Multigrade Teaching Research Articles

EFFECTS OF MULTI-GRADE TEACHING AND LEARNING AT PRIMARY LEVEL SCHOOLS.

08Jun 2018 EFFECTS OF MULTI-GRADE TEACHING AND LEARNING AT PRIMARY LEVEL SCHOOLS. Muhammad Shahzad Ashfaq , M. Imran Yousuf and M. Arshad Dahar. Faculty of Social Sciences, Pir Mehr Ali Shah, Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi - Pakistan. Chairman, Department of Education, Pir Mehr Ali Shah, Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi ? Pakistan Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Pir Mehr Ali Shah, Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi - Pakistan

Enhancing the Teaching Skills of the Multi-Grade Teachers through Lesson Study

Teaching in the multi-grade class is more difficult than mono-grade for teachers, however, multi-grade teaching was defined as the best strategy to achieving access to Education For All (EFA) of children especially those from rural areas. Teachers have been working diligently but unmethodical in their classroom. This study aimed to improve and enhance the teachers' professional skills which they have been facing in the classroom through the Lesson study and discuss why most of the teachers did not like to prepare and/or develop lesson plans. There were 100 participants who teach in the multi-grade schools in the Salavan district. The results represented that pre-test scores and post-test scores from two of training groups were significantly different and found that most of teachers do not usually prepare lesson plans. The research findings also determined that a Lesson study can be beneficial to enhance the development the teachers' professional skills. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.17.4.5

Teachers’ Lived Experiences about Teaching-Learning Process in Multi-Grade Classes

This study seeks to recognize teachers’ lived experiences about teaching-learning process in multi-grade classes. The approach of the study is qualitative under the rubric of phenomenological studies. The statistical population consisted of the teachers of multi-grade classes in a non-prosperous province and a prosperous one. 14 teachers were selected using criterion sampling technique for an interview. The interviews were recorded and transcribed with the interviewees’ permission; and they were analyzed using Creswell data analysis. In order to evaluate the validity of the questions, the viewpoints of experts in the field of educational sciences as well as some teachers experienced in multi-grade classes were taken into account. The reliability was approved through examination by the participants and asking from counterparts. The results showed that teachers of multi-grade classes in both provinces had similar views on using teaching methods, determining learning activities and grouping methods. However, they did not have the same views on determining the type of learning materials and resources. The results show that in multi-grade classes various teaching methods such as peer teaching and integrated teaching, leading resources and materials such as the local community, nature, and discarded materials and objects, different grouping methods such as adjacent grouping, row grouping, and sex grouping, and finally various learning activities including self learning and peer learning are utilized. Multi-grade teachers in the two provinces have similar viewpoints regarding teaching methods, learning activities, and grouping methods, but are of different viewpoints on kinds of learning materials and resources.

THE IMPACT OF MULTIGRADE TEACHING APPROACH IN TEACHING OF BASIC SCIENCE

THE IMPACT OF MULTIGRADE TEACHING APPROACH IN TEACHING OF BASIC SCIENCE

Multigrade teaching techniques and other arrangements for enhancing teaching-learning process

Multigrade teaching techniques and other arrangements for enhancing teaching-learning process

One teacher’s experiences of teaching reading in an urban multi-grade foundation phase class

Many teachers have been confronted by the demanding situation of teaching two or more year groups in the same classroom although data on this multi-grade phenomenon is scarce. The purpose of this study attempts to answer the research question: What are the experiences of one foundation phase teacher when teaching reading in an urban multi-grade foundation phase class? The theoretical framework central to answering the research question was based on Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice. The literature review highlights the physical setting of urban multi-grade classrooms, debates the limitations and benefits of urban multi-grade teaching and finally briefly outlines the old and the new South African curriculum policies with regard to reading. A qualitative interpretive case study research design was formulated to explore the complex phenomenon of reading practices in the foundation phase. Data were collected using interviews and observations, which were video recorded. In conclusion, this unique study reveals that despite evidence from provincial tests indicating poor reading results in multi-grade teaching of reading, this teacher proved that reading in urban multi-grade classes does work. In her classroom, she showed that multi-grade teaching of reading fosters the emotional, intellectual, social and academic well-being of learners.

