Multi-age Learning
"Multi-age classrooms create a learning environment where learning opportunities meet students' individual learning targets.
"The multi-age classroom lets students' natural leadership shine, deepening peer relationships and building confidence."
"Multi-age classes provide students with authentic personalized learning experiences to meet their individual needs."
"Students are building relationships and learning from one another throughout the day!"
Multiage Classrooms FAQs
What is a multiage classroom?
A multiage classroom is a learning environment in which students of various ages and abilities work together in a community setting in order to highlight student strengths and abilities, while offering peer support during learning acquisition. Multiage classrooms have been a standard practice at ALA Euclid since the school’s inception in 2016. In the past five years students have been grouped in a variety of configurations based on student needs and product development.
Why do we have multiage classrooms?
Multiage classrooms deepen the sense of community within a class because the students are able to create long-term relationships with both their peers and teachers. The extended pairing of students and teachers allows the teacher to gain greater insight into individual student needs, and develop long- term goals for student learning. Multiage classes have been the driving force behind the success of ALA’s village model. This village model allows the village teachers to develop rich relationships with each student during their years at the Euclid campus, and provides students with a sense of continuity from year to year. In the Multiage Model students are also more able to develop leadership skills and mentorship relationships with one another.
Our commitment to the design principles of ALA and our students has fostered this exciting development. The teachers at Euclid have decided to deepen the multiage experience for our students, so we can continue to meet the needs of each individual. Utilizing the structure of multiage classrooms, we will be able to go further as we continue to offer the acceleration and support our students deserve, while also gaining the flexibility to provide deeper learning and a focus on growing the whole child.
Research on Multiage Education
Multiage education seeks to personalize learning for each child, honoring the diversity of abilities and challenges, learning styles and rates, interests, cultures, languages and multiple intelligences among children, so that each child is valued as a unique individual with worth. Each child is treated as an original person, and not as a mass-produced, standardized product. Multiage education is inclusive and equitable for all children, protecting each child’s dignity (Freire, 1994; Guo, 2015; Lankutis and Kennedy, 2002; Leggett & Newman, 2017).
Please email Gabby Joseph (ajoseph2@saisd.net) with any questions.
Resources
Presenting a compelling case for changing our system of education from a graded, curriculum-centered approach to a multiage, child-centered approach, Understanding Multiage Education is a comprehensive exploration of the philosophy and foundations of multiage education.
Read more here on Amazon.
The multi-age learning community is a program that re-cultures schools for the 21st century. It moves traditional programs to a learning environment that targets the individual needs of learners with a shared leadership model. The goal is to allow students to have the opportunity to become the very best they can be and achieve on high levels.
Read more here on Amazon.