittobesuccessfulforbothteachersandstudents.Itis
alsocriticalthatteachersareprovidedtraining,planningtimeandcollaborationtime,as
wellassupportinsideandoutsidetheclassroom.Ifthetraining,timeandsupportarenot
providedbyadministration,teacherswillbecomeoverwhelmed.

Asinallclassrooms(singlegradeormultiage),teachersshouldbeprovidingawarm,
welcoming,respectfullearningenvironment,wherestudentsaregivenfreedom,control
andopportunitiestoexperiencesuccess.Manyoftheideaspresentedbelowarealready
beingusedinmanyclassrooms.

Inthetrainingandplanningstages,teachersshould:
learnthedevelopmentalstagesofstudents
crossreferencethecurriculumofthelevelstheywillbeteachingtocompactthe
curriculum
planthemes/topicsfora2yearcycle,howeveralsoallowflexibilityinorderto
accommodatetheinterestsofthestudentseachyear
researchdifferentiationmethodsinordertohavearepertoireavailablefortheintegration
ofalllearners
comeupwithmeaningfulandpurposefullearningactivitiesforcurriculartopics
considerhowtofosterthesocial,emotional,physicalandacademicgrowthofstudents

Intheclassroom,teachersshould:
learntheinterestsofallstudentsintheclassandincorporatethemintotheyearplan
findopportunitiestocelebrateeachstudentstalents/strengths
haveclearlydefinedexpectations
encourageindepthinvestigationintotopicsthroughresearchandhandsonexplorations
offerchoice
encouragecollaborationandpeertutoring
assessfrequentlyandonacontinuum
allowstudentstoworkattheirownlevel(whichwillnotnecessarilybetheirgradelevel)
teacherstudentshowsetgoals,reflect,developaportfolioandbeselfadvocates
differentiateinstruction
useavarietyofgroupings(i.e.cooperative,interestbased,skillbased,needsbased,
random,partners,wholeclass,etc.)
teachtothetop(thissetshighexpectationsandshowsstudentswhatthegoalofthe
learningis)

12

GettingStarted

Asmentionedpreviously,teachersneedtobeprovidedwithamplyopportunityandtimetomeet
asateaminordertoplanatwoyearmultiagelearningcyclefortheirlevel.Thisistoensurethat
allmembersareonthesamepageandthatthedesiredoutcomesarebeingmet.Thefollowingare
somesuggestionsthatwehaveappliedtoourmultiageclassroomsthesepasttwoyears.
Hopefully,asyoureadtheseideas,youwillrealizethatyouarealreadydoingalotofthisinyour
singlegradeclassroom.

ClassroomArrangement(physicallayout):
flexiblefurnitureandarrangement(i.e.tables,chairs,pillows,desks,exerciseballs)
studentssitintablegroups(i.e.groupsof4)
spaceforthewholeclasstogather(i.e.carpetgatheringspace)
spaceforsmallgroupstowork

spaceforindividualstudentstoworkontheirown(i.e.breakoutroom,desks,
hallway,floor,etc.)
technologyeasilyaccessibleforstudentuse(i.e.laptops,iPads,earphones)
storematerialsforindependentaccess(i.e.havetoolsandsupplies,likestaplers,
felts,paper,holepunch,crayons,etc.inaccessforstudentstohelpthemselves)
organizebooksbygenreand/orlevelofdifficulty
binsforstoringwork(i.e.portfoliobinder,notebooksformath,writing,readingand
wordstudy)areeasilyaccessibleforstudents
individualsuppliesstorageoption(i.e.workbins,cubbies,chairbags,etc.)

ClassroomManagement:
studentsandteacher(s)comeupwithrulesandexpectationstogetherandtheseare
displayedintheclassroom
usepopsiclesticks/nametagsformakingfairchoices
offerdifferentlevelsofindependentwork
allowindependentstudentsfreedomtopursueprojectofownchoice
holdaweeklyclassmeeting

CurriculumPlanning:
ForMathandLanguageArtslookattheoutcomesfrombothgradelevelsandplace
theskillsonacontinuum(i.e.basicskillstobemasteredleadingtohigherlevel
concepts).Atthebeginningoftheyear,assesnewstudentsandplacethemonthe
continuum.Thiswillguidewholegroupandsmallgroupteacherguidedlessons.
ForScience/SocialStudies/Healthcreate

integratedclassprojectsthatconnectthe
topicsandoutcomesofthedifferentgrades.
13

 UsetheProjectApproach(bySylviaC.Chard,PhD)
http://www.projectapproach.org
orProjectBasedLearning(bytheBuckInstituteforEducation)
http://bie.org/about/what_pbl
Whenchoosingtopicsforprojectlearningconsiderthecurriculum(frombothgrade
levels),studentinterests,schoolinitiatives,specialevents/currentevents.