Teaching reading in a multi-grade class: Teachers’ adaptive skills and teacher agency in teaching across grade R and grade 1

<p>The skill of reading is regarded as the cornerstone of literacy learning in the foundation phase. Although it is the most complex skill to master, it forms part of literacy teaching. Most learners begin schooling without having any kind of exposure to reading. This lack of exposure introduces a number of challenges, which are consequently exacerbated if teachers have to teach in multi-grade classes. This case study was conducted in two primary schools in the Ndwedwe Circuit in KwaZulu-Natal. It is framed within the interpretive epistemology <br />embedded in a qualitative research methodology. Empirical data were generated from two rural schools where multi-grade teaching was undertaken. To produce data, two teachers teaching multi-grade classes (incorporating both grade R and grade 1) were observed during an isiZulu Home Language reading period. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were used to elicit more data for corroboration of findings. The findings show that teacher agency is crucial <br />in making adaptive decisions. These decisions are based on the intersection of formal knowledge, situational knowledge and experiential knowledge that the teachers have acquired over time.</p>

Preparing pre-service teachers for rural appointments

Pre-service teachers need to be prepared to teach in both rural and urban contexts. Preparation to teach multi-grade classes in rural schools is excellent preparation for teaching any class, including urban single-grade classes. Based on our previous research and experience, we designed a unit to prepare our pre-service teachers for the issues they may face in their employment and especially in rural schools, including multi-grade teaching, coping with isolation, working as a casual teacher, and communicating with parents and caregivers. There are significant issues that are distinct in rural and urban contexts, including how metrocentric departmental policies can emphasise the rural/urban divide.

Investigating the Gaps among Policy, Teacher Education, and Practice in Multigrade Education in Bhutan

Multigrade pedagogy has been used in Bhutan for more than two decades as a means of accelerating universal primary education. The study from which this article emerges used interviews, document analysis, and observations to investigate the gaps among policy, teacher education, and practice in multi-grade education in Bhutan. These gaps exist because government intention to train teachers and deploy them in multigrade classrooms lags far behind policy initiatives. We found that, currently, many teachers are either untrained or trained only in monograde pedagogy and are poorly resourced. Although the Ministry of Education has a policy to use multigrade teaching to achieve universal primary education, our research found a gap between policy intentions and practice in implementing multigrade teaching at the classroom level.

Perceptions of Multigrade Teaching: A Narrative Inquiry into the Voices of Stakeholders in Multigrade Contexts in Rural Zambia

Multigrade teaching is used widely in primary schools throughout the Majority World. This study reports the findings of a narrative inquiry undertaken to answer the question: what are the perceptions of stakeholders in rural Zambian multigrade contexts about multigrade teaching as an education strategy? We were interested in exploring the reality of multigrade education. The inquiry found that although stakeholders in the main held positive perceptions about multigrade teaching, necessitated by lack of resources in rural areas, they saw it as a poor substitute for monograde teaching. The study confirms that the human and physical infrastructure in rural Zambia is in a poor state making unlikely the achievement of MDGs by 2015. Capacity building to enhance multigrade education is suggested as a possible strategy to accelerate the realisation of the MDG of Education for All (EFA) by 2015. Failure to provide effective multigrade teaching will commit millions of children, particularly in the rural areas in the Majority World, to the vicious cycle of extreme poverty, unemployment, hunger, ignorance and disease.

Multi-grade teaching practices in Austrian and Finnish primary schools

This article describes the teaching strategies used in multi-grade classes in five small rural primary schools in Austria and Finland on the basis of the content analysis of transcribed teacher interviews. Two main types of strategies were identified: practices that (1) aim to reduce or (2) capitalize on students’ heterogeneity. The results illustrate how differently multi-grade teaching can be realized and how it can effectively support individual student learning. The findings are discussed with regard to teacher education with the intention of increasing the awareness of the professional skills required in high-quality teaching practices in multi-grade teaching.

Views of childhood and knowledge of children

Views of childhood and knowledge of children

What challenges do foundation phase teachers experience when teaching writing in rural multigrade classes?

A one-size-fits-all curriculum cannot address the issues faced by rural multigrade teachers and learners. In South Africa, despite government efforts to relieve adversity, poverty in rural areas is still rife and poor education still fails to lift people out of it (Joubert 2010). Equality is essential in ensuring that all South African children have access to quality education where they can learn in an environment free from bias and discrimination (Asmal 2001). Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological systems theory underpinned this study. The purpose of this research was to identify the challenges experienced by two foundation phase teachers in teaching writing. This research was a qualitative study embedded within an interpretive case study. The following factors became evident: poor socio-economic backgrounds, transport, parental illiteracy, and teacher challenges that include the following subthemes: reading problems, differentiated teaching, resources, the language of teaching and learning, and writing support from the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).

Against All Odds: How Do Primary Teachers Navigate in Multi-grade Teaching Contexts?

