Split Classrooms

Two Classes, Too Many?

From the time of the one room schoolhouse, we have placed children of different

grade levels into a single classroom and expected a teacher to deliver the same quality of

education in the same amount of time constraint as a single grade classroom. This trend, in existence since the early 1900's, is growing throughout the world. It served as a viable option in those early days, however, in the twenty first century our students are expected to know more and more every year. The educational system is completely different than it was all those years ago. Do you think a multi-grade classroom would be the best environment for your children to learn in? This question has as many answers as there are people who ask it.

The multi-grade classroom has many names that refer to it. Some of these names

include combination classes and split grade classes (Veenman, 1995). No matter which term is used to describe it, these classrooms are basically the same. These types of classrooms consist of children of different grades in one classroom with one teacher. However, there is a big difference between multi-grade classes and multi-age classes. The difference between the two is that multi-grade classrooms, usually formed for financial or low enrollment reasons, include two consecutive grades and are usually taught as two separate curriculums. Multi-age classrooms are formed by selecting higher achieving students from two or more grade levels to form a class. These students can be taught by whole-class method, which means they combine the two curriculums into one or a combination of whole-class and separate curriculum. Most of the research that has been done does not distinguish between these two types of classrooms.

Although there have been many studies on this subject, only a few are comprehensive reviews (Veenman, 1995). Most of the research that has been done is misleading and biased (Mason & Burns, 1996). This research, which most agree, shows no significant difference in academic achievement between single grade and multi-grade classrooms, is problematic (Mason & Burns, 1996). The research is primarily made up of multi-age classrooms, where children and teachers have purposefully been selected for these classes. The students chosen for these classes are high achievers, well disciplined, and self motivated. The teachers are selected by seniority, which gives them a better advantage (Mason &Burns, 1996). Given these two criteria, the multi-grade classrooms should show a significant difference in achievement from their counterpart single grade classrooms (Mason & Burns). However, this is not the case.

Multi-grade classrooms are being used more often than in the past. Mason and Stimson reported that out of the 12 states used in their survey 5% of them were multi-grade classrooms (Mason & Burns, 1995). It has also been reported that 17% of the classrooms in Canada and 19% in England are multi-grade. With the enrollment in these areas declining these numbers are expected to grow (Mason & Burns, 1995).

Multi-grade classrooms are taught in a variety of ways. Some teachers prefer to teach their students by a whole-class method and others keep the two curriculums separate, while still others teach a combination of the two, teaching some subjects together and keeping others separate (Mason & Burns, 1995).

Teachers will face new and difficult challenges in a multi-grade classroom. Many teachers are against these types of classrooms characterizing them as, "extremely difficult (needing more time for planning and more effort on classroom management), less satisfying, and in need of individualized materials.... students receive insufficient oral instruction, less individualized attention, and more interruptions." (Mason & Burns, 1995, p. 36). Teachers are also worried about the individual time they can spend with their students (Mason & Burns, 1995). Reteaching subjects that the students did not understand will be difficult because of the time constraint, as will fitting in the appropriate time for social studies and science (Mason & Burns, 1995). As a result, these subjects often are not covered to the extent that they need to be (Mason & Doepner, 1998).

The classroom setup will have to be taken into consideration. The teacher must provide two areas of concentrated learning, a common area for joint lessons, and a reading area. With twice the number of students, a good discipline code will have to be implemented to ensure as little interruption as possible.

Students in combination classes will need to adjust to a new environment. Socially, the students will be exposed to more behaviors. This can provide some benefits to the students. The younger children will learn how to get along with many different personality types. This will help them adjust to their surroundings as they grow. The younger students may imitate the attitudes of the older students and learn from them. This could be a great advantage for the younger children. Other benefits to these types of classrooms may include more social interaction, peer tutoring, and independent study (Mason & Burns, 1995). Children, who are left to work on their own, could learn to be more independent. The