JOSE RIZAL MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY

The Premier University in Zamboanga del Norte

Siocon Campus, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte

A Flexible Learning Toolkit

for PED Elec 1

JULFER P. FRANCISCO,LPT

This is gender-sensitive instructional material

Teaching Multi Grade Classes 1

Module 1: The MPPE

I. Introduction/Background

The Department of Education (DepEd)

continues to hold multigrade classes in an effort to
ensure that Filipino students in remote areas
complete their basic education. A multigrade class
consists of two or more different grade levels in a
single grade classroom manned by one teacher for an
entire school year. Since 1993, the Multigrade
Program in Philippine Education (MPPE) has
significantly contributed to the Department of
Education's (DepEd) need to democratize access to
education while ensuring its quality in around 19% of
public elementary schools in isolated,
underserved, and sparsely populated communities.

II. Learning Outcomes

 Identify information on MultiGrade Program in Philippine Education (MPPE) such as:

a. Policies,
b. Definition,
c. Program components
d. Support programs, and
e. Expected benefits
 Identify MPPE support programs in the region/ division/district/ school.
 Basic principle underlying multigrade teaching.
 Appreciate the Multigrade Program in Philippine Education (MPPE) as part of the educational system
in our country.

III. Activity

Directions: Answer thefollowing questions.

1. What is MPPE?
2. What are the supportprograms in MultigradeEducation?
3. What are the advantages in a multigrade class?
4. What are the challenges in a multigrade class?

IV. Analysis

Based on your response…

1. What did you feel in doing theactivity?

2. What have you realized afteranswering the activity?

V. Abstraction

Lesson 1: MPPEOverview
MPPE – Multigrade Program in Philippine
Education
An education delivery system to democratize access to and improve the quality of elementary
education through the completion of incomplete schools and the organization of multigrade classes.

Why MPPE was conceptualized?

To provide a complete education cycle or expand access in sparsely populated, remote,
isolated areas. To maintain educational services in barangays with decreasing enrolment.

Definition of Multigrade Class

 a class consisting of 2 or more grades handled by one teacher.
 is generally opened in primary schools located in distant and sparsely populated
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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 2

areas.
 is usually opened in areas where the number of enrollees for each grade level
does not warrant the opening of single grade class.

Lesson 2: Programs and Components of Multigrade Teaching

Programs and Components

1. Curriculum Development

The term 'multigrade teaching' generally refers to a teaching situation where a

single teacher must take responsibility for teaching pupils across more than one
curriculum grade within a timetabled period. Schools with multigrade classes are
referred to as multigrade schools. In today's knowledge economy, curriculum
development plays a vital role in improving the economy of a country. It also
provides answers or solutions to the world's pressing conditions and problems, such as
environment, politics, socioeconomics, and other issues on poverty, climate change
and sustainable development. Multigrade classrooms offer increased potential
for scaffolding because students of different ages and abilities are learning together.
Both social and cognitive learning can be scaffolded across age and gender
boundaries and make greater use of student’s readiness to learn. Here are some of
the Salient Features of the MULTIGRADE CURRICULUM:

* Budget of Work (MG – BOW)

* Lesson Plan for Multigrade classes (MG- TLP)
* Multigrade Handbook
* Multilevel Materials
* 100 Book Library

2. Staff Development

Effective professional development should help teachers learn how to use

their limited time in an efficient and effective manner.

3. Monitoring and Supervision

School monitoring and evaluation help in providing a consolidated source of

information showing the progress of the school. Monitoring and evaluation give a basis
for both questioning and testing assumptions. Monitoring and evaluation should be an
integral component of any particular school since it helps in planning.

4. Research and Evaluation

A careful evaluation design helps program managers assess progress, identifies barriers
and facilitators, determines whether the evidence of progress is valid and reliable, and allows
staff to make adjustments in order to enhance future effectiveness.

5. Physical Facilities

The findings suggests that the availability and effective utilization of school physical
facilities play a significant role in enhancing learners’ academic performance, while
inadequacy of such physical facilities could contribute to poor academic performance in
students especially in the multigrade.

6. Community Support

The support community agencies/groups or stakeholders can provide to families

allow parents to better meet the needs of and support their children, thereby helping set the
proper conditions for learning and improving school climate for all. Community involvement is
one way to help schools produce a more capable workforce.

7. Incentives and Awards

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 3

Theoretically, teacher incentives motivate teacher behaviors that improve student

learning and reward teachers who demonstrate desired behaviors or whose students show
improved learning. Moreover, some research suggests that extrinsic rewards, such as salary
bonuses, actually reduce motivation rather than stimulate it.

Support Programs

1. Multigrade Demonstration School Projects (MDSP)

 was organized in selected divisions ofthe country.

 with financial assistance from UNICEF.
 will serve as working models for theapplication of:

1.) Effective teaching strategies andprocess for supervision.

2.) Active parent and communityparticipation; and,
3.) Innovate approaches to multigradeteaching.

2. DepEd-CCFPI Little Red Schoolhouse Project

This program provides disadvantaged children access to complete elementary

education through construction of schoolhouses and teacher training in public elementary
schools located in remote, underserved areas nationwide.

3. Pupil Learning Enhancement Program (PLEP)

This program has been designed to supplement the needs and requirements of a
classroom setting. Basically, designed by module on a term basis to monitor and assess
progress, often under the recommendation of the homeroom teacher.

4. Search for Multigrade Teacher -Achiever

The search is open to all multigrade teachers who have rendered dedicated and
exemplary services in teaching MG classes in public schools for the last three (3) years.

5. The Multigrade School Training Video

This project is a documentary video on multigrade teaching practices. It shows

effective teaching strategies and other important information about the multigrade school.

6. Congress on Multigrade Education

This activity is in consonance with the Department of Education’s policy improving

access and quality in elementary education.

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 4

MODULE 2: Basic Principles Underlying Multigrade Teaching

Lesson 3 – Basic Principle Underlying Multigrade Teaching
1. Children are Unique
Every child has unique character strengths and abilities that allow him or her to
express their individuality in a social environment. It is what makes them “special”. Children
grow at different rates in many different areas.
2. Children Learn Best from Experience
Students learn not to fear mistakes, but to value them. Experiential learning is
designed to engage students' emotions as well as enhancing their knowledge and skills.
Playing an active role in the learning process can lead to students experiencing greater
gratification in learning.

3. Children Can and Do Learn Well From One Another

Learning from each other is a natural way of picking up knowledge and skills. As
children and as adults we learn by watching each other, even more so by copying each other’s
actions. ... A peer learning class needs to be arranged differently. They are given challenges,
tasks, and resources.

4. The Role of the Teacher in A Classroom Involves Setting-Up and Managing Learning
Environment That Will Be Conducive to Learning and Teaching
Teachers or Multigrade teachers play vital roles in the lives of the students. Beyond
simply educating, teachers serve many other roles in the classroom. Teachers can set the
tone of their classrooms, build a positive learning environment, mentor and nurture students,
become strong role models and listen and look for signs of trouble.
5. The Implementation of The School Curriculum must take into Consideration the Varied
Abilities, Levels and Interests Within a Particular Group
The value of any educational program will be judged according to how well it
is able achieve the goals of the program – whether the children actually learn what
they are expected to learn and how well they have learned.
Inter-aging or the combination of children of different ages is more respectful of
individual needs of learners and reflects real-life.

Lesson 4 – Advantages & Challenges

Advantages of Multigrade Classes

Learners

 maximum social interaction between / among peers.

 cooperative learning is predominant
 will learn to be independent, self-directed learners can learn to be more
resourceful
 stigma associated with failure and repetition is removed
 prepared real-life situations where there is constant interaction between
people to different ages, varied skillsand abilities
 girls who are often expected to stay at home or at least close to home to take
care of younger siblings or the household will have more chances to go to
school are located within the community
 evidence suggest that multigrade learners can attain higher achievement level
especially in math, scienceand languages
 requires more discipline, greater concentration and more focus in order to
benefit from effective strategies e.g. peer teaching, group work, self-directed
learning.
Teacher
 can make the most of inter- age, multi-level situation to facilitate learning
processes.
 can get to know learners more and carefully assess their needs and adopt
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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 5

appropriate teaching strategies

 can innovate and experiment with different forms of instructional delivery,
learning materials and experiences.
 learns to work with differentgroups and deal with curriculum content across
subject areas.

Challenges of Multigrade Classes

Learners

 less reliance on direct supervision by teacher.

 requires more initiative and resourcefulness to function effectively in a multigrade
classes.
 may receive less individual attention from a less experience teacher or one who is not
well-trained in multigrade teaching.

TEACHER

 requires more preparation ofcurriculum learning materials.

 requires more careful study of learner’s developmental characteristics
across the age levels involved in the class, approaches and strategies
thatare effective and viable within a multigrade class
 more investment in organization of the classroom as a learning
environment
 more meticulous and systematic records-keeping to track learner
progress, curriculum development and implementation is required

VI. Application
Directions: Using the Venn diagram below, Compare and contrast a MULTIGRADE
CLASS toa MONOGRADE CLASS.

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 6

VII. Test Your Understanding

Directions: Describe the “MPPE” using the diagram

Why MPPE was conceptualized? Programs and Components

MULTIGRADE
PROGRAM IN
PHILIPPINE
EDUCATION

Support Programs Advantages and Disadvantages

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 7

MODULE 3: Learner’s Diversity in the Multigrade

I. Introduction/Background
Diverse Learners include children and students of all abilities from racially, ethnically, culturally, and
linguistically diverse backgrounds. When working and learning with people from a variety of backgrounds
and cultures present in the classroom, students gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject
matter. It also teaches students how to use their own strengths and points of view to contribute in a diverse
working environment.

II. Learning Outcomes

 Define what learners’ diversity is.

 Identify the factors that affectlearners’ diversity.
 Give the implication of havingenough knowledge on learners’ diversity.
 Realize how pupils’ diversityimproves the learning environment.
 Give examples of differentiatedinstruction.

III. Activity
What is your idea about the TopicPupil’s Diversity? Complete the diagram below.

Learner’s Diversity

IV. Analysis

Based on your response…

1. What did you feel in doing theactivity?

2. What have you realized afteranswering the activity?

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 8

V. Abstraction

Lesson 5: Factors that Bring about the Pupil’s Diversity

What is
Diversity is about what makes each of us unique and includes our backgrounds,
personality, life experiences and beliefs, all of the things that make us who we are. It is a
combination of our differences that shape our view of the world, our perspective, and our
approach. Groundwater et al. (2007) define diversity”… the range of differences that encompass
such cultural factors as ethnicity, gender, language, ability, and special needs” (p.54)

Factors that Bring About

the Pupil’s Diversity
1. Socio-economic Status
The millionaire's lifestyle differs fromthat of the middle income or the lower income group.

2. Thinking/Learning Style
Some of your learners LEARNED better by seeing something; others by just listening; and still others
by manipulating something.

3. Exceptionalities
In class there may be one who has difficulty in spoken language comprehension or in seeing, hearing,
etc.

4. Gender
In a class, the interest of the girls is somewhat different from the boys.

5. Race/Culture
Is one of the most common factors that bring about diversity in the classroom.

6. Age
Interest of individual learner differs according to the age level or maturity.

Lesson 6: How Pupils’ Diversity Improves the Learning Environment

A teacher maybe “challenged” to handle a class with pupils so
diverse.
There may be pupils having

• different cultural background.

• different learning abilities
• different attitudes and behaviors.

How does learning benefit from diversity?

Students can learn about different cultures and backgrounds, allowing them to feel a greater sense
of comfort with these differences. That in turn makes them more comfortable with themselves, leading to
a deeper sense of safety.

Students Become More Empathetic

Promoting awareness and creating a personal connection with diverse cultures in the classroom can
prevent students from developing prejudices later in life. It allows them to empathize with people
different from themselves since they’re more aware of the experiences someone of a different race or
cultural group may face.
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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 9

Students Gain a Better Understanding of Lessons and People

When working and learning with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures present in the
classroom, students gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. It also teaches
students how to use their own strengths and points of view to contribute to a diverse working environment.

Students Become More Open- Minded

Naturally, by exposing students to a diverse range of opinions, thoughts, and cultural backgrounds,
you’re encouraging them to be more open- minded later in life. This will make them open to new ideas and
be able to attain a greater comprehension on a topic by taking in different points of view.

