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…

Addresses the benefits of multiage grouping of primary students in small, rural schools. Reports on a survey indicating that 20 of 49 school districts in a rural state employed multiage grouping. Stresses the importance of considering child development when implementing multiage grouping, and concludes that multiage grouping may be the future of…

Describes and assesses the effectiveness of a staff development program for Dutch teachers in mixed-age classes as it relates to areas of classroom management, instruction, and pupils' on-task behavior. Results of the quasi-experimental, treatment-control group investigation showed that the training program was an effective staff development tool.…

This article reviews the best evidence concerning the cognitive and noncognitive effects of multigrade (students of more than one grade taught by one teacher) and multiage (students grouped for expected benefits) classrooms. Studies of noncognitive, cognitive, and achievement effects reveal no adverse effects of learning in such classrooms. (SLD)

Multiage classrooms are an increasingly popular way to restructure schools. To be successful, multiage classrooms must shift their focus from teaching curriculum to teaching children. Strategies recommended for making multiage teaching successful include a process approach to learning, facilitation by the teacher, an integrated curriculum,…

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…

This study examined the extent of burnout among elementary teachers in very small Seventh Day Adventist schools with multigraded classes. Surveys indicated that 71% experienced moderate to high emotional exhaustion and 60% experienced low personal accomplishment. Predictors of burnout included attitudes toward students, satisfaction with teaching,…

A final-year student teacher from the University of Southern Queensland (Australia) describes her student teaching experiences in a one-room school in the isolated town of Birdsville, focusing on the harsh natural environment, the demands of a multiage classroom, and positive attributes of the small school and community involvement. (SV)

A final-year student teacher from the University of Southern Queensland (Australia) describes her student teaching experiences at Gunpowder State School, an isolated one-room school in central Queensland, focusing on techniques for managing the multiage classroom and teacher-community relationships. (SV)

Minority responses to mainstream schooling have been characterized as ranging from assimilation to resistance. Based on a three-year ethnographic study, this article suggests that such a continuum is inadequate for interpreting the longevity and vibrancy of an Old Order Mennonite community. This durability can be attributed to a "third…

This article investigates how a Midwestern early childhood teacher's practice and her views of her practice are culturally constrained. The research is framed by a cultural psychology and draws on an ethnographic and interpretive biographic study of Mary, an experienced first-grade teacher. We explore Mary's practice through four central themes:…

This study, part of a narrative classroom inquiry into the teaching and learning of mathematics in a Canadian elementary classroom, emerges from the three years I was a participant-observer in Janine O'Neil's 3rd/4th-grade classroom at Bay Street Community School. Drawing on the curriculum commonplaces of teacher, social milieu, subject matter,…

Across the country, states are pushing to close their small rural schools with the mistaken hope of saving money, in spite of overwhelming evidence that smaller schools are beneficial for students, and that they frequently function as the glue that binds together small communities, serving as their economic and social hub. The battle is even more…

This paper describes the long-term effects of a staff-development program, "Dealing with Multi-Grade Classes," based on selected findings from teaching-effectiveness research in schools with multi-grade or mixed-age classes. The short-term effects were examined in two studies conducted in 1986-87 and 1989-90. In 1992 a follow-up study…

This document summarizes the deliberations of the Commonwealth Pacific Regional Workshop, which focused on the cost effectiveness of small schools. Advantages of small schools include equity for disadvantaged groups, opportunities for rural development, preservation of cultural traditions, and the potential for educational advantages. One task…