My first wonder as a teacher was:
How do you make a combined classroom work successfully?
My interest in combined classrooms stems from a few things. First off, I am currently doing my practicum in a combined grade two and three classroom so being immersed in that atmosphere has me asking many questions around the structure of a combined class. I question things like lesson and unit building, class management and parent support. I also had an opposite experience with a combined class where I was more on the parent’s side. When I was a nanny I would take the kids to school and pick them up after school. One year one of the girls was in a combined grade one and two class. As I would wait with her before school and then wait outside to pick her up after school I would hear the parents talking about their child being in a combined class and how angry they were about it, mostly everything they said was negative. At this time I was also doing my volunteering at this school and so I kind of got to hear the teachers talk about it as well and there were lots of mixed feelings towards the combined classes. I try and look at it from all perspectives but the way I see it is that there will be combined classes, whether we agree with them or not, and so I want to understand how to successfully conduct a combined class as a teacher.
My inquiry question is significant because combined classes are inescapable and therefore as a teacher I think it is crucial to learn and understand how they can be properly taught. Personally I see this question having lots of relevance, as it will help me make smarter decisions in my classroom management and lesson planning while I am on my practicum. Also, I plan to move to a small town and teach in a rural school and I may run into a school that is so small it has three or more grades in one class. Knowing how to successfully run a two-grade class would definitely help with managing more grades in one class. I think that this question is important for the teacher, the school administrators, the students and the parents. Often times the parents express their negative ideas about combined classes in front of their children who then carry those ideas with them. The children may start to look at learning in that classroom negatively and therefore not enjoy going. I’ve seen this also happen within the school between the administrators and teachers and therefore it seems like more of a burden to teach.
I plan to use many resources to form the answer to my inquiry question. I plan to talk to teachers who have taught combined classrooms to see what they found to be obstacles, as well as the positives. I also would like to take in some consideration from parents who have had children in combined classes and may have had positive or negative experiences. Though the information from these sources may be opinionated and not the best to use, I plan to use them more of guiders. I also plan to look at studies of combined classes and students that are in them. I’d like to also take from research articles and journals.
I’d like to look at this inquiry from two sides, the teacher and administrator side and then the side of the parent. When considering the teachers and administrators I would be looking into how to make a combined classroom work successfully through class management, lesson planning and positive attitude within the class and school. Then I’d also like to consider the concerned parent side, looking at their concerns about their child being in a combined class and how much they affect the class. Approaching this topic I would like to do two brainstorms, one for each side, seeing where they overlap and then go deeper into all the points. Visually, a brainstorm would really help me work through the beginning stages of the inquiry process. It would also help get all my ideas out on paper and keep track of them.
Through researching into my inquiry question I hope to find out ways to make a combined classroom, of any grade, work successfully. I hope to learn what works and what doesn’t work; of course I realize this is also dependant on the class and situation. I also want to know the positives and negatives of a combined class. I would like to produce two pamphlets at the end of this project, one for teachers and administrators and one for parents. In the teachers I would give examples of ways to manage a combined class and make it work successfully, as well as resources to support them on their journey. In the parent pamphlet I would like to address parents concerns with why it is a good thing their child is in a combined class and how they can help make the class work successfully and positively effect their child’s education.