This article explores heterogeneity as fundamental to learning. Inspired by Bakhtin's notion of heteroglossia, a design team consisting of an experienced classroom teacher and 2 researchers investigated how a class of 3rd and 4th graders came to understand disciplinary points of view on heat, heat transfer, and the particulate nature of matter.…

Research on the relationship between literacy and play has a rich history. Yet few studies have examined children's use of spontaneous play during literacy events as children are learning to read and write. This case study examines the use of play and the quality of playfulness in a kindergarten/first grade multiage classroom during Writer's…

Postdevelopmental perspectives in early childhood education and care increasingly reference alternative ways of understanding learning, growth and development in early learning. Drawing on these ideas, this paper examines research findings which focused on early childhood teachers' understandings of multiage grouping. The findings suggested that…

In this article, the author discusses multiage education. Multiage education hailed as recently as 10 years ago as a promising way to restructure schools and boost student achievement but now has fallen on hard times. Interest in the issue has waned, with new research on the topic virtually nonexistent and attendance at national multiage…

S. Veenman argues that his reviews of the literature lead to the conclusion that combination classes are neither worse nor better than single-grade classes. This rejoinder discusses disagreements with Veenman's findings, which are hampered by a narrow reading and interpretation of the literature on potential positive effects of combination…

Examines research findings of the multiage classroom concept and delineates the advantages (higher progress in areas of academia, self-esteem, and socialization skills, as well as development of the teacher/parent relationship) and disadvantages (additional planning/preparation time and difficulties with parents, scheduling, and budget…

In fall 1993, administrators and faculty at the Crabappple Middle School in Roswell, Georgia, implemented the Multi-Age Team (MAT) program, creating multi-age teams of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. The projects' main goal was to enhance self-esteem. Additional goals included implementation of interdisciplinary, thematic instruction;…

Evaluated effectiveness of a multiage learning project in terms of an assessment of classroom quality, and teacher concerns about multiage grouping and computer use in the classroom. Found that participating teachers modified their classrooms to make them more developmentally appropriate, and they increased their use of computers for their own…

Multi-Age Teaming (MAT) programs were implemented at Crabapple and McNair Middle Schools in Fulton County, Georgia, in the fall of 1993, and at Camp Creek Middle School in the fall of 1994. An important goal of these programs was the creation of school families within schools with multi-age teams of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. At…

In fall 1993, administrators and faculty at the Crabapple Middle School in Roswell, Georgia, implemented the Multi-Age Team (MAT) program, creating multiage teams of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. The project's main goal was to enhance self-esteem. Additional goals included implementation of interdisciplinary, thematic instruction;…