Multi-age Classrooms

Our multiage classrooms are a learning community of children who represent three primary grade levels and two intermediate grade levels. Teaching in a multiage classroom not only is an experience for the students but for the teachers' as well!

We have heterogeneous groups of children representing the intellectual, cultural and economic profile of the school. The children are encouraged to offer or request support from each other for all aspects of classroom activities. We believe a group of children and a teacher should stay together for multiple years.  Come and visit our classrooms and experience a difference ‘child-centered’ instruction makes on our community of learners.

Our teachers base their common philosophy on the following assumptions of teaching and learning:

• A multiage classroom operates more like a family operates to solve its everyday problems
• Constructivist, contextual pedagogies allow for learning to be fun and challenging for both teacher and student
• A belief in a teaching model that is interactive in nature, with everyone learning from each other
• A belief that learning does not necessarily occur in a neat, orderly sequence. Learning is dynamic, complex and developmental
• A belief that how to learn is as valuable as what is learned. It is not presumed "covering curriculum" is learning
• A belief that the teacher will facilitate a variety of teaching and learning experiences that will be developmentally appropriate for students in the class and that children will learn from these experiences 

What happens in a multiage classroom

• Hands on, interactive learning, with availability of a wide selection of concrete materials that foster math and science concepts, and language development
• Accessing information through multiple resources, with an emphasis on computer skills and other technologies
• Cooperative learning groups with team teaching
• Developing student independence strengthens self-esteem
• Students are encouraged to offer or request support from each other
• Large, small flexible group and individual instruction
• Curriculum is designed to meet the district standards and outcomes, while allowing flexibility to respond to students’ interests
• Children are stimulated to ask and answer their own questions.
• Parents are treated as partners in their child’s education through open and frequent communication
• Students continue their higher education with a strong sense of collaboration
• Moments are memorable for the duration of the student’s life and often they return to share in those memories.