Designacurriculummapfortheyearsegregatingelementsforplanningonly(ie.
readaloud,reading,writing,spelling,projects,orallanguage,math,socialstudies,
science)
planaheadspecialprojects/events
repeatprocessbutnotcontentforthenextyear
Allowforlargeblocksoftimeforintegratedlearning,insteadofseparateblocksof
timeforeachsubjectarea.(i.e.teachscience/socialstudiescontentinreading,
writingandmath;orintegratemathandlanguageartsintoscience/socialstudies)
Keepoutcomesofvariousgradeshandyforquickreference.

PleaseAppendixesCandDforsampleyearandunitplanningtemplatesthatyoucoulduse.

14

ResearchResources

Thefollowingisalistofarticlesandstudieswhichdiscussthebenefitsandchallengesof
multiageclassrooms.

TeachingandLearningExchange:MultiAgeTeaching
,WestmountCommunity
SchoolStaff,Dr.SterlingMcDowellFoundationforResearchintoTeaching
http://www.mcdowellfoundation.ca/main_mcdowell/projects/research_rep/92_m
ultiage_teach.pdf

MultiageInstruction:AnOutdatedStrategy,oraTimelessBestPractice
,Dr.
ValerieRitland,Dr.MyronEighmy,TheEuropeanJournalofSocial&Behavioral
Sciences(eISSN:23012218)
http://www.futureacademy.org.uk/files/menu_items/other/ejsbs9a.pdf

ChallengesinImplementingCurriculumandAssessingStudentLearningin
MultiageClassrooms
,MatthewDavidKemmis,ConcordiaUniversityPortland
http://www.cuportland.edu/coe/thesis/documents/matt%20kemmis%20thesis.p
df

Chapter1:LearningandTeachingintheMultilevelClassroom
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/multilevel/chap1.pdf

MultiAge:HypeorJustDamnGoodPedagogy
,SeanPiercey
http://www.choosingmultiage.com/presentations%20and%20articles/Piercey_Pap
er.pdf

15

OnlineResources

Thefollowingisalistofonlineresourceswhicharewrittenbyteacherswithpractical
experienceinmultiageclassrooms.

http://multiagelearningnetwork.org/
Thiswebsitehasvideoswhichintroduceandexplainthemultiageclassroom
concept.Thetopicsinclude:benefits,overview,differentiationandgrouping,
curriculumandlessonplanning,assessment,teamteaching,wrapup,andpersonal
perspectives.Thevideosarefirsthandaccountsfromadministratorsandteachers
oftwomultiagecharterschoolintheUnitedStates.Thetwoschoolsruntheir
programsdifferently,soitisnicetoseethetwodifferentperspectives;
demonstratingthatschoolscantailorthemultiagephilosophytomeettheneedsof
theirschoolcommunity.ThewebsitealsocontainsalinktoaneLearningcourse
(passwordisgiven)whichcontainsmorevideosandwrittenexplanations.

http://www.choosingmultiage.com/multiage_approach.php
Thiswebsiteiswrittenbyaretiredteacherwith30yearsofexperienceteachingin
multiageclassesinNovaScotia.Sheprovidesafirsthandperspectiveonthe
philosophyofmultiagelearningandstartingamultiageschool.Shealsoincludes
resources(coursesandreadings)andFAQs.Underresourcesyouwillalsofindslide
showsexplainingvariousaspectsofmultiagelearning.

http://www.multiageeducation.com/index.html
Anotherwebsitewrittenbyamultiageteacher.Itincludesthefollowing
information:howtosetupandmanageamultiageclassroom,abookstoretoorder
booksrelevanttomultiageteaching,linkstomultiageschoolsaroundtheworld,
kidfriendlypagesforstudentstocompleteonlineresearch,linkstoonlinemultiage
resources,andtechnologytips.

http://www.montessorianswers.com/multiageclassrooms.html
ThisisfromtheMontessoriperspective,however,Ibelieveitgivesagood
explanationofthebenefitsofamultiageclassroom.

http://www.theexpeditionschool.com/about2/multiageclassrooms/
ThisisaQ&Apageforparents,coveringthebasicsofmultiageclassrooms.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev184.shtml
16

 Thisarticleprimarilytalksaboutmultiageclassroomsasawaytofacilitate
differentiation,butalsoincludessomeplanningtips.

http://www.share2learn.com/components.html
Ananecdotalaccountofthecomponentsofamultiageclassroom.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept05/vol63/num01/The_Mo
dern_MultiAge_Classroom.aspx
Thisisafirsthandaccountofa1/2/3multiageclassinReno,Nevada.Ittalksabout
thechallengestheyfaceduetothedemographicsoftheirschoolandhowmultiage
learninghelpsthemmeettheneedsoftheirstudents.Ittouchesonclassroom
organization/managementandthecurriculum.

