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…

States that the concept of nongraded classrooms has flourished in educational circles since the days of the one-room schoolhouse, and that researchers have found that students in multiage classrooms form peer relationships that show more advanced socialization skills. Offers an annotated bibliography of 12 articles from the ERIC database on the…

Evaluated effects of mixed-age and same-age classrooms on dimensions of mastery during play for young children developing normally and for disabled children. Found that children's developmental maturation was related to the sophistication of their play mastery for children without disabilities in both settings and for children with disabilities in…

This study investigated students' attitudes toward multi-age classrooms, specifically examining differences in attitudes based on gender and grade level. The Multiage Attitude Survey was administered at the end of the school year to students in two multi-age classrooms: one classroom with 11 third-grade and 10 fourth-grade students, the other with…

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…

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…

Although the single-grade classroom has emerged as the most prevalent administrative arrangement, the existence of the split grade phenomenon continues to be a part of educational tradition in both rural and urban schools, predominantly at the elementary levels. Teachers are then forced to compromise curriculum to teach all levels simultaneously.…

In nongraded, multi-age classrooms, children have the opportunity to learn a great deal from their more proficient classmates. Children in multi-age, nongraded programs often learn that children differ, and they learn to assist each other in productive ways. The organizational scheme has the potential to remove much of the competition of…

In multigrade instruction, children of at least a 2-year grade span and diverse ability levels are grouped in a single classroom and share experiences involving intellectual, academic, and social skills. "The Multigrade Classroom" is a seven-book series that provides an overview of current research on multigrade instruction, identifies…

Discusses the organization and operation of multi-age classrooms in an elementary school in Nevada. Describes how teachers working with primary classrooms of first and second graders, and intermediate classrooms of third, fourth, and fifth graders, created an adaptive, flexible, and dynamic curriculum that could serve the needs of their…

In multigrade instruction, children of at least a 2-year grade span and diverse ability levels are grouped in a single classroom and share experiences involving intellectual, academic, and social skills. "The Multigrade Classroom" is a seven-book series that provides an overview of current research on multigrade instruction, identifies…

Discusses the benefits of mixed-age grouping for children's social and cognitive development and reservations parents sometimes have about mixed-age groupings. Also discusses issues that teachers need to consider when implementing mixed-age groups: children's personal care routines; furnishings; children's language, motor, creative, and social…

Investigated experiences in a multiage classroom, especially from the child's and parents' perspectives. Found that despite concerns, in the multiage classroom each child is allowed to progress at his or her own pace; individuality is valued; competition is lessened; and children have more time to develop relationships. (Author/SD)

In this collection, nine master teachers with extensive experience in small, rural Alaska schools describe classroom management techniques that have proven effective in their multigraded classrooms. Over half the document consists of one paper, the last in the volume, entitled "More like a School Family than Just a Teacher and His or Her…

Investigated how students and teachers in mixed-age classes spent their learning time during reading, language arts, and mathematics. No significant differences between single- and multi-aged classes was found. Concludes that teachers found working in mixed-age classes very difficult, with most working as if they were teaching two different…