Muti Age Classrooms Essay

Muti age classrooms leads students to take on labels — both in their own minds as well as their teachers, that tend to be associated with their learning pace instead of learning ability. Tracking in elementary school: teachers tend to give students a curriculum that matches their label, the "most able" or "fast" learners generally read whole books, go to the library frequently, do independent research, enjoy more choices, have additional access to the computer, go on extra field trips, have opportunities to collaborate on projects with community members, have a mentor, and so on. On the other hand,"slower" learners tend to read from the basal, do worksheets, have fewer choices,and so on. Students with lower expectations leads to lower motivation …show more content…
Modeling is the when the younger students pick up behaviors they observe in older students. It occurs even when it is not intended. If older students and younger students are in close proximity while engaging in learning activities, the younger students will seek to imitate the behaviors modeled by the older students. Younger students will imitate academic and social behaviors demonstrated by older children. An example of this would be, an eight year old and a six year old read together on the floor of the classroom, holding a book between them. The older child reads a page to the younger one, then invites him to read. When the younger child has trouble with a word, the older child says the first sound to help the little one out. There are a variety of strategies a teacher can use to be successful when organizing the instructional piece for the multiage classroom. The research of Dr. Melanie Shaw (2008) suggests the promotion of flexible grouping. This grouping needs to be with older and younger classmates and will promote “student interaction, collaboration, enhancing motivation by encouraging students to work through