A Culture of Difference
A MULTIAGE class is formed by deliberately placing students together with differences in age and abilities in order to facilitate the overall development of each child within a family-like community of learners. Students stay with the same teacher for more than one year, when new younger students join the class. The teacher facilitates student learning according to developmental stages rather than chronological ages. Students are encouraged to take more initiative and responsibility in their learning and to become self-advocates.
The teacher is a key in whether a multiage class is highly successful, mediocre, or disastrous. Teachers who have the choice of implementing multiage classes are more likely to make it work well. They need to be knowledgeable of developmental stages of learning, be familiar with the curriculum documents, and competent with developmentally appropriate practices. Essentially, the teacher’s role is a facilitator of learning.