TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM
SETTING
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MULTI-AGE
DEVELOPMENTAL
CLASSROOM SETTINGS
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- State and district determine the curriculum
and assign it to grade levels
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- The curriculum is shared by all grade levels
and takes into consideration students' interests
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- Subjects are often taught separately and in
isolation
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- Subjects are integrated and highlight real
life settings
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- Teachers "cover" material dictated
by textbook publishers
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- Student needs and interests determine the
curriculum
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- Teachers are expected to transmit knowledge
and facts
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- Children learn in a community of learners
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- Teachers are the central focus of the
classrooms and the keeper of information
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- Teachers act as facilitators and guide the
learning of their students
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- Instruction is directed toward mastery and
retention of stated objectives
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- Instruction is designed to develop life
skills and individual interests
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- Instruction often emphasizes one learning
style and one or two types of intelligences
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- Instruction centers on different learning
styles and all seven intelligences
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- Ability grouping and levels is an
alternative to whole class instruction
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- Heterogeneous grouping is emphasized with
students supporting students
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- Emphasis on whole class instruction
minimizes individual differences
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- Individual differences are met through
small, flexible changing groups
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- Children are expected to learn the same
curriculum in the same way
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- Children are provided the opportunity to
learn in a way that meets their learning styles
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- Heavy emphasis is placed on performance on a
standardized test and getting the right answer
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- Students are afforded the opportunity to
demonstrate their learning through real life application
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- Teachers are held responsible for student
behavior
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- Children are responsible for their own
behavior
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- Learning occurs best in quiet, orderly
classrooms
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- Learning is enhanced by student interaction
and movement
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- Children work on goals established solely by
the teacher
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- Children work on developmentally appropriate
goals established by the child, teacher and parent
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This
comparison was adapted from: The Multi-Age Classroom, Creative Teaching Press by
Bev Maeda |
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