We are now a multi-age classroom, rather than just PreK. We are now a collection of three-, four-, and five-year-olds. I taught multi-age at the beginning of my career, and it did not feel like this. Perhaps I am blocking out some of my past experiences!
So much about our group is now on a larger spectrum: interests, physical needs, emotional responses, social behaviors, attention span, and language. Each part of the day needs to be thought about in a new light, I think. I'm beginning to think about differentiation strategies - for ESL students, for younger students, for older students, as well as for different styles of learning. Our classroom environment has to be re-evaluated. Some of the topics that are on my mind right now are:
- The need for quiet spaces and the need for very active spaces
- The activities we can share as a whole class and the activities that need to be in smaller groups and one-on-one settings
- How our days is balanced - everything from choice time to transitions to rest time to outdoor play
- Our classroom community and how we welcome younger children into our established community
- Following the interests of the children as we enter our new unit of inquiry
I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the bumps in the road that will inevitably be there as we become a true multi-age classroom. This has to be approached with open-mindedness, patience, and a lot of daily reflection.
yes. i understand the challenge. my goal is to find things that the youngest feel successful at while the oldest feel engaged in.
ReplyDeletetricky at times.
Thanks for your comment, Kristin - I'm sure the challenge is felt by many!
ReplyDeleteI failed to mention that I feel a lot of pressure around the topic of inquiry - how do we involve evryone in meaningful ways? How different will the different roles be?
What I like best about my multi-aged classroom is that my older kids, the ones who have been with me for 3 years already, can actually step in and act as assistant teachers. They are often much more effective than I am at teaching certain skills and concepts.
ReplyDeleteAiiieieee! Congratulations! What happened - why the shift? A few tip from a school that shifted to a multi-age 1-5 group?
ReplyDeleteHiding spaces. Tons of research talks about the need for 'secret space' and for 'forts' and I found that this gives a break to both the older and the younger - for different reasons. Build a hiding space!
Good luck - I'm excited to see where this goes for you. I'd also look at some of the research out there on family care - there is some interesting work happening on mixed-age group, although much of it is a large mix, not 3-5...
I think it is exciting - thank you for your comments! I agree about the hiding spaces. I'm thinking about a table with curtains around it, perhaps up against a wall somewhere. So often you see those spaces but teachers are so afraid to let kids out of their line of vision. I think I can trust these children and give them a true private space. And if it works well, a few spaces might be in order!
ReplyDelete