In the beginning of my “Inquiry Adventures”, I spoke about how I got the inspiration to do this Inquiry on “Classroom Community in Split Classrooms” from my practicum class.

I have an amazingly warm, lovable and ready-to-learn group of Grade 1s and Kindergarteners that I’m so lucky to call my students. My inquiry question sprouted from my initial shock that most of the activities during the day were done separately (so Grade 1s have a separate task and K’s have a separate task). They do have DPA, PE, Library, Math, Centres, and Morning Meetings together… but a huge chunk of the day does go to language arts (Daily 5) etc.. where the students do different tasks.

I have learned a lot from my research on this inquiry question. I have learned a lot of practical things to do to help encourage classroom community and unity within my split class. During my long practicum, I really hope to bring in a lot of “team building” classroom community building activities that will be suitable for both groups of students. I am planning to bring MindUp! into the class as well during my long practicum! So that would be another thing that both the Grade 1s and the Kindergartners can do together!

So far, based on my observations and research, my SA has been doing a really great job fostering a really great, welcoming and safe classroom climate! Hopefully I’ll be picking up on some of her tactics so that I can continue to implement it during my long practicum 🙂

Annotated Bibliography

• Broome, Jeffrey L., et al. “Experiences in Multiage Art Education: Suggestions for Art Teachers Working with Split Class Combinations.” 68.2 (2015): 30. Web.

This article speaks about how there are more and more schools with combined classrooms, many of which have teachers that have not been trained to handle such a classroom. This paper also talks about how there are positive results in relation to having/being in a split class. It mentions how students in a split classrooms tend to develop great social and emotional learning skills as well as academic success, comparable to students who are in straight single grade classrooms. The authors also mention the ability to collaborate amongst different grade levels and thus increasing socialization skills, cooperation skills and team building skills. The article also contained three different stories from art teachers who had the experience of teaching multigrade classrooms. Real-life experiences, in my opinion, are strong and significant resources. It also gives suggestions as to dealing with a split classroom. Some of these include thinking of the class as a whole instead of as a dichotomy (for example, the grade one’s and the kindergarteners). It also mentions trying to keep majority of the work that needs to be done fairly similar for both grade levels. Although these are all great ideas, I am aware that art education is different than mathematics or science or language arts thus the possibility of flexibility. However, I do agree that by thinking of the class as one entity as opposed as two separate classes in one, would definitely help with the teacher’s perception of class unity and thus could then allow a proper formation of class community.

• Hamre, B.K., & Pianta, R.C. (2006). Student-teacher relationships. In G.G. Bear & K.Minke (Eds.), Children’s Needs III: Development, prevention, and intervention (pp.59-71). Bethesda, MD: NASP.

This article talks about the importance of building a relationship between a student and teacher. It says how having a good student-teacher relationship reduces peer related aggression. It also states how simply the perceived student-teacher connection shows a growth of achievement in students 8-12 years of age. It is also extremely important during transitions and in Kindergarten. In Kindergarten, students need to learn to enjoy school and to get along with their peers. The article also talks about teachers as instructors vs socializers and how it is determined by “teacher beliefs”. It speaks about how from elementary to secondary school, teacher-student relationships move from being personal to more formal, evaluative and competitive. It also speaks on how the connection between behaviour and relationship could show how early relational difficulties can act as indicators towards future behavioural problems, Apart from that, the article explains and gives several ideas as to how social and emotional learning can be integrated into the classroom. It says how teachers and students who both explicitly teach and learn about social and emotional learning are much happier and do better academically than those who don’t teach and/or learn SEL. Some of these methods include increasing the time teachers and students spend together doing non-academic things, teachers getting to know their students on a more personal level and vice versa, being “available” to students who are facing difficulty, displaying regard for students’ ideas, et.

 

• Linehan, Scott. “The Difference between Multigrade and Monograde Education: A Quantitative Causal-Comparative Study.” ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2013. Web.

