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Curriculum/Methodology
Multi-Age Classrooms
Multi-age grouping is the practice of grouping children of more than one age and ability level together. The goal is to use teaching practices that maximize the benefits of interaction and cooperation among children. Children in the multi-age groups are expected to vary in experience, maturity and ability.
Even in traditional, single-grade programs, we know that a broad range of student abilities are present in terms of basic skills and aptitude. Usually, the range in ability among students´ within a single grade is greater than the artificially defined grade-level skills. However, this fact is not fully or clearly recognized by many typical classroom practices within single-grade programs.
The Multi-age programs offered at CSA expect children to have different interests and skill levels, and do not assume that these differences are primarily due to age. All children in multi-age programs are expected to learn at their own pace for two to four years within a supportive environment that encourages growth and development without fear of failure.
Multi-age programs incorporate a continuous progress plan in which subject areas with hierarchical skills (such as mathematics) can be taught in skill-level groups and divided into integrated, thematic units. Students can take as much or as little time as necessary during their primary years to master skills and concepts at an in-depth level. A continuous progress curriculum allows children to advance as fast as they master content, or to repeat content in different ways to gain mastery or depth of knowledge.
Research has shown that the benefits of multi-age grouping are widespread. One of the advantages is that older children have the opportunity to demonstrate helpfulness, leadership, patience, and tolerance. Another advantage is that it produces social and intellectual benefits. At CSA, placement into a classroom takes into account the child´s physical, social, cognitive, emotional, and aesthetic skills and interests. This multiple approach to placement provides many opportunities for the child to succeed. Additionally, children in multi-age programs experience instruction that encourages them to take personal responsibility for learning. Teachers encourage students to help each other with the mastery and application of skills as well as to work independently in groups or individually. Learning occurs primarily through well-planned, cooperative problem solving or research experiences. At CSA we are committed to providing the best education possible for your child(ren), and multi-age grouping is one of the successful tools we use to help maintain that commitment.
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