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Planning Teaching –
UNIT 9 MULTIGRADE TEACHING AND Learning Activities
TEACHING IN OTHER CONTEXTS
Structure
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Objectives
9.3 Multigrade Teaching
9.4 Teaching Learning Strategies (Multigrade Situation)
9.4.1 Direct Teaching
9.4.2 Monitorial Assistance
9.4.3 Peer Tutoring: Students as Resources
9.4.4 Peer Group Work
9.4.5 Self Study
9.4.6 Whole Class Teaching
9.4.7 Small Group Work
9.4.8 Field Trips (Out of Classroom Activities)
9.4.9 Community Support
9.5 Teaching-Learning Strategies (Large Group)
9.5.1 Direct Teaching
9.5.2 Monitorial Assistance
9.5.3 Group Leaning
9.5.4 Self Study
9.5.5 Team Teaching and Sharing Responsibilities
9.5.6 Peer Tutoring
9.5.7 Use of Cues
9.5.8 Pupils Self-help Strategies/Self Learning
9.5.9 Evaluation and Feedback Strategies
9.5.10 Management of Space and Time
9.5.11 Seating Arrangement
9.6 Teaching in Diverse Situations
9.6.1 Locomotor Disability
9.6.2 Visual Impairment
9.6.3 Hearing Impairment
9.6.4 Intellectual Disability
9.6.5 Learning Disability
9.6.6 Specific Teaching-learning Strategies
9.6.7 Adaptation in Curriculum/ Instructional Material and Methodology
9.6.8 Supportive Aids
9.7 Space and Time Management
9.7.1 Space Management
9.7.2 Time Management
9.8 Let Us Sum Up
We acknowledge that Unit 9 Multigrade Teaching and Teaching in other Contexts
has been adapted from Unit-4 Teaching in a Variety of Contexts of Block-1 Teaching
and Learning, ES-211 Teaching Learning at Primary Level of Diploma in Primary
Education, School of Education, IGNOU, New Delhi, 2008.
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Pedagogic Practices at 9.9 Unit End Activity
Elementary Level
9.10 Suggested Readings and References
9.11 Answers to Check Your Progress
9.1 INTRODUCATION
A glance at the primary schools in our country reveals large variation in the
school and class size index. Some primary schools are large-sized, while some
of them are medium-sized and others are very small-sized. In the large and medium
sized schools, the teacher-pupil ratio is 1:40 or more. Teachers teach grade-wise
or even section-wise. In sparsely populated areas, very often several grades
comprising 10-15 children make a normal class-size. In this context, the teacher
has to combine several grades and practice multigrade teaching. Also, expanding
the educational facilities for disabled and integrating them into the normal
classroom set-up, presents a different context for teaching. All these situations
often create a differential or a variety of contexts for teaching.
In this unit, you will understand and learn about various contexts and also suitable
methodologies/ teaching strategies for organizing multigrade teaching, handling
large-sized class and teaching in integrated class. The instructional strategies
can differ from one context to another, depending on the class size, its objectives,
composition, subject content etc.
9.2 OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you should be able to:
· explain the concept and need for teaching in a variety of contexts i.e. classes
of mulitgrade, large-sized and having students with diverse needs;
· discuss various strategies of teaching-learning in different contexts;
· describe the various patterns of space and time management in multigrade,
large-sized classes and an inclusive teaching situation;
· use these instructional strategies in a variety of contexts.
9.3 MULTIGRADE TEACHING
As you know that a large number of schools are single teacher, two or three
teachers schools, where a teacher may have to teach more than one class. The
situation where one or more grades are combined and made to sit together in the
same classroom and are taught by a single teacher is called a multigrade class.
This situation of combining more than one class of teaching is called multi-
grade teaching.
A multigrade class consists of children of different grades/levels, age groups and
ability levels. You may also be familiar with some of the problems of a multigrade
teaching situation. The multigrade-teaching situation differs from one school to
another depending on the number of teachers and pupils enrolled and the
methodology to be adopted. The traditional approach of teaching cannot be
adopted in a multi-grade setup, which may disrupt and disorganize the learning
process and discipline of different grades.
