Multigrade teaching, a challenging one
“True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own.” Nikos Kazantzakis.
Multigrade teaching is a situation in which one teacher has to teach many grades, all at the same time. It happens in all schools where there are more grades than teachers. Teachers deal simultaneously with a number of pupils of different ages, educational levels and needs.
In line with this, a division training for teachers and school heads of multigrade schools was conducted at Dap-ayan Hall, Pico in La Trinidad, Benguet on Jan. 22–24, 2020. Some multigrade teachers of Benguet attended this training including Mankayan District with four participants namely Nathalie Lagan, Eden Dalog, May Joy Ladiong and Jelanie Letac.
It aimed to equip the participants on the different components of multigrade education, to update participants on the teaching strategies and activities found effective for multigrade learners, to create locally prepared learning materials for multigrade classes, to strengthen networking and professional support of MG teachers through schoolbased learning action cell (LAC) sessions.
Rizalyn Guznian, Chief Education Supervisor, welcomed the participants with the inspiring messages “Teaching is a God-given mission to us.” She added what Sir Coidno uttered that teaching multigrade is a challenging one so teachers need continuous improvement through reading.
Erlinda Quinuan, EPS-SDO, enunciated “Every Child a Reader Program” which includes “no read, no pass.” Some participants gave inputs on how to eliminate nonreader learners through different reading techniques such as letter recognition, letter sounds mastery, blending, Marungko approach, fuller method, reading textbooks and others. Teachers can help the learners to read and understand by using their own dialect.
Teachers will be more effective through using the different standards designed by the Department of Education such as the budget of work (BOW), multigrade– daily lesson plan (MGDLP), different schemes in teaching, differentiated instruction, K to 12 curriculum (contextualization of learning materials), classroom assessment, and classroom management.
BOW is a great help for the multigrade teachers to make the MG-DLP easily. There are four-letter icons of DLP introduced to the participants such as direct teaching (T), individual activity (I), group activity (G), and assessment (A). These were designed to be used by the multigrade teachers in doing their DLP easily. Some reminders before implementing the DLP are planned lessons should be delivered in a week, always consider the time allotted for the learners in finishing their given activities, always set norms for each level as well as refrain switching unnecessarily.
“Maganda ang multigrade para mas mapalawak ang kaalaman sa pagtuturo,” said Mary Claire Egsan
DLP can be executed with different schemes in teaching multigrade. These are Scheme A (align similar competencies), Scheme B (quite similar competencies), Scheme C (same behavior but have different content or differ in difficulty), Scheme D (do not have any commonality in competencies), and Scheme E (objective or skill in the first group or grade is a prerequisite to the next group level).
Despite having various learners, differentiated instruction is the answer. Differentiated instruction is using a variety of instructional strategies to address the needs, interests, and multiple intelligences of the learners. It also includes contextualization, localization, and indigenization. Contextualization is relating subject matter to meaningful situations that are relevant to students’ lives. For example, tell stories that can be found in the community. Localization is the process of adapting products or content to a specific place. For example, teachers can utilize materials in the community. Indigenization is all about community practices. For example, attending burial or joining special occasions in the community.
Did learners learn something? In a multigrade classroom, all students do not learn in the same way. Students who have different learning styles typically have different methods of demonstrating what they have learned. The use of a variety of assessment approaches is needed to allow all students to demonstrate what they have learned.
Aside from assessing the learners, it should be accompanied by classroom management. Classroom management is to set the classroom. Classroom structure can affect the learners’ performances and written works if the learners are comfortable where they stay while learning. Teachers always prior their learners in the teaching-learning process made inside the school.
Indeed, teachers should be guided and assisted by the school heads through using a multigrade Classroom Assessment or Observation Tool. School heads to monitor and observe multigrade instruction in the classroom to support effective instructional practices in the multigrade set-up. They used comprehensive elements of instructional delivery and contains clear indicators of what is expected in a multigrade classroom that supports learning for diverse pupils. Some school heads said that ethics is very important between the teachers and school heads.
As quoted by John Maxwell, “You don’t overcome challenging by making them smaller but by making yourself bigger.”