TEACHING MULTI-GRADE CLASSES INSTRUCTIONAL

REFLECTION
TEACHING MULTI-GRADE CLASSES INSTRUCTIONAL
QUIZ
What is a Multigrade Teaching?
‘Multi’ means plenty, many, or more than one. The word ‘grade’ means level.
Multigrade, therefore, means many grades. Multigrade teaching involves the teaching of
children from two or more grade levels in one classroom. Such contexts require the
employment of teaching methodologies and classroom administration. Since Multigrade
classes are smaller and can be established more cheaply than complete schools, they
can be more numerous, therefore more dispersed, and thus located closer to the
settlements where the children live. This means both that younger children can attend
and that the time children spend travelling between school and home can be reduced to
an acceptable level. The term ‘multigrade teaching’ generally refers to a teaching situation
where a single teacher must take responsibility for teaching pupils across more than one
curriculum grade within a timetabled period. Schools with multigrade classes are referred
to as multigrade schools.

Multigrade teaching occurs in primary education when a teacher has two or more
primary school student grades in the same class. A more general term and probably more
accurate is that multigrade teaching refers to the teaching of students of different ages,
grades, and abilities in the same group. The multigrade class structure is known by
various names in different countries; these include "composite" or "combination" classes,
"double" classes, "split" classes, "mixed-age" classes, "vertically grouped" classes,
"multiple classes", "family classes" or "multilevel classes". In multigrade schools, a
relatively small number of teachers try to be effective in their educational work while
dealing simultaneously with several pupils of different ages, educational levels, and
needs. It follows that for children to learn effectively in multigrade environments; teachers
need to be well trained, well resourced, and able to meet highly demanding teaching tasks
and to hold positive attitudes to multigrade teaching.

Multigrade classrooms ought to be taken seriously into account since such schools
are considered to play an important role in providing access to education for all in remote,
isolated, and underdeveloped rural areas. Such schools are more than a reality in primary
education in many regions of Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the rest of the world
constitute a very common educational form in problematic rural areas, sparsely inhabited
regions, and urban areas with adverse social conditions. In such areas, multigrade
schools not only aim to give enrolment and continuous attendance in school environments
but also to provide knowledge and pedagogy of good standards and in addition to playing
a wider role in social development.
TEACHING MULTI-GRADE CLASSES INSTRUCTIONAL
What are the factors affecting the existence of multigrade classes?
• Geographical
The school is in a small community in a remote area, far away from larger towns or
villages, and where the population is small. Some areas are geographically isolated
by rivers, sand dunes or thick forest. As a result, few people live in these areas. The
children in these areas deserve education just like any other children. Therefore,
under such conditions, multigrade teaching becomes the only available choice for
these communities. Due to the community situation, some teachers needed to stay in
the community along with their students for them to cater their needs not just only in
the academics but also in their life. Sometimes these small communities are far away
from large schools. Many of the students in such communities are too young to travel
to larger schools. In addition, their populations are too small to support monograde
schools. Under these circumstances, multigrade teaching is an alternative. It makes it
possible to provide basic education to sparsely populated communities.
• Social
Most small multigrade schools are in remote and isolated areas and sometimes close
to the country boundaries. Though there might be a school close by across the border,
the learners are not allowed to cross the border. Also, villages under different chiefs
or associated with different tribes, no matter how small, may not have a close
relationship with each other. They may not have the same political affiliation. As part
of the local development effort, these leaders will push to have schools in their areas
regardless of the size of the population. Another factor to consider is the lack of both
human and material resources. Some countries have limited resources, especially in
remote rural schools. They do not have the resources to hire the number of teachers
needed for the system. Some rural schools do not have the basic amenities such as
accommodation for teachers, an adequate number of classrooms and teaching-
learning materials. As a result, many teachers do not want to work in the remote rural
schools. This means that these schools frequently experience a shortage of teachers.
• Cultural
Think about what happens if the children of one community must attend a school in
another community. Parents may not want their children to attend a school in an area
that has a different culture. They may fear that their children will be influenced, and
they will lose some of their community’s values and traditions. Also, Students are a
part of the community economy, and as a result they must perform certain chores
(agricultural or handicraft skill) before they go to school. This is frequently the case in
communities that are near towns and cities. Parents may also fear that their children
may be attracted to the town and leave home. Therefore, they would prefer to have a
small school in their own village and maintain their traditions and values.
TEACHING MULTI-GRADE CLASSES INSTRUCTIONAL
REFLECTION
The word "multigrade" literally means "many grades." Multigrade teaching is a
circumstance in which a single teacher is responsible for teaching numerous grades at
the same time, and it occurs in all schools with more grades than educators. The
Philippines is a good example of a poor country with multigrade classrooms. Because the
Philippines is rated as the world's poorest country, multigrade classrooms are projected
to exist in our country. In our country's educational system, a multigrade class is made
up of two or more distinct grade levels crammed into a single-grade classroom and taught
by one teacher for the full school year, and this is known as a combination class in the
Philippines. Because of its scarcity of instructors, especially in rural and distant locations,
teachers in multigrade jobs are responsible for a wide range of grade levels. Nonetheless,
teachers assist in the development and improvement of each student. Teachers in
multigrade classrooms face time constraints that can create a barrier between learners
and students; they also cannot use their break time because of their full schedule every
day; they also have heavy workloads because the multigrade classroom is three times
the size of a regular classroom; and one of the problems is if the teacher is not prepared
for this setup, which is why they need to come up with a plan. Teachers in remote areas
are treated as hunchbacks in this situation because their responsibilities are different from
those of other teachers, and it is also true that there are many gaps when it comes to
remote areas, but this cannot be normal, which is why the government must intervene to
address this situation, because it is unfair to them when it comes to salary, as a teacher's
salary is fixed but their job is not.