Our past two blogs in this three-part “Life in a Multigrade Classroom” series have discussed the logistics and the benefits of a multigrade environment. Today, our final post provides words of wisdom from our multigrade educators Luna and Whiting, as well as resources for administrators, teachers, and parents.

“Flexibility is a non-negotiable commodity”

In our three-part blog series about multigrade classrooms, we’ve looked at the logistics of how multigrade classrooms work. Today, we dive into four major benefits of the multigrade model.

Self-directed learning

In a multigrade setting, students are required to complete independent work without constant teacher prodding, meaning that multigrade classrooms encourage self-directed learning.

For those of us who spent our formative years in traditional, single-grade K–12 classrooms, the idea of a multigrade classroom may seem like a foreign concept.

Multiple grades? In the same room? How could that work?

Very well, as a matter of fact. Although they’re uncommon in U.S. school districts, multigrade classrooms have many academic, social, and spiritual benefits for students.

Although assessments might not be the most thrilling part of education, when implemented intentionally, they have great value for student learning.  According to educator Carol Campbell, “ongoing, visible, lifelong learning is the goal” of educational assessment, and assessments can be used before, during, and after a lesson to support and verify student learning.

The Kindergarten Stepping Stones curriculum is modeled on the belief that kindergarten children need “frequent changes of activities” but also “fairly predictable routines” and “occasional surprises.” Kindergarten teacher Melissa shares the same sentiment, noting that “[w]hile it’s important to keep things consistent, it’s important to switch up that consistency.”

At many Adventist schools science teachers focus on inquiry-based learning, lessons are developed around a customized 5-step instructional model. This model divides the learning process into five steps: engage, discover, explain, extend, and assess/reflect.

In the Broadway musical My Fair Lady, protagonist Eliza Doolittle exclaims: “Words, words, words—all I get is words! I get words all day!” Her comment describes the ideal atmosphere for an elementary school child: a print-rich environment. In such an environment, children interact with many forms of print in meaningful ways and are encouraged to read and write about what is important to them.

In the award-winning novel Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles, ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger is counseled by her great uncle Edisto to “Open your arms to life! Let it strut into your heart in all its messy glory!” The ever-practical Comfort responds, “I don’t like messes. I like my plans.”

This summer, parents with kids at home probably rediscovered the number of times per day their children can ask a variation of “why?” Most parents begin answering with the best intentions, but after the five hundredth “why,” even the most patient parent can perhaps be excused for exclaiming, “Because I said so!”

School can be an environment of “every person for him- or herself,” and not just on the elementary school playground. According to Vicki Zakrzewski of UC Berkeley, “testing practices, punitive teacher evaluations, and university admissions processes fuel our competitive self-interests.” In the world of scholarships and class ranks, the educational system can seem to steer kids into a “them-or-me” mind-set: for me to excel, they have to fail.

As we return to the classroom, with the new school year comes the chance to implement a new curriculum. This year, why not take a leap and try a customized curriculum? A customized curriculum puts you in control of your students’ success. You are the one who knows your organization’s unique core beliefs best. Our team works with you and listens to your needs in order to build your goal-oriented, customized curriculum.

In elementary school, the end of each school year was marked by a big all-grade field trip to which the entire grade looked forward all year. Whether we visited the zoo in kindergarten, a nearby historical village in second grade, or a ropes course in fifth grade, it seemed that the end of the school year was prime time for out-of-classroom excursions.

But what about flipping the script and hosting a field trip as the school year begins?

It’s no secret that parental engagement in student learning is a huge predictor of student success. Not only does an open line of communication help parents understand what their child is learning, but it also gives teachers access to information they need to better serve the child in question.

The three terms in the title of this blog post are all popular (and effective) strategies for classroom reading. They are also so similar, and so frequently confused, that you may not be entirely clear what the difference between them is. What are read-alouds, shared reading, and shared read-alouds?

Read-aloud versus shared reading

We’ll start with the first two concepts, which are the basis of the third: read-aloud and shared reading.

In a 2012 episode of popular television show MythBusters, host Adam Savage (quoting his collaborator Alex Jason) observed that “the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.” The quote went viral, and despite its humorous nature, it touches on a valuable educational concept: the importance of scientific writing.

Why is scientific writing important?

In the summer, many families pack their bags and hit the road, bound for some exotic site or tropical paradise. That wanderlust is something that teachers understand, although they know it by a slightly different name: field trips.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is crucial for our students’ success. STEM careers encompass a broad range of jobs in the physical, earth, and life sciences as well as computer science, mathematics, engineering, and health care. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in these disciplines will grow to more than 9 million between 2012 and 2022 (Stem 101: Intro to Tomorrow's Jobs, 2014).

Here’s a question for you: Do you use essential questions in your classroom?

Here’s an essential question for you: Why should you use essential questions in your classroom?

Today, June 6, is National Gardening Exercise Day, a perfect day to remember the benefits that gardens offer students. From physical exercise to fresh produce, gardens promote a healthy lifestyle— and, according to Dan Wyrick, K-8 Elementary Program Consultant and Director of Nature by Design, gardening provides “an opportunity to be outside and interact with nature.”

I was blessed to grow up in a house with shelves of books and weekly visits to the public library. For me, a lover of books, “summer reading” was a way of life rather than a chore. For many kids, however, the situation is different, and the “summer slide” is proof of the frequent lack of summer reading among students. There are many reasons why students don’t read over the summer.

