Conference Agenda

The inclusive education perspective of UNESCO’s Framework (Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all) has brought significant changes to educational policy and school management and organisation (Diem, Browning and Sampson, 2020). Research on teaching and learning practices in diverse classrooms is as important as ever. This symposium focusses on an implicitly diverse education context- schools with multigrade classrooms.

In an educational context where schools have been organised according to the principles of enterprise organisations, the tendency in educational systems has been to distribute the population from homogeneous criteria in order to work under criteria of homogeneity. Heterogenous classrooms only have been present when the conditions of depopulation of rural areas cannot organize a complete graduate school. In this context a general model of urban school has been shown as the ideal of school and classrooms with children of different ages have had a negative reputation. Research from different countries have shown this negative perspective attending to the teachers' voices (eg. Mulryan-Kyne, 2004).

European classrooms have become more diverse due to migration both within Europe and from non-European countries with this creating potentially new challenges and opportunities for teachers and teacher education. Multigrade classrooms are present in rural and urban areas. Inclusive teaching practices research become central arenas in this scenario for creating deepened understandings of education and inclusion in different countries and for considering local and global discussions. The main aim of this symposium is therefore to help to broaden knowledge and create a space for exchange, reflection and discussion about the status of teaching practices research in these respects in European countries. Connecting this is a challenge for educational research.

Previous studies have already highlighted the relevance of inclusive teaching practices in multigrade classrooms to deal with social justice and inclusion in conditions of European diversity (e.g. Bjøru, 2023, Mangione et al, 2022, Vigo and Soriano, 2014). This research has dealt with the challenges of globalization, migratory movements and inclusion and the implications and needs that these factors demand from future (and past) teacher professionals, teacher education and teacher education research and policy. They ask questions about how schools, universities and other institutions entrusted with teaching practices to respond to the European Union call to inclusive education, so that they can participate in and develop schools that respect different needs, cultures and lives, and contribute to social justice and inclusion aims (EC, 2017) and in line with this the Symposium has a twofold interest:

• To exchange research knowledge about teaching practices from multigrade schools, attending to inclusive education.
• To promote interest for future research about inclusive and creative teaching practices in rural and urban spaces in schools and hyper-diversity in European countries.

The symposium will include researchers from four European countries whose research has addressed initial teacher education in Higher Education. With a critical perspective as a common theme, the papers will cover issues dealing with different processes of inclusion and exclusion related to initial teacher education perspectives. These issues are of great relevance for European educational research, where markets and Inclusion are co-located. The symposium challenges contemporary initial teacher education and the preparation of teachers for working in diverse classrooms.

This paper draws together knowledge about teaching and learning in diverse classroom. It begins with mixed age classes where there are pupils of different ages or grades (see Cronin, 2019 for a discussion on terminologies). Where mixed age teaching is forced upon a school due to circumstances such as small pupil numbers, it can be seen as problematic. However, where mixed age classes are intentional, the perceived benefits to pupils, their families and wider communities are well documented (Cronin, 2019). There is an extensive literature about teaching and learning in mixed age settings that can be drawn together with knowledges of diversities more traditionally associated with equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) groupings such as ethnicity, socio-economic status and disability. Amalgamating these literatures offers opportunities for new theoretical engagements, potentially offering enrichment of the understandings of diversity in classrooms and informing development of pedagogies. Teaching and learning in diverse classrooms often draws on ideas about inclusive approaches, practices and organisation. Inclusive approaches to education are informed by a number of one or more theoretical positions. These include psycho-medical models, the celebration of individuals and their differences (eg the UN Sustainable development goals), children’s rights (eg Rustemeir, 2002) and the valuing of democratic and collaborative actions in schools and their communities (eg Fielding, 2011). The perspectives of those who extol the benefits of mixed age classes, tend to be informed by theoretical positions that value collective acts and community (Vincent, 1999; Little, 2001) and there are resonances here with ideas being used in democratic and collaborative approaches to inclusive teaching and learning. These include the need to recognise individual identity in the context of collaborative learning (Hargreaves, 2009), ideas of belonging (Slee, 2019) and The Common School (Fielding and Moss, 2011). The domination of individualism in contemporary education (Hargreaves, 1980), with its associated standardisation and decontextualization of pupils, curricula etc feeds into the development of inclusive teaching and learning which tend to focus on the acknowledgement of difference rather than similarity. However, there are bodies of theoretical work in the inclusion and mixed age literature associated with ideas of collaboration and collective acts - see for example the work of the Victoria Government in Australia (2017) and STEP4SEAS (2019) in Europe. This paper explores how theorising of mixed age and inclusive teaching and learning can be put to work in developing pedagogies and educators.