Students Feel More Confident and Safer

Students who learn about different cultures during their education feel more comfortable and safe
with these differences later in life. This allows them to interact in a wider range of social groups and feel
more confident in themselves as well as in their interactions with others

Students Are Better Prepared for a Diverse Workplace

With the rise of globalization, it’s more important to be able to work with people from different
cultures and social groups. If students are exposed to diversity and learn cultural awareness in the
classroom, it sets them up to flourish in the workforce.

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 10

MODULE 4: Learning Opportunities for Diverse Learners

Lesson 7 – Benefits and Learning Opportunities that Pupil

Diversity can Bring
1. Pupil’s self-awareness is enhanced by diversity

• Exposing pupils to others with diverse backgrounds and experience also serves to help
pupils focus on the awareness of themselves.

2. Pupils’ diversity contributes to knowledge development

 The opportunity to gain access to the perspective peers and to learn from
other pupils rather than the teacher only, maybe especially important for
promoting the knowledge development of the learners.

3. Pupils with diversities tend to know their role as responsible

members ofsociety.

 The classroom becomes a public place where community may be

practical.

4. Pupils’ diversity can promoteharmony.

 When pupils' diversity is integrated into the classroom teaching process, it can
be a vehicle for promoting harmoniousrace relations.
 Integrate learning experiences and activities which promote pupil’s
multicultural and cross-cultural awareness.
 Aside from highlighting diversity, identify patterns of unity that surpass
group differences.
 Communicate high expectations topupils from all subgroups.
 Use varied instructional methods to accommodate pupil’s diversity in learning
styles.
 Vary the examples that you are going use to illustrate concepts, in order not to
provide multiple conflicts that are relevant to pupilsfrom diverse background.
 Adopt to the pupils diverse backgrounds and learning styles.
 Diverse your methods of assessingand evaluating pupil learning.

Lesson 8 – Differentiated Instruction

What is Differentiated Instruction?

 To differentiate instruction is to recognize students varying background knowledge,

readiness, language, preferences in learning, interests, and to react responsively.
 To maximize each student’s growth and individual success by meeting each
student where he orshe is, and assisting in the learning Process

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 11

Content
What the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information.
Examples of differentiating content:
1. Using reading materials at varying readability levels;
2. Putting text materials on tape;
3. Using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students;
4. Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means;
5. Using reading buddies; and
6. Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend
the thinking or skills of advanced learners.
Process
Activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content.
Examples of differentiating process:

1. Using tiered activities;

2. Providing interest centers;
3. Developing personal agendas (task lists written by the teacher and containing both in-
common work for the whole class and work that addresses individual needs of learners);
4. Offering manipulative or other hands-on supports; and
5. Varying the length of time a student may take to complete a task.
Product
Culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned
in a unit.
Examples of differentiating product:

1. Giving students options of how to express required learning;

2. Using rubrics that match and extend students' varied skills levels;
3. Allowing students to work alone or in small groups on their products; and
4. Encouraging students to create their own product assignments as long as the assignments
contain required elements.

Learning Environment
The way the classroom works and feels.
Examples of differentiating learning environment:

1. Making sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distraction, as well
as places that invite student collaboration;
2. Providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings;
3. Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs;
4. Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy and cannot
help them immediately; and
5. Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while
others do better sit quietly.

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 12

VI. Application

Directions: Complete each statement.

1. I learned that…
2. I am happy to know that…
3. I was surprise that to discover that…
4. I am confident that…

VII. Test Your Unerstanding

Directions: Answer the followingquestions.

1. What is learner’s diversity?

2. What are the factors that affect learners’ diversity?
3. What are the implications of having enough knowledge on learners’ diversity?
4. How pupils’ diversity improves the learning environment?
5. What are some examples of differentiated instructions?

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 13

MODULE 5: Multigrade Classroom in the Community

I. Introduction/Background

In many situations, multigrade teachers, because of their training and position, assume an
important position in the local community. This is the case, not only in the eyes of the pupils, but
also from the parents' perspective. Thus, the multigrade teacher is the critical link between the
school and its community.

II. Learning Outcomes

 Identify the human resources in a multigrade environment that contribute to an

effectiveteaching and learning.
 Enumerate ways of gaining thesupport of the parents and thecommunity in the
multigrade classroom.
 Appreciate the importance ofcommunity linking up in a multigrade system.

