Multiage in Atlantic Canada

It is fairly common practice in schools in Atlantic Canada to combine age groups to form classes. Some schools have done this for administrative necessity, when student enrollment reveals an imbalance in age groups.

Other schools and individual teachers have deliberately formed mixed-age classes to enhance a developmental educational ideology. Although the purpose for forming the mixed-age class usually determines the pedagogy used by the teacher and the level of support within the school community, there has been growing awareness and interest across the region in transforming mixed-age classes with a multiage approach.

The purpose of this page is to facilitate networking among educators and school communities interested in multiage education.
It is organized in two sections:

1. Advocates of Multiage in Atlantic Canada

2. Multiage Schools and Classrooms in Atlantic Canada

It is hoped that this multiage community will provide support through collaboration so that multiage programs can continue to flourish and adapt to current educational views and conditions.

Advocates for Multiage Education
in Atlantic Canada

This page is an open invitation to people who support multiage education in educational discussions. They have developed a very good understanding of the ideology, can recommend classroom practices that are appropriate for teaching multiage classes, and can offer advice about multiage implementation. If you would like to be included as an advocate, please email me.

MARION LEIER
Marion is a strong advocate for multiage education in Nova Scotia. She believes that authentic multiage classes create more effective learner-centered environments than can be achieved in single grade structures.

DENNIS MULCAHY
dmulcahy@mun.ca
Dennis is a professor of education at Memorial University in St. John’s, NL. His research and development interests focus primarily on rural education, small schools and multi-grade and multiage education. He believes that an authentic approach to multiage education can make a virtue of the necessity of having to combine classrooms in small rural schools. He also believes that all schools regardless of their size or location would make education more humane and responsive to children if they adapted a multiage approach to teaching and learning. Dennis has developed and currently teaches courses in multiage education at the undergraduate and graduate level.
[In the photo Dennis is on the right]

Multiage Schools and Classrooms

The following schools offer multiage education in Atlantic Canada. They are organized by province and school board. This list creates a network of schools and programs interested in multiage implementation, and can facilitate collaboration with each other. If you would like to add your program or school to this list, please contact me and include the following:

• the name of your program or school
• your location and your school board
• the URL of your website or email contact information

NOVA SCOTIA

Annapolis Valley Regional School Board

Port Williams Elementary School

• Started a multiage program in 1973. (see Beginning Multiage)
• Multiage classes at early, intermediate levels

South Shore Regional School Board

Greenfield Elementary School

• Early elementary multiage class
• Senior elementary multiage class

Private Schools

King's View Academy (grades 7-12)

• employs GoldlakeSM methodology (www.goldlake.org)
• teachers work one-on-one or small groups
• students progress at own speed

The South Shore Waldorf School & Kindergarten

• Parent-tot Program
• Grades 1-3
• Grades 4-6

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

NEW BRUNSWICK

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR