Introduction

Materials for the provision of Multigrade Teaching in the classroom are an essential
aspect of any discussion of Multigrade Teaching. On the one hand, there is not a
considerable amount of materials support at the other hand multigrade teaching is
often associated with schools in remote and difficult contexts dealing with rural and
other disadvantaged persons, with the result that there are few resources available,
given the poverty of the region in which this type of teaching is found. Multigrade
teachers have, therefore, to work in a considerably negative context in terms of
materials support.
The provision of teaching-learning materials is constrained by limited financial
resources.
The poverty of many of the regions where Multigrade Teaching is to be found in
such that collaborative development and sharing of materials is necessary if the
teaching is to improve in quality.
This chapter will show a range of material ideas and experiences without going into
specifics.

Objectives

Multigrade is a recognized pedagogy and will be implemented as such.

Material aids are supported by adequate information and advice as to their

proper use.

Instructional materials are prepared by teachers themselves using low-cost

resources available in the community.

Teachers of multigrade teaching need appropriate instructional and learning

materials to keep their pupils learning time to the maximum. Develop an
understanding of effective multigrade classroom organization and instructional
practices, and draw out implications for use in local settings

Understand effective instructional concepts and practices in literacy

development in the multigrade classroom, and draw out implications for use in local
settings

Learn how the school and community can serve as valuable resources to each
other


Learn how multigrade schools are supervised and managed, and draw out
implications for use in local settings

Develop an understanding about how school change affects the ability of

teachers to try out new ideas and draw out implications in local settings

Content

1. Low-cost instructional materials

Low-cost teaching learning materials are materials which have the following
characteristics/qualities:
a.

The materials can be made by teachers, pupils or members of the community.

b. The materials supplied can be put to effective use by the teachers and pupils in
the classroom and do not incur extra costs.
c.

The processes in the production of the materials are simple and

d.

The production of the materials is not time consuming.

e.

The materials are freely and easily available from the local environment.

f.

These materials can be:

plants ( bambou, leaves, etc.)

animal ( Shell, skin, bones, etc.)

mineral (limestone, charcoal, etc)

Industrial waste: fuses, used batteries.

Domestic waste: tin cans, milk or chibuku boxes, bicycle parts

inexpensive.

Because of this, the main consideration is not the low-cost factor of the materials,
but factors like ease of availability, ease of production.

Examples of Low-cost Teaching Learning Material

A.

Name of the material : Educational TV ( ETV)

Subject : Mathematics grade 4

Topic : fractions

Aim : to enable pupils to ^ recognize different fractions forms

^ name fractions
^ write fractions

Materials

biscuits tins, boxes, paper, tape.

Procedure:

a.
The centre part of the biscuit tin is cut off and pieces of glass are fixed to act
as a TV screen.
b.

Nails, sticks, are fixed to both ends of the tin to hold in place of the lever.

c.

A series of pictures is rolled on the lever.

d.

When the lever is turned the picture comes out on the TV screen.

e.

The holder and an aerial are fixed to the top part of the biscuit.

B.

Name of the material : Magic Tree;

Subject : Language

Grade 1

Material, tree branch, pot, string and (coloured )bulb

Procedure: a. firstly put the branches in the pot.

b. Certain syllables according to the topic taught are written on the bulbs.
c. Each bulb is hung on the branches by using strings.
Educational use: a. Teacher mentions a word and chooses the right syllable to form
the correct word.
b. The process continues and the teacher involves pupils using more lengthy
words.

2. Selection and development of local topics.

a.
Local topics taught at primary schools are very meaningful as well as
beneficial:

It makes the curriculum more comprehensive and relevant.

If local topics are taught as primary schools, it will make the schools closer to
the communities, serving the socio- economic development of the locality.

If local topics are well developed and suited to primary school children, it will
create more interest for the children. They will have a chance to study topics
relating to their daily lives. This will connect them more closely with their
communities, their classes and schools.

b.

The local topics must be:

scientific

educational

practical

relevant

c.

Checklist for developing local topics:

Geographical features: geography, climate

Flora : natural plants and trees/ plants grown by people

Fauna: wild animals, tame animals

Transportation and construction: transportation system, construction works,

traditional architecture, construction materials.