III. Activity

Directions: Arrange the jumbledletters to form the correct word.

1. ARPTENS -
2. SERANLER -
3. HTECRSAE -
4. IMUNTMCOY -
5. INKLAGE -

IV. Analysis

Based on your response…

 What/Who do think were the names/words that you’ve unlocked/guessed?
 What are the roles that they play in MG teaching?

V. Abstraction

Lesson 9 – Linking – Up

Parent Involvement in the Multigrade Classroom

Parents can participate at school by helping with functions and activities or communicating with
teachers. They can also be involved at home in many ways, including guiding their children to manage
homework and other commitments and engaging in discussions about values and attitudes regarding
education.

Two important ways:

1. as parents of their own children and thus involved in their individual child’s education.
2. as parents who are concerned about the multigrade classroom in more ways.

Group Meetings with Parents

A parent–teacher conference, parent–teacher interview, parent– teacher

night or parents' evening, is a short meeting or conference between the parents
and teachers of students to discuss a child's progress at school and find solutions
to academic or behavioral problems.
This is an effective way of making initial contact and sustaining contact
with the parents as a group. Gathering them as group by inviting them for a
parents’ meeting at least once a month will help strengthen a sense of
community among them.
This is a good opportunity to show them the classroom and give them
examples of how their children will be learning. The meetings with parents
should be as informal and relaxed as possible, brief (not more than an hour if it
is held in the afternoon) and focus.

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 14

Individual Parent-Teacher Conferences

A teacher must be supportive as possible in discussing problems

with parents, being careful not to use words or tone of voice that will
make them feel they are being blamed. Rather a tone of concern and
reassuring them that “We will work this out together”

Parent as Classroom Volunteers

Parent volunteers provide valuable additional support in the multigrade classroom. Having parents
come in during reading time or mathematics time to assist individual children who may need some help by
reading a story with the children or playing game with them will go along way in providing direct adult
support of the children.

Appropriate activities for parentvolunteers would be:

 Reading a story to a small group of children.

 Playing a game with a small group of children in one of the learning centers
 Helping prepare instructional materials e.g. cutting or pasting, gathering materials from the
household or from the environment.
 Assist and cook food for the MG Learners during feeding.
 Helping children and teachers in cleaning the school ground.

Involving Community Members

There are also community members who should be considered as important partners of the
multigrade teacher in providing for the needs of multigrade students.

 If the multigrade teacher is a residentof the

community, this is also generally advantageous
because there will beless rapport-building required.
 Leaders of community organizations/barangay officials are vital in
improving the MG School.
 They can help the multigrade schools not only through donations of
materials resources, but also facilitating the processof finding necessary
resources.

Lesson 10 – Importance of Multigrade Classroom in the

Community
The importance of parent and community involvement in the life of the multigrade schools and the
ways that the teacher can facilitate this involvement is a must.

 Providing educational services to thinly populated areas and remote communities

 Using limited but localized educational resources.
 Maintaining small barrio schools help to build and sustain the identity of the community and the
cultural life of the people in the community.
 The quality of relationship between the school and the community depends heavily upon the
ability of multigrade teacher and administrators of the school’s system.
 Greater interaction between MG schools and communities can enhance educational outcomes. It
also builds the role of MG schools as contributors to the vitality of their local community.
 Using “real world” examples drawn from the community can strengthen the multigrade
curriculum, and the involvement of learners in the community can enhance their broader
knowledge and confidence.
 In primary schools the aim is to have appropriate interaction between the school and community
to leave students with values of citizenship and more basic integration into the curriculum.
 Building such partnerships requires visioning, strategic planning, creative leadership and new
multifaceted roles for professionals who work in schoolsand communities.

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 15

VI. Application

Self Reflect
As a Community Development Worker, how can I bridge involvement
from the;
Parents...
Teachers…
Community…

VII. Test Your Understanding

1. What is/are teacher's role in the community?

2. Why community involvementin MG schools important, CITEone example on
how the school/community can be of help with each other?
3. How can the community support teachers? Cite anotherexample/situation.

