The Importance Of Multi-Grade Teaching In Primary Education

The thought of graduating with a class of 4 in middle school and having a student body of 30 or less is almost unfathomable for most kids. Yet, there are those few who understand completely what it means to grow up in an environment like this. These children were part of a multi-grade teaching method which is a term used to describe the teaching in primary education of children with multiple grades in one class. Many think this environment has a negative effect on children and teachers and others think it is beneficial. Some teachers prefer not to teach in an environment like this because it is difficult to create a curriculum fit for many grade levels and students find it difficult to learn in a smaller environment while not being exposed

From their social interactions to their performance in classes. Many kids are faced with a "growing up" moment when they realize their attitude can affect their lives. And even though one can choose to be positive or not, our setting can affect our attitude. Because Multi-grade classrooms are smaller and more of a community, the attitudes they have for each other are more positive. Miller points out from his research, “…my findings are in favor of multi-grade students significantly in terms of attitudes toward school self, a trend toward more positive and social relationships” (qtd. in Kadivar et al.). The multi-grade classroom atmosphere is likely to provide children with a positive influence from their peers and teachers to affect how they identify themselves at school. This leads to a more positive way of viewing their goals and the challenges they face day to day. Pavan explains in his research that “pupils in multi-grade classrooms had more positive attitudes than those in single-grade classrooms…they were likely to laugh more” and they chose to raise their hands to speak instead of being called on by the teacher. When children have a more positive attitude, it can increase the youngster’s interest in school subjects and learning. The Multi-grade classroom has a smaller environment, and this creates an atmosphere of safety where the kid feels comfortable asking questions and accepting help from their

Teachers do their best to properly teach a child in the right ways but much of how they act comes from their peers and the classroom setting itself. With this in mind, Pavan reveals from her research that “students in multi-grade settings felt more positive…and after five years in one multi-grade, significantly fewer multi-grade students were referred for discipline...”. Kids show less behavioral issues when, to put it simply, they are happy. They tend to lean towards aggression to balance out the different maturity levels in this smaller atmosphere. Miller reveals from his research that students learn how to behave “cooperatively with older and younger students” and they learn to confront each other when problems arise rather than acting out and showing behavioral issues. Growing up in a smaller environment can be more beneficial than a single grade classroom because children learn to deal with social issues quicker than if they were in a larger more segregated setting. Along with several social benefits that are the results of a good classroom environment, having a multi-grade classroom can lead to several positive cognitive effects in