Population: number, features, distribution.

Cultural activities of different (ethnic) groups, festivals, fairs, games, traditions

and costumes, traditional musical instruments, traditional songs and dances.

Folk songs, traditional songs, idioms, proverbs, sayings

Typical art works, literature works.

Traditional costumes.

Local history: local cultural personalities, historical characters, major historical

events of the locality.

Production: traditional handicraft trades and local products, tools of local

production and livelihood.

Environment and sanitation: protection of forest and natural resources,

protection and improvement of water sources.

d.

Planning a topic- eight teaching steps

Step 1: choose the topic.

Step 2: choose resources.
Which resources suit this topic best?
Step 3: finding out what the students already know.

What do the students already know about this topic?

What else about the topic are they interested in finding out?
How will the children tell me what they know?
Step 4: Write understandings about the topic.
What do we want the children to learn about?
Step 5: Introduce the new resources that will help the children learn about the topic.
Step 6: Develop the topic through the different curriculum areas. (E.g. mathematics,
language, art)
Step 7: Allow the learners to share what they have learnt about the topic.
Step8: Assess the students learning. Evaluate the teaching strategies.

3. Learning materials:

Learning materials comprise one or a combination of the following:

Modularised small school learning materials.

Standard textbooks for the ordinary school.

Supplementary learning materials developed in the local areas by groups of

teachers.

Local content brought into the school by local resource persons.

4. Curriculum material:

A number of different strategies are used to modify curriculum materials; for

example:

They are revised with input of local environment through sets of workbooks
and teacher guidebooks for all subjects.

The usual sequence is used, although sometimes lessons are omitted because
of limited time.

Special curriculum materials, including lesson plans, must have been

developed to assist the multigrade teachers. Skills and competencies in each
subject are realigned for grade clusters to facilitate lesson planning and instruction.

5. Modification to curriculum and teaching/learning material:

Teacher guide books are necessary.

Self-made teaching aids use local materials.

The curriculum can be the same but a modified timetable is used. The same
textbooks and materials can be used, but additional materials and exercises in
different subjects and grades are necessary.

Although the same curriculum materials are used, Minimum learning

competencies materials assist teachers by aligning the same skills of varying
difficulty level across grade levels. This assists in the planning and organizing of
lessons.

6. A teacher as material designer:

Multigrade teachers will need to develop their own additional materials. These
additional materials serve the purpose of meeting actual and concrete needs of
multigrade teaching within the local context. They also assist in making a national
curriculum more relevant to the local needs of the community.

Examples of such curriculum materials include the following:

designing and making small boards, flash cards, etc. to save time in the
classroom and to maximize the time which pupils spend on learning tasks,

using local materials to develop instructional materials and to encourage

pupils to make their own,

designing workbooks which are suitable for student use within the local
context and conditions, and

including within these locally designed materials and workbooks activities and
knowledge which are relevant to the local culture.

7. Experiences from the field:

The INDIVIDUAL WORKCARD or WORKBOOK model.

Method: The teacher writes instructions for things that the children must do on a set
of cards. The children read the card and do the work. When they have finished the
teacher marks their work and gives them another card to do.

The children work through the cards, often alone, sometimes in pairs or perhaps in
small groups.

By writing different sets of cards for each grade -children can be given an
appropriate card for the age group they are in.

Problems: This takes a long time to set up as the teacher has to write everything
that every child will need to do during each day, each week and each term for the
year. But once this has been done teaching is relatively easy -just sit back and hand
out the cards.

The WORKBOOK model is even easier. Just hand out the workbooks that have been
written for the grades in the class -ask the children to turn to which ever page they
were working on last and carry on from there.

This sounds very simple -so where is the problem?

It is at this point that we must consider what the job of a teacher is. And I would
answer that question by saying that a teacher's job is to teach!

The biggest problem with the workbook or workcard model is that it gives very little
opportunity for actual teaching. The teacher becomes a manager dealing with
simple, low-Ievel administrative problems such as finding the next card.