Cronin, Z. (2019) To mix or not to mix: A critical review of literature on mixed-age groups in primary schools . Cambridge Open-Review Educational Research e-Journal . 6 165–179 Department of Education. Victoria Government (2017) Purposeful collaboration, collective responsibility. Victorian government schools’ agreement 2017. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/17-0129EBAGuideforteachers.pdf Fielding, M. (2011) Student voice and inclusive education: A radical democratic approach to intergenerational learning. Revista Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado. 70 (25.1) Fielding, M., & Moss, P. (2011). Radical education and the common school: A democratic alternative. London: Routledge. Hargreaves, D (1980) A Sociological Critique of Individualism in Education. British Journal of Educational Studies. 28(3) 187-198. Hargreaves, L. (2009). Respect and responsibility: Review of research on small rural schools in England. International Journal of Educational Research, 48(2), 117-128. Rustemeir, S. (2002) Social and educational justice: The human rights framework for inclusion. Bristol: Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education. Slee, R. (2019) Belonging in an age of exclusion, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 23(9), 909-922 STEP4SEAS (2019) Social transformation through educational policies based on successful educational actions https://www.step4seas.org/

Inclusion, new technologies and creative thinking (UNESCO, 2020) are benchmarks in education systems of Europe today. As Spanish schools have become more diverse due to immigration, both from within Europe and from non-European countries, the creation of multi-grade classes, although not always recognised by education authorities (Vigo et al., 2022), has increased and has challenged teaching practices, usually based on homogenisation. In a context characterised by the distribution of pupils in homogeneous age groups, teachers are faced with both a challenge and new opportunities (Ainscow, 2020; Rambers & Watkins, 2020). Regarding the use of technologies has been questioned (Gallagher & Barry Freeman, 2011; Sancho-Gil et al., 2020; Schnaider & Gu, 2022; van der Vlies, 2020). It makes little reference to the individuality and life of the students (Área et al., 2020; Sancho-Gil et al., 2020). Little research has been done on the use of digital media in multigrade classrooms (e.g. Vigo-Arrazola and Dieste-Gracia, 2019; Vigo, 2021). The aim of this paper is to present different examples of how teachers in multi-grade classrooms recognised by education authorities challenge the culture of homogenisation in teaching and manage inclusive and creative teaching practices with digital media. Based on the information gathered in the context of a PhD and a national R+D+i project entitled ‘Challenging stigmatisation. Discourses and creative and inclusive educational practices with digital media in "schools of special complexity" (PID2020-112880RB-I00) (Ministry of Science and Innovation)’, we use ethnographic analysis based on participant observation, interviews, informal conversations and documentary analysis in 2 schools of special complexity located in rural areas of Spain. Data analysis take as reference creative teaching and learning practices, from a historical-cultural and dialectical perspective, considering practices that are based on relevance and connection to the possibilities of the context (Beach and Dovemark, 2007; Troman and Jeffrey, 2007; Woods and Jeffrey, 1996). Results allow us to identify different teaching practices with digital media that have been adapted to the different levels of the students, favouring the participation of all. These practices are aimed at recognising the students' voices through free expression and the connection with their interests and lives. However, it is possible to see how the tendency to work from a homogeneous perspective is present. Finally, we highlight tensions, contradictions and opportunities of teaching practices (with digital media) in multigrade schools in a metro-normative system.

Ainscow, M. (2020). Inclusion and equity in education: Making sense of global challenges. Prospects, 49, 123–134. Beach, D. & Dovemark, M., (2007) Education and the commodity problem: Ethnographic investigations of creativity and performativity in Swedish schools. The Tufnell Press. Gallagher, K., & Freeman, B. (2011). Multi-site ethnography, hypermedia and the productive hazards of digital methods. Ethnography and Education, 6(3), 357-373. Ramberg, J., & Watkins, A. (2020). Exploring inclusive education across Europe. FIRE, 6(1), 85-101. Sancho-Gil, J.M., Rivera-Vargas, P., & Miño-Puigcercós, R. (2020). Moving beyond the predictable failure of Ed-Tech initiatives. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 61-75. Schnaider, K., & Gu, L. (2022). Potentials and Challenges in Students’ Meaning-Making via Sign Systems. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 6(2), 9. Troman, G., & Jeffrey, B. (2007). Qualitative Data Analysis in Cross-cultural Projects. Comparative Education, 43(4), 511–525. UNESCO (2020). Inclusion and education: All means all. Global monitoring report. Van der Vlies (2020). Digital strategies in education across OECD countries. OECD. Vigo-Arrazola, B., & Dieste-Gracia, B. (2019). Building virtual interaction spaces between family and school. Ethnography and Education, 14(2), 206-222. Woods, P., & Jeffrey, B. (1996). Teachable Moments. The Art of Teaching in Primary Schools. Open University Press.

