Teacher Education for Multi-grade Teaching

Abstract

Multi-grade teaching is challenging. A teacher must concurrently satisfy the demands of two or more different grades in the same classroom. Successful multi-grade teaching requires the implementation of strategies to ensure students are learning rather than spending large amounts of time waiting for the teacher. Yet almost no teacher education programs around the world specifically prepare teachers for teaching multi-grade classes. In this paper I discuss the issues and challenges for multi-grade teachers, successful multi-grade teaching strategies, and the need to prepare pre-service teachers for successfully teaching such classes.