The children must attempt to teach themselves. They read the instructions on the
card or in the book and complete the exercises. If they do not understand, they go
and ask. Queues form around the teacher who has only a few seconds for each child
to give a word of advice here and there. And each child comes with a different card
and a different problem, so there is no continuity of teaching or opportunity to
expand on explanation for the benefit of a wider audience.

The only time that a teacher knows that a child has a real problem is when they
come with finished work that is all wrong. This is the worst form of teaching, where
children are exposed continuously to failure.

Where is the enthusiasm to get involved with work? The children must try to
motivate themselves; working at their own pace -or perhaps not working at all, the
actual contact time with their teacher may be reduced to a few seconds a day.

Instruments of 'New School, an example.

Self learning method is not possible to introduce the students in Grade 1 because
they are still illiterate. Therefore, traditional teaching method is used for Grade 1.

'New School' method is used for Grade 2, 3, 4 and 5 (primary levels in Colombia are
Grade 1 to 5).

Grade wised learning guide for four subjects (language, mathematics, science and
social studies) and a book for self evaluation for the students are developed. The
learning guide consists of several units. Each unit consists of goals, A (basic
activities), B (case studies), C (experiments) and D (free activities). Each student
follow the four activities with own pace. Following the instruction, occasionally 4-6
children make a small group and work together.

The students, at first individually and then in a group, are required to observe, think
and write. Then they compare their own notebooks and the examples in the
learning guide to correct their answers for self evaluation. If it is necessary, they ask
for advice from the teacher. The learning guide is based on national curriculum, but
introduction of local contents which relate to the life of the students is
recommended.

In order to supplement, the following facilities are considered the standard facilities
for 'New School:' (1) school library with about 100 books including dictionaries,
reference books, children's literature, books on rural development and health, (2)
learning corner in the four corners of the classroom demonstrating local products
and materials which the students made or collected from the community, (3) special
order made desks to work with a group easily. In order to foster social attitude,
democratic behavior, and corroboration, activities in student government such as
library management, cleaning of the school, sport activities, wall newspaper, school
newsletters, are encouraged.

The teachers were trained mainly through three one-week workshops during a year
in order to get the necessary theory and skills for 'New School.' The teacher training
is practice-centred rather than knowledge focused. The training manual edited in
the same format with 'learning guide' for the students was used for the teacher
training.

Journal writing
Journal writing is an excellent example of how a whole-class activity can lend itself
to the developmental level of each student. In writing about personal experiences, a

beginning elementary-aged student may start the year by drawing pictures; later
he/she may write the initial sound of important words. Over time, journal entries
reflect the child's growing capabilities in writing mechanics, descriptive abilities, and
the ability to think about and reflect on experiences.

"Last year my daughter was introduced to multiplication in her multi-age classroom,

and it just didn't click. Trying to memorize those times tables seemed impossible,
because she didn't understand what they meant. Now it has been reintroduced, and
she's taken off with it. She's truly ready for it now."

Zambia has a wonderful resource in the variety of its natural habitats which provide
an excellent backdrop for learning in context. These resources are within easy reach
of many classrooms. Studying bream, for instance, can bring reading, writing, and
math to life when children use these skills to follow the day-to-day development
from hatching to spawning. While the skill levels of the children will vary in a
multiage classroom (or any classroom, for that matter), all students can be reading
and writing, researching and analyzing, and producing evidence of their
understanding of a common and exciting theme, yet at levels which are
individualized so that they challenge but do not frustrate.

Building on past experience yields long-term results

Some teachers have found that when working with building blocks to teach physics
and simple machines, girls need time to experiment on their own because most of
them haven't had the long-term experience many of the boys have had with these
kinds of building materials. When girls and boys have been mixed together for this
activity, teachers have seen the boys simply take over - not being mean - but in
enthusiasm because they are so familiar with this kind of activity. The girls tend to
draw back and become watchers. With this catch-up time, the girls have gone on to
be successful in this typically male arena.
Why is developmental education important?
One of the obvious benefits of developmental education is that the child becomes
an active learner who is fully involved with his/her education. A developmental
classroom seeks to challenge a child's interest and understanding, while at the
same time match skills to the child's developing abilities. Learning in this kind of
environment expands a child's world, increasing his/her ranges of interest and
motivation for learning essential basic skills. Active learners such as these are found
to take more responsibility for their own learning and to adapt more readily to