The weather is nice. The class is antsy. The countdown has begun. The students are in summer mode.

Meanwhile, as the teacher, you’re panicking slightly at all the content left to cover. With mountains of subject matter still untouched, it might seem like there’s no alternative but lectures and worksheets. Although that may be a good way to “fit it in,” it’s also a good way to lose your students’ remaining focus.

With graduation season in full swing, students of all ages are pondering their futures, making plans of study, and imagining dream jobs. But what jobs are they imagining—especially young female students? We’ve been told girls are less likely than boys to pursue degrees and careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects.

Is this true? Well, partially.

Educational gains

Overview

As any parent or teacher can attest to, today’s students are members of the “digital generation” and spend much of their time involved in new forms of media enabled by technology, from social media sites to iPad games and mobile phone apps. Virtual reality (VR) technology presents exciting opportunities for teachers to capitalize on students’ interest in all things digital through the use of educational VR applications in the classroom.

Well-structured collaborative learning tasks are an effective way to increase student learning and motivation while establishing a classroom environment that encourages cooperation and values diversity.

Overview

The Pathways 2.0 curriculum emphasizes independent student learning.

“The more you read, the more things that you’ll know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” —Dr. Seuss

Pathways 2.0: Journey to Excellence through Literacy!

Provides instruction in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This biblically based curriculum built on the Adventist worldview and the belief that Christ is the model teacher. Pathways 2.0 recognizes the responsibility of nurturing excellence and service to others. The lessons found in each unit provide rigorous academic quality aligned with standards of proficiency in literacy.

The possibilities for the use of faith-based reading in the classroom are nearly limitless!

How can you foster the enjoyment of reading?

Shared read-aloud is a major component of the Pathways 2.0* program and research has shown that it is an effective strategy for increasing early literacy skills. Before describing the benefits of shared read-alouds, it’s important to clarify some terms:

Innovation of new technologies is constantly moving forward. In the classroom, teachers have seen the shift from the use of videocassettes and DVDs to the use of online materials, such as YouTube videos, to bring concepts alive and heighten student interest. Now, the next innovation is here: VR—virtual reality. This technology takes the audiovisual experience to a whole new level.

What is project-based learning (PBL)? How can I incorporate PBL into my classroom? To answer the first question simply, PBL is the act of learning through identifying a real-world problem and developing its solution. Students show what they learn as they move through the project, not just at the end.

Did you drive or ride in a car today? Are you using a computer or tablet to read this blog? Have you eaten a piece of fruit today? Have you visited a doctor or dentist recently?

“Teacher, Teacher, What made that happen?”

At some point in their lives, most students want to become a teacher because it is one of the first career choices they are exposed to. Some students even view teaching as an easy job. Have you ever considered letting your students test out teaching as a career choice? This could be done at any grade level, with younger students likely needing a bit more guidance than your middle or high school students.

In my last blog I talked about my sister and brother attempting to keep milkshakes cool by putting them in a hot closet and having a fan blow on them.

I often tell my students that children are born scientists.  They come into the world wanting to find out how things work. Then, over the years, the educational system takes this natural curiosity away and replaces it with a curriculum that tells students what educational officials think the students should know.  The result is that students quit seeing science as something that is useful and see it as just another subject in school to get a good grade in. 

According to Stiggins and Chappuis (2012), there are four keys to assessment quality:  clear purpose, clear targets, sound design, and effective communication. 

Did you know that every third bite of food we eat is a result of pollinators?

It’s true! Bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators help grow our food, keep our flowers blooming, and make our lands healthy. For many reasons, including lack of habitat, pollinators are struggling to survive.

What is your learning style? Can you identify the preferred learning style of each of your students?

If you give it some thought, it is more than likely that every possible learning style preference is represented in your classroom. That can make it difficult to provide a successful learning environment for all of your students, but there is one method that will have all of your students covered.

“Working with Kendall Hunt Publishing to Customize Our Curriculum Has Exceeded Our Expectations!"

Many educators often experience frustration when trying to find the perfect curriculum for their needs.  When currently published curriculum offerings just don’t measure up to the standards that you have set for your classroom, custom publishing is a fantastic solution to get exactly what you need.

Get ‘EM OUT!

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has become a major focus for education in the United States, and with good cause, given the decline in America’s world rank in these subject areas. Teaching STEM subjects can seem daunting if you don’t have a degree or certificate in one of these areas, but you don’t have to be a science major to provide solid STEM curriculum to your students.

As the weather gets colder and students spend more time cooped up indoors after heading home from school each day, there is no better time to stress the importance of reading at home. Encourage your students to spend some (or most) of that time reading. For some students, this will seem much more appealing than it will for others. However, you can motivate all students and help them enjoy reading outside the classroom with these strategies:

On March 23, 2015, President Barack Obama stated, “Science is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity that world . . .” Our students’ success in the future will be dependent, not on what they know, but what they can do with what they know.

In the first year of my teaching career I learned the value of having students work together in groups. I have to admit that this was not my first choice. Initially I used groups in order to position the desks of my 39 students in a way that made student and teacher movement easier and increased student work space. The downside of the group arrangement was noise level and occasional chaos.