Describes how principals assign teachers and students to single-grade and combination classes. Presents research showing unexpected constraints that fundamentally changed the basis of class assignment and, consequently, the nature of classroom compositions. A case is made that multitrack calendars reduce principals' flexibility to make purposive…

Presents a qualitative study of an Amish elementary school where classroom management and teaching methods prepare children to cope with their everyday lifestyle. Religious values are reinforced with reading lessons and Bible study. The article concludes with a brief description of Amish culture and lifestyle. (SM)

For her sabbatical a professor of teacher education at Emporia State University returned to the elementary classroom after a 20-year absence to teach in a third/fourth combination classroom in the Emporia, Kansas Public Schools. The return to elementary classroom teaching provided the professor with the opportunity to utilize some of the social…

Discusses the use of an optional computer graphics laboratory that has been successful with at-risk elementary school students. The role of art with at-risk students is discussed, laboratory facilities are described, the interaction of students from different grade levels is discussed, and program effectiveness is assessed. (three references) (LRW)

Having never embraced behaviorism and its emphasis on fragmented knowledge, direct instruction, and reinforcement contingencies, German schools have fostered a constructivist learning perspective for quite some time. German students are helped to make connections that develop and strengthen their internal knowledge structures and build their…

Describes how the collaboration of teachers with different educational philosophies and a monthly joint project led to the development of a trial multiage classroom with pre-first and pre-kindergarten students. Maintains that differences in educational philosophies can help provide the means to create a balanced environment for children and…

A questionnaire surveyed 72 combination classroom (CC) teachers in 28 rural schools of North Carolina to determine their needs. The major conclusions of the study based on teachers' perceptions were: (1) all CC teachers should have an aide and a pay bonus to teach a CC; (2) colleges and school districts have not provided special training on how to…

The major underlying concepts used in developing this Collaborative Teaching Program for intermediate grade level students included the heterogeneous grouping of pupils in a community of learners, the use of quality circle management, and the appropriate use of teaching strategies geared toward the major modes of learning. The community of…

One approach to managing cross-graded classrooms is to reconceptualize the structure of the classroom and the curriculum to take advantage of student variability. In the "Basic" program described in this paper, grades one, two, and three were combined to help alleviate some of the problems of a small rural school in Nevada. The program is based on…

Small, sometimes multi-cultural, rural schools need specialized preservice teacher education programs to prepare teachers. After outlining the classroom, school, and sociocultural characteristics affecting a teacher's success and survival in a rural community, this paper discusses the apparent lack of rural content in teacher preparation programs…

One of the twelve exemplary programs summarized in the Introduction to Right to Read's "Effective Reading Programs: Summaries of 222 Selected Programs" (CS001934), this program is designed to accommodate all types of learners in the same multigraded classroom. Reading skills study each day begins with a planning circle, where each…

This study is concerned with the organization of education in rural areas and the advantages of a strategy based on multigrade classes, i.e. classes having a single teacher but pupils of several grade levels studying different curricula. This strategy made a substantial contribution to the achievement of universal primary education at reasonable…

Describes a teacher's experiences in a multigrade intermediate grade mountain schoolhouse. Notes that teaching difficulties were overcome by (1) organizing time and contracting with students; (2) learning from students about what to teach; and (3) using language that invites and includes students. Explains how these techniques aid reading and…

Describes problems associated with teaching a multigraded social studies class. Relates an apocryphal story about how one teacher used innovative practices in a multigraded class but aroused administrative ire. Questions whether scores on achievement tests are more important than critical-thinking and decision-making skills. (CFR)

This paper includes a discussion of the problem of multilevel Latin classes, a description of various techniques and perspectives the teacher might use in dealing with these classes, and copies of materials and exercises that have proved useful in multilevel classes. Because the reasons for the existence of such classes are varied, it is suggested…