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 16

MODULE 6: Functions and Roles of the Multigrade Teaching

I. Introduction/Background

It is obvious that a combined class of students differs a lot from the conventional type of a student class
of a single grade. That means that the way that the students of the multigrade class should be taught must
be different as well. It is true that the function of the teacher in the multigrade classroom is
multidimensional or to be more accurate it is much more complicated and demanding than the role of the
teacher in the monograde school respectively.
This is the main subject of the MUSE project to assist teacher professionals to be able to work
effectively in the multigrade school environment and be trained on teaching in the different ways referring
to the multigrade classroom. For children to learn effectively in multigrade environments, teachers need to
be well-trained, well-resourced and hold positive attitudes to multigrade teaching. Multigrade teaching in
many views represents a more demanding teaching situation and special attention should be given to it.
However, many teachers in multigrade environments are either untrained or trained in monograde
pedagogy; have few, teaching and learning resources; and regard the multigrade classroom as a poor cousin
of the better-resourced monograde urban schools that are staffed by trained teachers. In addition, at the
majority of the cases, the multigrade teachers are very young without significant experience, "chosen"
by the state to teach at the specific rural areas. These teachers are left alone without resources and
support to handle the demanding multigrade classes. The former has serious negative impact on teachers'
psychology and attitude towards the multigrade class and affects in a negative way their teaching
performance.

II. Learning Outcomes

 Identify the functions and roles of the multigrade teacher.

 Appreciate our roles as multigrade teacher.

III. Activity

Directions: Can you find nineteacher roles in the word search?

IV. Analysis

Based on yourresponse…

1. What did you feel in doing the activity?

2. What have you realized after answering the activity?
3. Do you agree with the following teachers’ roles?

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 17

V. Abstraction

Lesson 11 - 12 – Functions and Roles of the Multigrade Teacher

The categorization in the different roles presented here are based on similar former research
activities, training attempts and documentation found in the literature so are more or less well accepted by
the wider educational community. These common functions which multigrade teachers must carry out
in their schools are as follows:

As Teacher
The main function of the multigrade teacher is to teach
students by imparting knowledge not just follow a curriculum.
Teacher must be able to develop skills and inculcate desirable
values and attitudes among pupils. The teacher is expected to be
versatile and utilize different strategies to make learning
meaningful and effective for all students in his or her classroom,
no matter what individual differences may exist among the
students. In the following section of this web training content you
will be able to get informed more specifically on teaching and
learning strategies referring to the multigrade setting.

As Facilitator
The main function of the multigrade teacher is to teach
students by imparting knowledge not just follow a curriculum.
Teacher must be able to develop skills and inculcate desirable
values and attitudes among pupils. The teacher is expected to be
versatile and utilize different strategies to make learning
meaningful and effective for all students in his or her classroom, no
matter what individual differences may exist among the students. In
the following section of this web training content you will be able
to get informed more specifically on teaching and learning
strategies referring to the multigrade setting.

As a planner
Planning is a critical function for the Multigrade
teacher. Appropriate planning by the teacher will result in
classes which are more productive for the learners and easier
for them to follow. Planning in the multigrade school
classroom is much more important that in a monograde one.
The teaching hour must be spent productively for student
groups in grades of the class and thus accuracy on time
spending is crucial.
Suggestions for activities of a good planner. For each grade level for which you as multigrade
teachers are responsible you must determine the answers to the following questions:

• Whom do I teach?
• What must I teach?
• How do I teach?
• When do I teach?
• Why do I teach this?

Once you have determined the answers to these questions, you must then devise an implementation
plan in order to achieve the objectives of the lesson for each grade. Such implementation strategies
include lesson planning, selection of week activities, time- tabling. All these must be carried out before the
actual lesson is given. Try the above in one of your teaching hours. Try to determine a working model for
your case based on the above suggestions. Feel free to add or remove questions from this list taking into
account the special educational conditions of your professional setting.

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Teaching Multi Grade Classes 18

As Evaluator
Another role which the multigrade teacher must carry out is
to monitor the progress of pupil's learning so as to ensure quality of
education. Therefore, assessment should be considering a continuous
and integral part of the teaching process. Usually, this requires
teachers to determine the educational levels of pupils when they
first enter schooling, during the school year and at the end of each
school year. Therefore, assessment should be considered a
continuous and integral part of the teaching process.