different school environments as they progress through elementary, middle, and

high school.
Another goal of developmental education is to avoid the "skill deficits" that may
occur when trying to make children master academic skills for which they are not
ready. Remember that the brain activates itself in layers, with each layer able to
handle more and more sophisticated skills and concepts. Naturally, we want
children to plug each piece of learning into the best system for that particular job. If
the right system isn't yet available or working smoothly, the brain may adapt by
using a "lower" system that might never allow for complete understanding and use
of that skill. It would be like asking your child to walk without his toes; he will walk,
but he may never run.
Let's take the example of the child trying to learn multiplication facts. She didn't
"get it" and became confused and frustrated. The teacher saw this and wisely
backed off. Now her systems are ready for this, and she's flying with it. What would
have happened if the teacher had continued to force multiplication last year? She
probably would have eventually learned her multiplication tables. What she also
would have learned was that this was something she was not very good at and that
it was useless knowledge she had acquired. She would not have known how to use
those facts she worked so hard to memorize.

8. Instructional organization.

Students in multigrade situations need to be

Self-directed

Motivated

Responsible learners.

They need to be able

To help one another

Set and complete learning goals

Follow teacher directions

Stay on task with a minimum of teacher supervision.

Independence

Cooperation

Self-direction

Are essential for instructional success.

Determining actual learning time

Time allocated for learning

Noninstructional time:
Transition
Behaviour
Routines
Or socializing

Academic learning time

70 % of class time is spent on instruction.

About 20 % is spent on classroom routines.
5 % on behaviour.
3 % on social activities.
2 % varia.

9.Student tasks in a multigrade classroom:

1. A common worksheet for a class, where students must work

alone and are graded individually.
2. Reading groups with different textbooks, where students within
each group complete identical assignments individually.
3. An individualized program where all students are expected to
complete the same assignments independently but at different
rates.
4. Whole-class recitation or a common worksheet, where
students are allowed to interact, but each child completes
a separate worksheet.
5. Reading groups with different textbooks, where students can
interact while completing their separate but identical assignments.
6. An individualized program where students may work together
on assignments, but each child must produce a separate product
7. Small groups or the entire class work on a common assignment,
and individual products are not demanded.

8. Different groups within a class do different assignments, and

a group product, not individual products, is required.
9. Different roles (either within small groups or the entire
class) for students that require coordination to produce the
joint product.

10.PRINT-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES

OBJECTIVES/AIMS

- Identify four print-based instructional resources that can be used in a Multi-Grade

Classroom.
- Prepare a worksheet and semantic map for classroom use.
- Outline in writing procedures for managing instructional resources.
- To set up and use a classroom library/reading corner
- State why visual aids are useful in the Multi-Grade Classroom
- Produce a semantic map

11.METHODOLOGY (AND ACTIVITIES)

Participants to be in groups of five after individual activity.

- Trainer exposes participants to some print-based instructional resources by brain
storming. What is probably the most familiar instructional resources in a
Multi-Grade Classroom? (Individually)
- Give two reasons why textbooks are important.
- The individuals explain how they textbooks are used

- Trainer introduces the worksheet by showing a sample.

- The group individually produce a worksheet in one subject area of their choice for
any grade.

12.GROUP WORK

- Trainer asks the group to give some advantages of worksheets.

Plenary.
- Brainstorm: why is a reading corner or classroom library essential in Multi-Grade
teaching?
- What things should be included in a library/reading corner?
Plenary.
- The groups to explain what are visual aids by giving examples.
- Let the group give suggestion as to why visual aids are useful.
- Explain what a semantic map is and ask the group to produce one individually.

13.SUMMARY OF CONTENT

Textbooks, reading material and

Worksheets are some of the print-based resources. These are self study
materials.
Textbooks are important because they present information in a structured manner
with
Adequate scope for practice.-

Textbooks also offer scope for learning at ones own rate.

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