Republic of the Philippines

Eastern Samar State University

Guiuan Campus
Guiuan, Eastern Samar

_________________________________________________________________________________

What is multigrade teaching?

Multigrade teaching is a situation in which one teacher has to teach many grades, all at
the same time. It happens in all schools where there are more grades than teachers.
Some multigrade teachers may teach two grades, but some teach three or four grades.
In very small schools, teachers may teach six or seven grades at the same time under
one roof.
In the traditional single-grade teaching, or monograde as it is sometimes called, the
teacher teaches only one grade.
Combination classes two grades with one teacher.
The learners in each grade are usually of the same age but may differ in abilities.

Why Multigrade classes exist?

1. Multigrade classes were organized as a matter of necessity for remote barangays where the
number of children enrolled could not meet the required number to organize a single grade
class and assign the necessary teacher for each class.
2. Distance of the barrio and small number of students for each class.
3. Shortage of funds teachers and school buildings.

What are the advantages and challenges of a multi - grade classes?

L

Advantages

1. Maximum social interaction between/among

peers.
2. Cooperative learning is predominant.
3. Will learn to be independent, self-directed
learners can learn to be more resourceful.
4. Prepared for real life situations where there
is constant interaction between people of
different ages, varied skills and abilities.
5. Can learn to assume leading or supporting
role as needed in different work situations.
6. Stigma associated with failure and repetition
is removed.
7. Girls who are often expected to stay home or
at least close to home to take care younger

Challenges

1. Requires more discipline, greater

concentration and more focus in order to
benefit from effective strategies e.g peer
teaching, group work, self directed
learning.
2. Less reliance on direct supervision by
teacher.
3. Requires more initiative and resourceful
to function effectively in a multigrade
class.
4. May receive less individual attention
from a less experienced teacher or one
who is not well-trained in multigrade
teaching.

siblings or the household will have more

chances to go to school since schools are
located within the community.
8. Evidence suggests that multigrade students
can attain higher achievement levels
especially in math, science and language.

Advantages

&

1. Efficient means of providing educational

services to thinly populated areas and
remote communities.
2. Efficient means of using limited
educational resources such as trained
teachers, classrooms, and materials.
3. Maintaining small barrio schools help to
build and sustain the identity of the
community and the cultural life of the
people in the community.

Basic Principles of Multigrade Teaching

1. Requires more preparation of

curriculum learning materials.
2. Requires more careful study of
learners developmental
characteristics across the age levels
involved in the class, approaches and
strategies that are effective and viable
within a multigrade class.
3. More investment in organization of
the classroom as learning
environment.
4. More meticulous and systematic
record keeping to keep track of
student progress, curriculum
development and implementation is
required.

C H O O L

Advantage

1. Children are unique.

Challenges

1. Can make the most of inter-age, multilevel situation to facilitate learning

processes.
2. Can get to know students more and
carefully asses their needs and adopt
appropriate teaching strategies
3. Can innovate and experiment with
different age groups and deal with
curriculum content across subject areas.
4. Shares responsibility for facilitating
learning with pupils, parents, other
community members
5. More opportunities for activity
centered, experience based approaches
rather than whole group,
lecture/drill/rote methods of teaching.
C O M M U N I T Y

Y S T E M

Challenges

1. Student achievement may be poor if

programs do not have the required
resources and teachers are not
properly trained.
2. Requires investment in training of
teachers, supervisors and
administrative personnel to prepare
them for the demands of mulltigrade
teaching and administration of
multigrade schools.

2. Children can learn best from experience.

3. Children can and do learn well from one another.
4. The role of teacher in a classroom involves setting up and managing a learning
environment that will be conducive to learning and teaching.
5. The implementation of the school curriculum must take into consideration the varied
abilities, levels and interests within particular group.
6. The value of any educational program will be judged according to how well it is able to
achieve the goals of the program whether the children actually learn what they are
expected to learn and how well they have learned.
7. Inter aging or the combination of children of different ages is more respectful of
individual needs of learners and reflects real life.
The component of a multigrade classroom
1.
2.
3.
4.

Learner the center of the educational process.

Teachers a critical figure in the teaching learning environment.
Facilitator
Instructor
Manager
Observer
Evaluator
Other adults like parents and community members.

Planner

Classroom Management Practices as Best Strategies for an Effective Multigrade Teaching

A. Instructions
1. Provides different lesson in every subject for the two grade level
2. Plans learning activities to suit pupils ability and interest.
3. Divide class into small group and individual group within a day.
4. Time management is shown by alternating whole group periods with small group activities and
individual work within a day.
5. Prepares different sets of test by grade.
6. Provides pupils with necessary materials to work independently after whole group or small group
instruction.
7. Allows one grade to work or read independently or in group while discussing lessons to other grade
level.
8. Treats two grade level as one in the class with different activities suited to their level.
B. Pupil Management
1. Assign seats for individual whole group activity.
2. Schedules classroom routine such as flag ceremony, attendance taking, and classroom maintenance
activity.
3. Provides attendance chart to be filled up by pupils as soon as they arrive in class.
4. Prepares daily/weekly job chart for the children to accomplish.
5. Establish clear class routines such as passing of papers, falling in line and doing individual/group
works.
6. Provide an access to all pupils.
7. Involve children in classroom maintenance by using the Job Chart.
8. Allows pupils to sit by grade level facing to their own blackboard.
9. Schedules daily routines and activities.

