| JK/SK Blended Classes |
| What is a combined JK/SK class? This format places children of 3.8 years to 5.8 years in one classroom. Programs more closely resemble the neighborhood or home, providing a more authentic learning situation. School is one of the few places which separates people on the narrow basis of age divisions. Children learn about cooperative play in school, much as they would at home. Observing a younger classmate solve a puzzle helps students appreciate how much he/she knows; watching an older classmate solve a difficult math problem may help students another time. In this way, children support each other in their learning. |
| What are the advantages of a JK/SK class? 1. A wider range of ages increases the diversity of interests, experiences and abilities, thus enriching the program. 2. Unlike same-age classes where children view their successes by how well they compare to their age-mates, multi-age classes provide environments that focus on personal progress, not comparisons. 3. Children become competent assimilators of attitudes, skills and knowledge at three levels: 1. Learning 2. Doing 3. Teaching In a multi-age classroom, children have a greater opportunity to demonstrate and engage in competencies at all levels. 4. Sharing and collaborating become real competencies as the older students contribute to younger children's learning needs. This mutually reinforcing climate of expeted cooperation is beneficial to both children and teachers. 5. Older children develop leadership roles that facilitate group processes. This often does not happen when these same children are with groups their own age. 6. Teachers have the opportunity of working with the same children for two years. This allows for consistency of program and greater security for children, as well as the tracking of individual and academic progress. |