Multi-Age Learning

One of the most non-trivial subjects in Acton’s model is multi-age learning. I find that even parents who connect to some of the progressive elements, and understand that there is a need for a fundamental change in the system, find it very difficult to understand the multi-age element, and in fact, it deters them very much. My goal in this post is to expand the scope of this topic. In order to write the post, I used the wonderful book “The One World School House” by Salman Khan.

Let’s start with some history: Like many other elements in the world of education, dividing the kids according to their year of birth was born after the industrial revolution. Pre-revolution schools were local schools, providing a single-class response to a wide range of ages in the village where the school was built. They were naturally multi-age, and one or two teachers taught children aged 7-16. Following the industrial revolution, urbanization and settling in the cities began, and the number of children began to grow. At this point, it was necessary to divide the large number of kids in some way, and the simplest way was to do it according to age: All the children from this specific date to that specific date entered first grade, from this date to that date to the second grade, etc. This division is by far the most convenient division in systematic terms, and it has also enabled the creation of standards for each age group and, later on, exams that test these standards and allow each child to be evaluated in each subject. This is seemingly a successful utopian solution in all respects. In practice, many things got lost on the way.

First, the division by age is very artificial. It creates a situation that doesn’t repeat itself in almost any other point in life: At work, we are not surrounded only by people who were born in the same year as us, at the university we are not surrounded only by people who were born in the same year as us, in our family, we are not surrounded only by people who were born in the same year as us, etc. The fact that we naturally do not get divided by age is not coincidental: A multi-age environment contains very large benefits for both the older and the younger. The younger ones look up to the older kids and they are role models for them for moving forward. The older kids get to be in the lead and practice daily and practical traits such as compassion, patience, the perspective of others and leadership. As soon as we turn the multi-age environment into a single age environment, we take away a significant factor of imitation and the desire to be like the older kids from the younger one. But, in my opinion, much worse is the fact that we take away the experience of real responsibility for someone else from the older kids. We deny them the opportunity to lead others, to help others, to be role models for someone else. When I discussed this point with parents, they raised the concern that older children might behave violently toward younger children. I can identify with this concern, but it is important for me to state two things here: First, there is no doubt that it is of great significance to create a multi-age environment that empowers and promotes the kids and that isn’t violent and deteriorating. Adults have a great responsibility here, and of course, it is always necessary to ensure that the personal safety of all children is maintained. But the second point is that the same 8-year-old children, who are violent towards 6-year-old children, will be the ones to show violence to another 8-year-old’s who are weaker than them. The fact that the class has different ages does not promote violence and does not create more opportunities for violence. If anything, in my opinion, it creates a less violent and more compassionate and inclusive environment.

The second point I want to raise here is the issue of the uniform pace. The fact that all the children in the class are the same age automatically imposes the assumption that all children should progress at the same pace in each subject. I think that I shouldn’t explain too much about how this assumption is detached from reality: Obviously, there is an 8-year-old child whose level of math is like that of an 11-year-old, and there is an 8-year-old child whose level of math is like that of a 6-year-old. These two children sit together in the same class and get deeply hurt by the fact that the teacher teaches them the material that is supposed to be suitable for 8-year-olds. In our world, where there are so many wonderful online platforms for learning I feel it is unreasonable to continue teaching all 8-year-olds the same material.

I would be very happy to hear your opinion on this post, and I will try to answer any further questions you have, which I have not addressed.