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July 14, 2010—From singing songs around a campfire to
cheering for their peers and sharing s’mores,
kindergartners and first-graders at Mariaville Elementary
School showed off their camaraderie during one of the last
days of school.
The students will become part of a combined classroom next
year, in which first- and secondgraders
share the same teacher. To help ease the transition, students
began attending a mock camp at the end of this school year under
the direction of kindergarten teacher Lynette Miller and
first-grade teacher
Kari Berg.
| Benefits of a multiage classroom can
include: |
- Learning is a continuum, rather than a series of
steps that must be completed in one school year.
- Teachers of multiage classes can work as a
team, collaborating and sharing ideas and best
practices.
- Older or more-advanced students can help
explain things to their peers, reinforcing their own
learning and developing their leadership abilities
and sense of responsibility.
- Advanced knowledge and mature behavior are
modeled for the younger students.
- Because learning is tailored to a student’s
developmental level, he or she experiences more
success, which builds self-esteem.
- The community-learning atmosphere fosters
cooperation and risk taking and reduces social
isolation and bullying.
- Students develop friendships across grades,
something that can make the transition to middle
school seem less daunting.
- Staying with the same teacher for two years
eliminates the “getting to know you” stage every
year, for both students and their families, and
means that students are familiar with the routine
and expectations of the class, saving time that can
instead be devoted to teaching and learning.
- Parents and teachers can develop a long-term
relationship to support the child’s growth.
|
“We wanted to integrate the students as much as possible in
preparation for the changes that will occur next year,” said
Berg.
At “Camp Learned a Lot,” students engaged in learning centers
where small groups of students from both
grade levels participated in simultaneously occurring
activities. Students earned merit badges for their
participation in the camp-like activities, which included
storytelling, arts and crafts, and fishing, among others.
“They had so much fun, they almost didn’t realize they were
learning,” said Berg. “It was an extremely motivating, exciting
and engaging learning experience for them.”
The activities also helped students forge new friendships
with future classmates. When they return to school in the fall,
students will be taught by Kim Knapik with additional support
provided by a teacher’s
assistant or aide.
The new classroom configuration was included in the 2010-11
school budget due to low enrollment at both grade levels.
“During these difficult financial times, we just couldn’t
justify a classroom of only ten students,” said Principal Brian
Hunt.
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"Camp Learned a Lot" eases transition to combined class at
Mariaville