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Multigrade Teaching Workshop in Pacitan
In response to a request for training in multigrade teaching, a workshop was held in Pacitan during August. The district will create 36 multigrade schools during this school year to make better use of staff and facilities. The workshop was attended by 40 participants from six primary schools which will be affected by the changes in staffing. Representatives from the districts of Probolinggo, Banyuwangi, Banyumas and Batu also attended.
The three day workshop introduced the basic elements of managing and teaching in the multigrade classroom. The training focused on three main areas;
- Structuring and organising multigrade schools
- Organising and planning for multigrade classrooms
- Teaching strategies for multigrade classrooms
The participants learnt that multigrade teaching is not about teaching two classes at once, but making a program for the whole class with different activities to cater for different levels of ability. Teachers used a theme to develop activities, using competencies from two grade levels. The participants also learnt three strategies which can be used in the multigrade classroom to differentiate activities and / or outputs.
The participants tried these out and then chose one to incorporate into a lesson for practice teaching. As there were no multigrade schools close by, multigrade classes were created for the practice teaching by mixing students from two classes. This way, the participants felt what it was like to teach two classes in the same room with a common theme, but different activities.
The participants realized that it was not as difficult as they first imagined. The teaching strategies used in a multigrade class are also very useful in a conventional classroom, so participants were encouraged to practice the strategies in their own classrooms. Pacitan is the first MBE district to request and complete multigrade training.
It is proposed to hold a Training of Trainers program for selected districts in multigrade teaching in the coming months and provide support for districts when they carry out their multigrade planning and teaching in the future.
Multigrade information for district stakeholders
A multigrade information session was given to 33 local Principals and other selected stakeholders at the request of Pak Kardoyo, Head of the Program Section of Dinas Pendidikan.
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The purpose was to give a brief overview of the training presented and to provide the opportunity for stakeholders to discuss impending changes to schools. Pak Kardoyo answered many questions related to the deployment of excess teachers and other policy issues.
The district of Pacitan is committed to the creation of multigrade schools and MBE will continue to provide support to achieve this initiative.
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Participants plan activities for the multigrade classroom with Ibu Wiwik, An MBE trainer from Probolinggo
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Students from SDN Ploso 1 work in a multigrade situation. The lesson used a common theme but groups completed different activities.
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Ibu Angie, MBE consultant speaks to Principals and Dinas representatives about multigrade planning and teaching.
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