17

AppendixA

DifferencesbetweenSplitGradeandMultiageClassrooms

SplitGrade

MultiageLearning

studentsattwo
consecutivegradelevels
learninginthesame
classroom

studentsofagesspanning
atleasttwocalendaryears
learninginthesame
classroom

classconfigurationisdone
toalleviatenumber
discrepanciesinthegrades
(i.etherearetoomany
studentsforoneclassof
thatgrade,butnotenough
studentsforasecondclass
ORinruralschoolsitmay
bethecasethatthereare
notenoughstudentsto
makeupawholeclassofa
singlegrade)

classconfigurationisdone
tocreateamorestudent
centered,collaborative
learningenvironment

itisforoneschoolyear
only

studentsremainwiththe
sameteacherfortwoyears

thecombinationofthesplit
gradedependsonthe
studentnumbersandmay
changefromyeartoyear

theschooldecideson2or3
yearconfigurationsand
keepsitconsistent
throughouttheschool

theteacherteachesthefull
curriculumforbothgrades
inoneschoolyear

themultiageteamlooksat
thecurriculumforboth
grades,looksfor
similaritiesandthen
createsatwoyearcycle

18

AppendixB
ExamplesofDifferentiationinMultiageClassrooms

1/2

3/4

5/6

individualsupportthroughcomputeractivities
learningcenters(independent&teacherled)
homereadingprogram(individualized)

strategygroupingforreading(Daily5/CAFEstrategygroups)
heterogeneousgroupingformathcentres
strategy/skillgroupingformathin(smallgroup)teacherguidedlessons
heterogeneousgrouping/partneringforhandsonlearningactivities(allcurricularareas)

strategygroupingforreading&writing(Daily5/CAFEstrategygroups)
heterogeneousgroupingformathcentres
strategy/skillgroupingformathin(smallgroup)teacherguidedlessons
heterogeneousgrouping/partneringforprojectbasedlearning

coteachinginclassroom(withmultiagelevelpartner)

choiceofformatinwhichtodemonstratelearning(i.e.PowerPoint,poster,video,etc.)
tieredtasks/assignments

strategygroupingforreading&writing(Daily5/CAFEstrategygroups)
heterogeneousgroupingformathactivities/centres
strategy/skillgroupingformathin(smallgroup)teacherguidedlessons
coteachinginclassroom(withmultiagelevelpartner)

heterogeneousgroupingforscienceandsocialstudieslessons/activities
tieredassignmentstodemonstratestudentlearningandgrowtht
hatvaryincomplexity
flexibletimelinesforcompletionoftasks
flexiblegroupingthatallowsstudentstomoveamonggroupsasthedirectionordepthof
projects/researchevolves.
peerteachingthatincludesinitialcollaboration,scheduledreteachingwithsamepeer
andanopportunitytoreflectongrowthasaresultofthepartnership.
allowstudentsmultipleformsandmediumstoshowtheirlearning/growth(visually,
orally,performancebased,throughtheuseoftechnologyortheartsaresomeexamples)
allowstudentstoguidetheirlearningthroughtheirowninterestsonatopic
(mindmanagerandinspirationaretoolsthatcanhelpwiththis)
engagingandpurposefulenrichmentactivities(easilyaccessibleforstudentsafterthe
completionofwork)

**
Itwouldbebeneficial,ifteachersinthesamelevelscombinedstudentsfromtheirclassesfor
skill/strategybasedgroupings(inmath,reading,writing)..
i.e.IfteacherAisdoingasmallgrouplessononrereadingforcomprehension,she/hecouldtake
studentsfrombothclassroomA&Bthatrequirepracticewiththatskill.Meanwhile,teacherB
couldbedoingasmallgrouplessononsightwordswithstudentsfrombothclassroomA&Bwho
requirepracticewiththatskill.
19

AppendixC

MultiAge2YearPlanningGuide

Teachers:_____________________________________________

Level:________

Science&SocialStudiesTopics:
Lookatthecurrentcurriculumofthetwogradesanddecidewhichtopicsyouwillbe
coveringinthetwoyearcycle.

TimeFrame

Year 1

Year 2

FieldTrips:

Listpossiblefieldtriporinclasspresentationsforthemes/topicsforeachyearinthe
cycle.

Month

Year 1

Year 2

20

LanguageArts:
Listtopics/novelstudies/skillsyouwanttocoverineachyearofthecycle.

TimeFrame

Year 1

Year 2

21

Health,PhysicalEducation&ReligionTopics:
Theoutcomesinthesesubjectareastendtooverlap.Listthetopicsthatwillbecoveredineach
yearofthecycle.

TimeFrame

Year 1

Year 2

FineArts:

Listthethemes/skillsthatwillbecoveredineachyearofthecycle.

TimeFrame

Year 1

Year 2

ClickonthelinkbelowforaneditableWorddocumentversionofthis
planningguide.
MultiAge2YearPlanningGuide

22

AppendixD

Theme/UnitPlanningGuide

Topic:______________________________

Subject

Grade____Outcomes

Grade___Outcomes

ClickonthelinkbelowforaneditableWorddocumentversionofthis
planningguide.
Theme/UnitPlanningGuide

23