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Multigrade Teaching and
Check Your Progress Teaching in other Contexts
Notes: a) Write your answers in the space given below
b) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.
1) List the problems faced by teachers while teaching multigrade classes.
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9.4 TEACHING LEARNING STRATEGIES
(MULTIGRADE SITUATIONS)
For your convenience some of the instructional strategies have been explained
in this unit. You can use them effectively, efficiently, appropriately and
successfully and utilize them in multigrade situations. Following are some of
the instructional strategies that you can adopt in multi-grade situations.
9.4.1 Direct Teaching
In a multigrade teaching situation, time for direct teaching is of great significance.
In this situation it may not be impossible for you to devote full-time to a single
grade. In this context, direct teaching can be adopted by you to present an
overview/ summary of the lesson/ topic, while starting a new topic/ lesson, to
explain difficult concepts and different activities, to arouse learners’ curiosity, to
explain the role of monitors and peers, to assign self-study exercises, for
reinforcement, evaluation and remedial measures, etc.
At the same time, you should also make sure that the direct teaching is followed
and proceeded by monitorial assistance, peer-group work and self-study by pupils.
9.4.2 Monitorial Assistance
Very frequently you may be taking assistance from monitors to facilitate and
share your teaching work while you are engaged with some other grades/levels
or in some academic/non-academic work. You might have realized the
significance of monitors who have a dynamic role to play in multigrade context.
You should be quite careful in selecting monitors. Different monitors should be
selected for different subjects/ activities. The monitors selected should be
generally of the same grade rather than of the senior grade. You can seek monitorial
assistance to facilitate miscellaneous activities – to organize peer group and
individual learning activities, or to demonstrate the materials. You may also take
the help of monitors to conduct drills, to supervise self-study and to monitor the
assigned activities and to maintain discipline of the classes.
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Pedagogic Practices at While selecting monitors the following points need to be considered:
Elementary Level
1) Ability to understand the topic;
2) Readiness for concept clarification, and to carry out different activities;
3) Ability to manage the group learning, and peer tutoring;
4) Qualities of understanding, sympathy, co-operation leadership, etc.
9.4.3 Peer Tutoring: Students as Resources
Peer tutoring involves students teaching students. The typical peer-tutoring
consists of a more capable student assisting less capable ones. Peer tutoring can
be both one-to-one and one-to-several pupils i.e. small group. In a multigrade
set-up peer tutors assist in reducing the workload of the teachers and also facilitate
the individual learning. This strategy can be used successfully in developing the
essence of co-operation amongst learners. It can be extended to:
− Explaining school routines;
− Giving drill exercise to reinforce the concept;
− Demonstrating for effective learning;
− Activating the learner’s participation.
Peer tutoring is of several types. In a multigrade context cross age peer tutoring
is quite useful where older students help the younger ones. The students who are
good in a particular subject are selected as peer tutors to assist other pupils of
his/ her group of the same class or of other classes. Sometimes a peer tutor may
be appointed by a teacher or by the pupils. The peer tutors some orientation by
you to provide positive feedback to other students and to assist the smaller children
in a democratic approach.
Your role in this context is quite different. For example while teaching class V students,
you can engage other classes IV and III to accomplish a task on mathematics, or
Language with the help of peer tutors of the same class or of higher classes. You need
to constantly keep a watch and monitor the progress of work.
Peer tutoring provides an opportunity for self-evaluation to students, to act as a
tutor and develop a sense of responsibility and accountability among students.
9.4.4 Peer Group Work
The multigrade classroom can be organized by you in cohesive peer group i.e.
grouping bright, average and weak students together. The pupils in a peer group
of the same grade or of different grades teach one another and the more able
among them in a particular subject/ activity act as teachers for those who are less
able in that subject/ activity. The peer group leader should be the member of peer
group and leadership should be assigned on rotation. The peer group work helps
to provide immediate feedback and individual attention to the learner. It also
helps the learner to progress at their own pace and seek immediate guidance,
whenever, required.
9.4.5 Self Study
You can realize the difficulty, a teacher of a multigrade situation has to face, to
keep pupils of different grade(s), level(s) engaged all the time. Textbook alone
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