The study focuses on Canadian students from Newfoundland and Labrador. The research looked at the difference between multigrade and monograde classrooms and found that “Peer collaboration, such as the multigrade classroom, is an effective classroom organization for teaching and learning (Gnadinger, 2008) which maximizes student learning (Chick, 2006; Swenson & Strough, 2008). However, with respect to the effects of multigrade education on the specific issue of student achievement, research is mixed (Kappler & Roellke, 2002), inconsistent (Kinsey, 2001), inconclusive (Brinegar, 2010; Little, 1995; Little, 2008) and controversial (Comish, 2009; Fosco, Schleser, & Andal, 2004).” (Linhenan, pg. 123). Similar to reading skills, writing skill variability also tends to be higher in monograde than multigrade classrooms. The multigrade Grade 6 students from the study was shown to be slightly better in their writing skills than their monograde Grade 6 counterparts.In terms of mathematics however, multigrade students seemed to do more poorly than monograde students. This however, is not great enough statistically thus, there is no statistical difference in mathematics skill between multigrade and monograde classrooms.Throughout the research, there is no clear evidence that one classroom type is better than another. Based on research, both classrooms are equal academically. In terms of social skills development, peer collaboration is what is necessary in developing social relationship skills, a concept that can be applied to both monograde and multigrade classrooms.

• Lundy, Kathleen Gould, and Larry Swartz. Creating Caring Classrooms: How to Encourage Students to Communicate, Create, and be Compassionate of Others. Markham, ON: Pembroke Publishers, 2011. Web.

This resource tackles the idea of building classroom community/unity.I think that classroom community is such an important aspect of learning in schools. Community, as mentioned in the book, is about “everyone feeling (like) they are apart of the classroom experience, that they are included, honoured and valid community members who won’t be judged for who they are and how they present themselves in the classroom” (pg.13). It says how “the most effective classroom is  one with a caring, positive and cooperative learning environment” (pg.13).  — and of course it would be! We all know that when we feel safe in an environment, only then would we feel comfortable to explore, learn and grow. It then continues to list ways in which teachers can build caring classrooms such as, writing end of the summer letters, preparing a welcome event, greeting students by name, connecting with parents, setting rules and routines, etc.

• Seban, Demet. “Development of Preservice Identities: Learning from a Multigrade Classroom Practicum Context.” Journal of Education for Teaching 41.1 (2015): 19-36. Web.

This article talks about practicum students immersed in multigrade or mixed grade classrooms. It talks about how important it is for preservice teachers to experience teaching in multigrade classrooms especially in locations where mixed grade classrooms are more frequent. ” The results indicated that a practicum undertaken in multigrade classrooms influenced students’ thinking about continued identity development as teachers and supported their development, as well as the awareness needed to develop, shape or reshape an identity”. It contains reflections from preservice teachers and how their practicum experience influences the way they identify with certain concepts such as nature, institution, discourse and affinity.

• Stuart, Shannon K., et al. “Multiage Instruction and Inclusion: A Collaborative Approach.” International Journal of Whole Schooling 3.1 (2007): 12. Web.

This article speaks about multiage classrooms and the teachers that run them. It focuses on how three teachers collaborate to create three “moving” classrooms. It speaks as to how co-teaching can help build that relationship and strength to take on a multiage classroom. It explains in more detail what strategies the teachers used in handling a multiage classroom. It defines what a multiage classroom is, what inclusion is and what collaborative teaching is. It explains the strengths and weaknesses of collaborative teaching as well as how it can be used in context in a multiage classroom. It speaks about the possible difficulties in planning, assessment and report cards in collaborative planning, but does mention how there are more benefits than losses in a collaborative approach. In terms of classroom instruction, it speaks to the importance of peer modelling and cooperation. It also opens up the idea of inclusion in schools and in the classrooms. The paper mainly talks about the term, “flexible grouping” in relation to their lessons in which they believe that by allowing students to form in different groups every time, they are able to “keep them moving”. It talks about the idea of flexibility, and yet keeping a predictable schedule.Vincent, Rebecca Catoe. “From Chaos to Community: Building a Caring Classroom Community.” ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2002. Web.

• Vincent, Rebecca Catoe. “From Chaos to Community: Building a Caring Classroom Community.” ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2002. Web.

This article is a study about the importance of building a caring classroom community. It talks about how in the world we live in today, where there are a lot of “chaos” and how the classroom should be a safe haven for students. It talks about loving and caring as intellectual acts. “The ethic of care’s emphasis on care, concern, and connection is closely aligned with the fundamental values of early childhood education” (p. 1). Goldstein takes care to a higher level stating that love is a critical factor for successful classroom relationships and should be an underlying assumption of the practices of early childhood educators”.  It highlights the importance of educating children not just for competence or academically, but also for caring. The importance of connectedness and relationship is also reemphasized in this article. It goes on explaining several more concepts and studies in relation to the importance of teaching social and emotional learning to students.