From access to success

Multigrade Pedagogy and Assessment

Angela W LittleDelhi, Oct 24-26 2007

www.ioe.ac.uk/multigrade

Maheswari’s multigrade school

What is multigrade teaching?

The teaching of pupils from different curriculum grades within the same timetabled period. Multi-grade is also referred to as:

– Multiple class– Composite class– Vertical group– Mixed year class– Family class– Double class– Combined class– Unitary schools (one-teacher schools)

Making the invisible visible

• India: In 2005-6 76% of all primary (grade 1-5) schools had 3 or less teachers

• Peru In 1998 78% of all public primary schools were multigraded

• Burkina Faso In 2000 36% of primary schools and 20% of classes were multigraded. 18% of students were in multigraded classes

• England In 2000 25% of primary classes were ‘mixed year’.

• 192 million (of 647 million enrolled in primary) worldwide in de facto MG classes. A further 104 million children remain out of school

Teaching and curriculum strategies AVOIDANCE• Neglect • Deferred entry of one grade – combine with next year’s entry

QUASI MONOGRADE• One teacher, multiple spaces/chalkboards• Multi-year curriculum spans. Learners ‘enter’ the span at

different points

DIFFERENTIATION• Teacher centred: Differentiated curricula: input, task, outcome• Learner centred: Differentiated materials

Mobile multigrade school in Sudan

Quasi-monograde: Darfur, SudanGrade 1+2 morning, teacher moves between 2 classrooms, Grade 3+4 afternoon, same teacher moves between same 2 classrooms

Quasi-monogradeVietnam: one teacher, five grades

Quasi-monograde Multi-year curriculum span for Grades 5 and 6(except Maths), Grade 2 separateRhodes, Greece

Differentiation: Teacher-centredCommon language lesson, differentiated tasks, differentiated outcomes

Differentiation: Learner-centred guided by quality materials

Escuela Nueva

Self-organised learning

3-way relationship between T, S and M

Action research with teachersCurriculum restructuring

• Survey of teachers of multi-grade classes (38 schools in Sri Lanka, 23 in Vietnam)

• Desk study of the national curriculum by researchers and experts

• Sri Lanka, mathematics• Vietnam, health education

• Small group of ‘intervention’ teachers (18 in Sri Lanka, 5 in Vietnam)

• Teachers develop the curriculum intervention with action researcher guided by desk study of current curriculum

• Intervention and Control groups, pre-and post test

Curriculum blueprint for maths: Grade 3-5

Theme Topic G3 G4 G5

Number number concept X X X

number patterns X X X

fractions X X X

decimals X X

Roman numerals X X

Measurement/distance length and distance X X X

weight X X X

volume and capacity X X X

time X X X

area X X

Achievement impact

• Learning gains on knowledge tests were greater in the intervention groups than in the control groups

Curriculum Development at National level

Vietnam

• G 1-3 Natural and Social Sciences; G 4-5 Science G4-5

Nepal

• G 2-3 Environment, Health, Sanitation and Social Studies

• G 4-5 (i) Social Studies (ii) Science, Environment and Health Education

Sri Lanka

• G 3-4 Maths

Assessment for Learning

•Examples: Escuela Nueva (Colombia), Rishi Valley (India), Vietnam

•Assessment at end of short units/lessons to assess mastery prior to progression•Learners are guided to the assessments by text not by the teacher•Learners take the initiative to present themselves to the teacher for assessment•Learner repeats the unit with remedial support

Assessment for:

•Selection of individuals: summative

•System performance: summative

•Learning: formative

This type of assessment assists the teacher and the learner in the diagnosis of learning difficulties

Multigrade lessons for all

• Awareness of extent and of current teaching and learning strategies

• Curriculum re-organisation, supported by formative assessment and quality learning materials in quantity

• Teacher training

Education for All and Multigrade Teaching :

Springer, 2006 (ed. A W Little )

www.ioe.ac.uk/multigrade