A modern, innovative, multi-age school.

 

The multi-age classroom demonstrates that children of all ages can and have learned together in one classroom.  Our classroom model breaks away from the image of children sitting behind a desk, listening to instruction on a blackboard, and working quietly with paper and pencil.  Today it has been transformed into an engaged classroom of learners, actively involved in their education.  It offers students an educational opportunity to be active participants in their learning. 

 

Why we love our multi-age learning community:

 

• All students have an opportunity to share their knowledge, talents, and abilities with each other. 

• Learning is about the whole person, which means it is academic and social.

• There is freedom to take risks, follow interests, and make choices.

• Learning happens through meaningful and relevant experiences.

• Learning is a process and not a product, and it includes play, experimentation, exploration, and inquiry.

• Mastery of skills comes through modeling for diverse learners.

• We can learn from students who are both novices and experts.

• Students develop intellectual and communication skills because of broader differences in the learning community.

• Students acquire social skills in meaningful contexts with mixed ages. 

• The classroom is a natural environment for positive social behaviors such as helping, sharing, and taking turns. 

• It provides a context for the development of leadership skills for all ages.

• Students are not labeled according to their ability, and students learn at their own rate.

• Students develop a sense of family with their classmates.  They become a “family of learners” who support and care for each other.

• Students are invited to take charge of their learning, by making choices at independent work times and project work.  This sense of “ownership” and self-direction is the foundation for life-long learning.

 

Multi-age education opens up learning for every child, providing an enriched learning environment within a family of mixed age learners. The opportunities are greater for learning, but more importantly, children are valued for their individuality and prior knowledge.