C. Discipline
1. Sets classroom rules and regulations for the children to follow.
2. Talks privately to the disruptive pupils.
3. Explains classroom rules clearly.
4. Imposes rules in passing or checking papers, quizzes and assignments.
5. Treats pupils with justice and fairness.
6. Assign pupil secretary to monitor class behavior.
7. Requires pupils to fall in line before entering and leaving the classroom.
8. Checks then accomplishments for daily routinary activities.
9. Treats pupil with justice and fairness.
D. Classroom Atmosphere
1. Blackboards are in opposite walls of the classroom.
2. Classroom lay out is flexible to cater indoor game.
3. Desks/chairs are lighter capable to be moved and can be moved freely for group activities.
4. Furniture and equipments are in movable type capable for arranging and rearranging.
5. Learning materials are properly arranged and prepared by teachers.
6. Provides a variety of arrangements throughout the year.
7. Arranges furniture in such a way it provide for convenient flow.
8. Labels the areas of the classrooms and containers of materials for the children to easily learn its
usage and function.
9. Classroom is attractively and neatly arranged.
10. Maintain cleanliness and orderliness inside the classroom.
11. All parts of the room are well ventilated.
CATERING DIVERSE LEARNERS THROUGH MULTIGRADE TEACHING

THE MULTI- GRADE (MG) CLASSROOM AS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

I. Basic information about the multi-grade classroom in several (two or three)
Grade levels with one teacher for an entire school year.
II. Where did the idea of MG schools come from?
Multigrade school where actually the first kind of school in North America.
III. Rationale in organizing multigrade classes in both public and private schools when most of the classrooms
are
single- grade classes.
CRUCIAL ELEMENTS IN A MULTI-GRADE CLASSROOM
1. Modified curriculum and instruction
A. Subject staggering option
Subjects requiring more teacher pupil interaction are grouped with those requiring less.
Example:
Grade one:
Sining
Seatwork
Individual art activity

Grade two:
English
with pupil leader answering self- learning kit
Grade three:
English
with teacher develops days lesson through activities
B. Subject integration option
Subjects are integrated through a theme.
Example:
GRADE ONE
ARALING PANLIPUNAN
NAKIKILALA ANG MAGAGANDANG TANAWIN SA
POOK PASYALAN NG SARILING POOK/BANSA
Art:
Nakabubuo ng disenyo na binubuo ng ibat ibang hugis sa pamamagitan
Finger painting.
Music:
Nakaaawit ng may tamang tono tungkol sa magandang tanawin/kapaligiran.
Education:
Naisasagagawa ng ibat ibang bahagi ng katawan ang ibat ibang bahagi ng katawan.
Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga:
Napapanatiling malinis ang paligid.
C. Common time table
Subject is presented in all grades by the teacher in a given schedule
With each grade having prescribed work program by age- level or ability.
Example:
TIME
GRADE 1
GRADE 2
GRADE 3
7:00-7:30
GMRC
GMRC
GMRC
7:30-8:30
Mother Tongue
Mother Tongue
Mother Tongue
8:30-9:10
Art
Art
Art
9:10-9:30
Math
Math
Math
RECESS
D. Integrated Day Option
No fixed timetable
Pupils are free to choose what subject to study and when
Children are allowed to choose an activity based from the weeks theme.
E. Subject Grouping Option
Subjects using Filipino as medium of Instruction are taught Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday while subjects using English are taught Tuesday and Thursday.
Example:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Tuesday, Thursday
Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao
English
Araling Panlipunan
Science
Mother Tongue
Math
Filipino
2. Teachers role
Facilitator
Manager
Observer

Instructor
Planner
Evaluator
3. Classroom physical arrangement
ELEMENTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO SUCCESSFUL MG CLASSROOM
Learning Centers
Learning Materials
Furniture and Equipment
4. Classroom management and discipline
Classroom management and discipline are two very closely related issues.
Classroom management
Organizing physical environment
5. Planning a lesson and evaluation
DISCIPLINE IN THE CLASSROOM
Discipline involves doing what is expected of you at a specific time whether there is
someone watching over you or not.
PLANNING A LESSON AND EVALUATION
One of the most important tasks for the MG classroom teachers is lesson preparation.
EVALUATION OF STUDENTS LEARNING
Informal evaluation
are built in or part of the learning activities, like formative test which is given after every
lesson development.
Formal evaluation
this is an evaluation which is more objective and not affected by bias or subjectivity.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHILE PREPARING A TEST
Lesson Objectives
Nature of Learners
type of test to prepare
Number of items
level of difficulty
key to correction
6. Community participation
Parent involvement in the multi- grade classroom
Group meeting
Individual parent- teacher conference
Parent as classroom volunteers
Community participation
Community life and school activities
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
The following list reflects some of the diversities found among students which need to be appreciated by the
teachers.
1. Age
2. ability
3. developmental level
4. background
5. experience
6. motivation

7. interest