Mixed Age Classrooms Presented by Dr Fran Favretto
Mixed Age Classrooms Presented by: Dr. Fran Favretto Researched by: CYC Mixed Age Committee Piloted by: The Orange Room & Purple Room ©Leslie Oppenheimer, M. Ed. & Stefanie Kain
Historical Relevance ¡ ¡ In the early 1900 s Horace Mann introduced “graded” education to the U. S. – the grouping of children by chronological age. Mass public education was in response to the flood of immigrants entering the U. S. Graded education assumes that children who are the same chronological age, are relatively similar intellectually. Children progress through the system, which is set up with predetermined expectations based upon age.
What do the Experts Say about Child Development? Jean Piaget Maria Montessori Lev Vygotsky Lilian Katz
Jean Piaget ¡ ¡ Stage Theorist Children develop useful concepts and schemes by repeating acts again and again, using concrete materials. This allows a child to adapt and accommodate to new situations, thus learning and changing existing schemes, allowing for cognitive maturation to occur.
Lev Vygotsky ¡ ¡ Development is not fixed, but on a continuum. Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) l ¡ ¡ What a child can do and what a child can learn to do with support. With scaffolding, learning is socially mediated. Teachers and other children can help with ZPD. After children move on to new learning, they in turn can help others to move to that next level. This is not age related but developmentally determined and socially mediated.
Maria Montessori ¡ ¡ ¡ “The charm of social life is in the number of different types that one meets. ” Multiple age groupings allow children to help one another. People sometimes fear that if a child of 5 gives lessons, this will hold him back in his own progress. Teaching helps a child understand what he knows even better than before. He has to analyze and rearrange his own store of knowledge before he can pass it on.
Lilian Katz ¡ Extended Family Model (Reggio Emilia) l l l 3 – 6 year olds together There is home-like closeness and intimacy associated with family life that is appropriate for young children. The fact that these children stay with the same teacher for several years enables the children, parents, and their teachers to form strong and stable relationships with each other as they might if they were with extended families and small communities.
Interesting Points from Recent Research ¡ Each child progresses at their own speed with no competition because all are at different levels. l ¡ Children are capable of interacting with different ages because they may be operating in overlapping cognitive domains. l ¡ Aina, O. (2001) Maximizing learning in early childhood multiage classrooms: Early Childhood Education Journal. vol. 28 #4, 219 -224. Roopnarine, J. L. & Johnson, J. E. (2005). Approaches to Early Childhood Education. Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall The curriculum is more differentiated and teachers in multi-age classes see their children as diverse rather than similar. l Lloyd, . (1999). Multi-Age Classes and High Ability Students. Review of Educational Research. Vol 69, # 2, 187 – 212.
Why Move Toward All Mixed-Age Preschool Classrooms at the CYC? ¡ ¡ ¡ Our curriculum is designed to be developmentally appropriate and open-ended enough to meet the needs of a diverse student population. We are a research institution that regularly reflects upon and adapts to current educational models. We collected information from teachers of mixed-age classrooms, and from local and national programs: l List of NAEYC accredited programs in Maryland l The Director’s Exchange l National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers
Best Practice in Early Childhood Education ¡ ¡ A child learns as a total person. Children grow through similar stages of development, but at different rates and in different styles. Children learn best in active ways through the interaction with their environment. Children learn best when they are taught through a hands on, integrated curriculum that is inquiry -based.
Best Practice in Early Childhood Education ¡ ¡ Children construct knowledge for themselves as they try to make sense of their world. Learning is a process that depends on social interaction. Children learn the skills of communication and expression when they are given many opportunities to share their learning with others through a variety of forms. Children learn best when the classroom environment is organized but flexible, and when developmentally appropriate tasks are encouraged.
General Benefits to Mixing the Ages ¡ ¡ ¡ Natural – resembles family life (all children experience being the youngest, the middle, and the oldest) Reduces the pressure children feel when they are expected to master something they are not developmentally ready for Sharpens communication skills in all children Strengthens community Creates stronger parentteacher-child relationships Studies show that children who are socially competent perform better academically.
General Benefits (Continued) ¡ ¡ ¡ Fosters stronger social and emotional development which is the key to future learning Supports children’s growing empathy, acceptance, and ability to nurture Adults understand address individual differences between and within children Adults are less likely to compare same age children Children remain with the same teacher and many of their friends for 2 years Revisit the curriculum on a deeper, more complex level
Benefits to Younger Children ¡ ¡ Higher rates of participation in complex play More sophisticated expressive language (descriptions, vocabulary, conversations) Exposed to more mature problem solving strategies Also view themselves as strong and supportive members of the classroom and school community
Benefits to Older Children ¡ ¡ ¡ Responsibility/ Leadership/Pride Modeling positive social behavior Children experiencing difficulty regulating their own behavior improve when encouraged to help younger classmates Discover how to involve younger children in their plans Helps to discourage stereotyping-children are viewed by their developmental abilities
References ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ Aina, Olaiya E. Maximizing Learning in Early Childhood Multiage Classrooms: Child, Teacher, and Parent Perceptions. Early Childhood Education Journal, v 28 No. 4, 2001. Bredekamp, Sue and Copple, Carol. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs. National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1997. Katz, L. G. Twins in School: What Teachers Should Know? ERIC Digest, Champaign, Il: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, 1998. Katz, L. G. , Evangelou, D. & Hartmann, J. A. The Case for Mixed-Age Grouping in the Early Years. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1990. Kinsey, S. J. Multiage Grouping and Academic Achievement. ERIC Digest, Champaign, Il: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, 2001. Lloyd. Multi-Age Classes and High Ability Students. Review of Educational Research, v 69, #2, 187 -212. Roopnarine, J. L. &Johnson, J. E. Approaches to Early Childhood Education. Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall, 2005
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