Multi-grade teaching is seen as an important policy option for providing access to education for learners in remote areas. However, achieving excellence in teaching and learning in a rural context remains a challenge for teachers and other sectors in a changing education system. The study describes the lived experiences of multi-grade teachers in rural schools and how they survive in their different multi-grade contexts. The research design was qualitative in nature, using case studies. Data were collected using observations and semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that teachers have varying perceptions of multi-grade teaching and do not have a clear understanding of the rationale behind multi-grade teaching. In addition, the findings from the data reflect that despite the challenges multi-grade teachers face they are able to find ways of using the little they have to enable teaching and learning to take place in their context. Multi-grade teachers practise useful strategies such as choosing similar topics and assessing learners in the same classroom according to their different grade levels. The study recommends that the teacher training curriculum integrates multi-grade teaching strategies as part of the initial teacher training, to enable teachers to deal with the realities that they face in multi-grade schools. In addition a well-coordinated support system at national, provincial, district and school level could help teachers cope with difficulties in their multi-grade classrooms.

Multigrade teaching and age composition of the class: The influence on academic and social outcomes among students

This article presents innovative analyses on the effects of the age composition of the class using the first wave of a large-scale longitudinal study of nine year old children, the Growing Up in Ireland study. The analyses focus on both academic and social outcomes. Taking account of a rich set of control factors, few overall differences were found in student outcomes between single-grade and multigrade classes. However, girls were found to experience a range of negative effects, depending on the age composition of the class.

Multi-Grade Teaching and Inclusion: Selected Cases in the Free State Province of South Africa

Multi-grade teaching is a commonly used pedagogic strategy in rural schools. However, this form of teaching continues to present challenges to both the teacher and the learner in particular since t...

Multi-grade Teaching: A Daunting Challenge for Rural Teachers

Multi-grade teaching schools form the most neglected sector of the education system around the globe. As an important policy option for providing access to education for learners in remote areas mu...

Multi-Grade Teaching and Inclusion: Selected Cases in the Free State Province of South Africa

Multi-Grade Teaching and Inclusion: Selected Cases in the Free State Province of South Africa

The Urgent Need to Train Teachers for Multigrade Pedagogy in African Schooling Contexts: Lessons from Uganda and Zambia

Our research project funded by the British Council on multigrade teaching capacity building in Uganda and Zambia found that Uganda does not have a single higher education institution training teachers in multigrade pedagogy and Zambia has only one located at Serenje village in rural Zambia. Yet the research found that in both countries many teachers actually teach multigraded classes in spite of never having been trained in multigrade pedagogy. Our literature searches also found that this situation is not unique to these two countries but in fact very common throughout Africa. Moreover, multigrade is used not by pedagogical choice but by necessity because these countries do not have enough teachers, classrooms or other school equipment to universalize access to primary schooling on a monograde basis. Yet we know that there are well founded pedagogical reasons for using multigrade pedagogy in the education of learners, young and old. These findings lead us to the conclusion that it is not prudent to continue overlooking the potential of multigrade pedagogy to improve educational opportunities for children in African schooling contexts. This is especially true in rural and remote areas; it is therefore imperative to train teachers for multigrade pedagogy in Africa. This paper discusses the problems facing multigrade teaching in Africa and the reasons why multigrade has been neglected, the consequences of that neglect, and the need for a paradigm shift towards multigrade teaching so as to provide universal access to primary education for all children in Africa.

Quality Basic Education for All: Challenges in Multi-Grade Teaching in Rural Schools

Inequalities in terms of access, retention and completion compromise the provision of quality education in rural schools. Like other developing countries in Africa, South Africa’s rural communities remain disadvantaged compared to their counterparts in urban areas. The achievement of the goals set for 2015 by the millennium declaration – and especially, poverty reduction, food security, universal primary education and gender equity require special efforts in rural areas such as the use of multi-grade education. Multi-grade education is recognised as the viable option for promoting access to basic education for disadvantaged children, especially those living in rural areas. The study investigates the challenges faced by multi-grade teachers in rural South African schools. The study employs a descriptive qualitative case study design. Participants in this study were multi-grade teachers in a rural school. Data collection were done using semi-structured interviews. Two teachers were purposefully selected to participate in this small-scale study. Collected data were analysed qualitatively using themes. The key findings in this study indicate that teachers found teaching in a multi-grade context challenging and difficult. The study also showed that teachers have a negative attitude towards multi-grade teaching. Furthermore, there is no specific training provided for teachers teaching multi-grade classes. The article highlights the need for in-service training and on-going support for teachers in multi-grade schools for the provision of quality education. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n1p531