As Materials Designer
Although various curriculum materials are usually
prepared by national educational authorities, multigrade teachers
still 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. You
should also try to make the 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
materialsand to encourage students to make their own
 designing workbooks which are suitable for
student use within the local context andconditions
 including within these locally designed materials
andworkbooks activities andknowledge which are relevant to
the local culture

As Action Researcher
Teachers are not usually trained to be educational researchers, since
their main task is to teach. However, it is through research that
improvements in teaching take place. In schools where access to
other resources is easily available, it is not as critical that individual
teachers be researchers since they can easily seek the advice of
more experienced educators. However, in Multigrade Teaching
schools this advice and resource is not as easily and readily
available. Therefore, the Multigrade teacher must also be a
researcher, that is, a person who asks questions in order to
understand better certain phenomenon. Such research
questions include:

What makes instructional materials and aids useful in teaching and learning in the local context?
How can the enrolment rate beincreased and the drop-outrate reduced?
What types of games andsports should be played in the school?
What useful extra-curricular activities can be arranged and when?
Why certain students are not learning as well as might be expected?
How to use local resources, including students and monitors, efficiently andeffectively?
What classroom strategies and management enhancelearning for differentactivities?

It is not an expectation that the multigrade teacher become an expert in research methods but,
rather, is able to formulate appropriate questions in the classroom setting, seek and obtain the information
necessary to answer these questions and be able to put into action those changes which are necessary - all
of which is caught up in the term "Action Research". In summary, the teacher must always have an enquiring
and evaluating mind.

Not intended for publication. For classroom instruction purposes only.

Teaching Multi Grade Classes 19

As Contact with the Community

In many situations, multigrade teachers, because of their
training and position, assume an important position in the
local community. This is the case, not only in the eyes of the
pupils, but also from the parents' perspective. Thus, the
multigrade teacher is the critical link between the school and
its community. The nature of many situations where a
multigrade school exists is such that the co-operation and
assistance of the local community is needed to improve the
quality of educational services that Multigrade Teaching
schools provide. This may include community involvement in
such diverse activities as building and maintaining
classrooms, assisting in the preparation of curriculum
teaching aids and acting as a paraprofessional teacher.

VI. Application

Directions: Choose the most appropriate description of the ROLES and FUNCTIONS of
teachers by completing/providing words/phrase for the word T-E-A-C-H-E-R.
T-
E-
A-
C-
H-
E-
R-

VII. Test Your Understanding

Directions: For questions 1–9 match the teacher activities with the teacher roles listed A, B,
C and D. WRITE DOWN letter (A, B, C or D) on your answer sheet. You need to use some
options more than once.

Teacher activities
____1. The teacher puts students into groups of three for a role play.
____2. The teacher asks a noisy student to speak more quietly.
____3. The teacher invites students to suggest topics for course content.
____4. While students write a story, the teacher walks round the class helping
students who make mistakes or ask for new words.
____5. The teacher wants to identify gaps in students’ knowledge, so she asks them to
brainstorm crime vocabulary.
____6. The teacher introduces the present perfect continuous.
____7. The teacher decides which coursebook activities will fit into the time available
for the lesson.

____8. The teacher finds a video to fit into the topic of the unit.
____9. The teacher gives students a questionnaire in order to find out more about
their learning styles and preferences.

Not intended for publication. For classroom instruction purposes only.

Teaching Multi Grade Classes 20

References

LAC Resources Materials for MGTeachers, 2020-2021,

DepED
Copyright 2020
Department of Education
Bureau of Learning Delivery,
Teaching and Learning Division
All rights reserved.
First printed in August 2020

Online Sources:

https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student- teaching/advice/importance
-of-cultural-diversity-in- classroom/

https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/18
903-tkt-module-3-the- roles-of-
theteacher.pdf

https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/
images/168903-tkt-module-3-the- roles-of-
the-teacher.pdf

https://react.roche.com/home/projects/pas
t-projects/Expansion-and-Improvement-of-
Multigrade-Schools-with-UNICEF.html

Prepared by:

JULFER P. FRANCISCO, LPT

julferfrancisco@jrmsu.edu.ph
+63 965 530 7607

Not intended for publication. For classroom instruction purposes only.