|
| |
Making the education of your child a positive
experience.
Why a Multi-Age Environment
Clear Advantages include:
modeling: Both older and younger children benefit as younger children
observe the
older students following behavioral expectations, classroom routine, and make
improvements to their learning as a result. Older students benefit from having
the opportunity to be positive role models. The cycle continues once the younger
children move on to being the older ones and reap the rewards of being the
positive influence on the new younger children in the school.
access to more material: The environment allows for a variety of material to
be available since children of different ages and ability are all working in the
same space. As a consequence, children who are working beyond their expected
level based on chronological age can have easier access to material that meets
them at their level of ability. Conversely, if a child is experiencing some
difficulty with a subject and not at grade level as would be defined by their
age, then they do not need to fall behind or feel lost since we would be able
to meet them at their level and help them to understand with the appropriate
materials. It is clear that most schools only allow for students of the same age
to learn together and this assumes that children will learn the same things at
the same time, and at the same rate. Clearly, a multi-age environment allows for
far more flexibility and recognizes individual differences in learning levels.
community of learners: There are opportunities for children of different ages
to help each other which promotes patience, empathy, and feelings of
accomplishment. The students would be a family who care for each other, help
each other, and will be encouraged to value each person for their unique
qualities.
reflection of real-world: Learning with different aged peers is also a better
reflection of what the real world is like since people do not simply relate to
identical aged peers. It also allows siblings to learn together and share
experiences that are not available when they are separated. Clearly, there are
families who would welcome this kind of opportunity for their children, and a
multi-age environment provides this choice.
tutoring: It should not be expected that older children will be spending a
large amount of time tutoring younger children since clearly their time needs to
be spent on their own work. However, the opportunity to tutor younger children
at times is beneficial since it allows the older students to practice what they
know which improves their own understanding as a result. Also, younger students
have the opportunity to show their unique strengths and interests to the
students which can be a great boost to confidence and positive feelings. All
students will have their own personal strengths and learning styles and offer
unique strengths to their classmates.
benefits for the parents: The multi-age classroom that seeks to find the
unique learning styles of each students greatly values the involvement of
parents. Parents should know that they are appreciated and that their positive
participation is encouraged.
For More Information Contact:
Sheila Moeck
New Heights School
e-mail:
info@newheightsschool.ca
|
.JPG)
.JPG)