International research has examined the challenges teachers have in meeting an increased range of needs across multiple grades/year levels within multigrade teaching; however, the practice of increased responsibilities continues to be widespread (e.g. Berry, 2006; Berry & Little, 2006; Erden, 2020; Grimes, 2019; Robiños et al., 2020). Due to many factors, including immigration, learning needs are reportedly increasing even in age-banded classes. Using Bourdieu’s theories (social, cultural, and economic capital) and evidence of experiences of New Zealand teachers, school principals and teacher educators, in this symposium, as a foil to prompt comparison through similarities and contrasts to European experiences to stimulate ideas for potential research, we will argue that the benefits of multigrade teaching provide children with invitations to learn (Tomlinson, 2002).Tomlinson’s invitations address five key needs “to make learning irresistible: affirmation, contribution, purpose, power and challenge” (p. 8). Affirmation is the need to feel needed and significant. Contribution is the need to contribute to the world with learners looking for a way to contribute to the classroom and school. Purpose is the need for learners to understand what they are doing and see the significance and relevance of the learning for themselves. Power entails the need for learners to feel that learning is useful and that they have agency and may assess quality of the outcomes of study, and challenge is the need for learners to study at an appropriate level for their current ability. These opportunities build relational knowledge and agency. Multilevel teaching supports schools in being safe places and in developing learner engagement, participation, and cooperation along with an understanding of learning, selves, and others (Earl Rinehart, 2020). Multigrade teaching also contributes to the vision societies have for what they want for their young people. In New Zealand the National Curriculum states that our Vision is for young people to be confident, connected, actively involved and lifelong learners (MoE, 2007, p. 8). In essence, multigrade teaching practices help young people learn to live together, one of the four pillars for education in the 21st century (Delors et al., 1996). Learning to live together is about awareness of similarities and interdependence of people, and respect and appreciation of diversity to be able to learn and work together towards reciprocal understanding and cohesion in societies.

Berry, C. & Little, A. W. (2006). Multigrade teaching in London, England. In A. W. Little (Ed), Education for all and multigrade teaching (67–86). Springer Delors, J., Al Mufti, I. A., Amagi, I., Carneiro, R., Chung, F., Geremek, B., Gorham, W., Kornhauser, A.,Manley, M., Padrón Quero, M., Savane, M., Singh, KK.,Stavenhagen, R., Myong W. S., & Zhou N.(1996). Learning, the treasure within: Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century. Earl Rinehart, K. E. (2020). What do we mean by social in relation to learning and the role of teachers? Teachers and Curriculum, 20(1), 1–6. Erden, H. (2020). Teaching and Learning in Multi-graded Classrooms: Is it Sustainable?. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 12, 359-378. Grimes, N. (2019). An Investigation of Teachers’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Multi-Grade Settings in Irish Primary Schools. Professional Masters of Education Thesis. Ministry of Education, (MoE). (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Learning Media. Robiños, J. R. O., Josephine, P., & Mendoza, L. A. (2020). Learning and Sharing: Understanding Experiences in Teaching Indigenous Learners of Mindoro. IOER International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 2(2), 108-116. Tomlinson, C. (2002). Invitations to learn. Educational Leadership, 60(1), 6-10

Teaching in multigrade classes is a challenging task: teachers claim to work more and to be more stressed that their colleagues (Proehl et al., 2013; Shareefa 2021) and this condition can affect the quality of teaching. One of the main critical issues relates to the simultaneous management of different grades with differentiated tasks: while teacher engaged with a group for direct instruction or guided learning activities, they also need to set and supervise individual and self directed learning activities for other students. Multi-grade education is common in rural areas of the so-called minority world, i.e. high-income countries such as the United States, Canada, in many European countries and in majority world countries such as India, China, Nepal, Peru, Colombia and Brazil. In Italy nearly 29,000 students attend mixed-age classes, distributed in around 1,500 schools throughout the country. According to school Italian administrators and headmasters, multigrade classes are affected by a high turn over rate among teachers due to their lack of experience and adequate training. In 2020 INDIRE investigated their needs, their teaching styles and the main critical issues by means of a qualitative survey. This paper reports the results of the analysis of 124 cases highlighting the main critical issues related to curriculum design and to the organization of learning groups, schooltime and classroom spaces. The research has highlighted some difficulties that have proved to be constant over time and in the comparison between different contexts (Veenman, 1995;Cornish L. (2021), ) which can guide training and support interventions for teachers (Parigi, Mangione 2023). The investigation points out that while teachers easily learn to mix grades to take advantage of age difference among students, they remain very much focused on guided learning activities and struggle to provide an effective setting to individual and group independent learning. Students autonomy also emerges as a critical issue for multigrade teachers, as most the of lack of experience in the design of individual and group independent learning activities and share a general sense of skepticism towards students autonomy. This paper work explores through case of study about practices observed and analyzed in the field, the dimension of learning and classroom management with respect to some basic disciplines and the use of spaces (internal, common and external) in the management of learning groups with an inclusive perspective.

Cornish L. (2021), History, Context and Future Directions of Multigrade Education, in Cornish L, Taole M.J. (eds), Perspectives on Multigrade Teaching: Research and Practice in South Africa and Australia (1-39), Cham, Springer Nature. Parigi L, Mangione G.R.J (2023) The multigrade: beliefs, difficulties and practices of Italian teachers. In Journal of Education. Anno XV – vol. 1_n. 1, 2023 415-436 Proehl R.A., Douglas S., Elias D., Johnson A.H., Westsmith W. (2013), A Collaborative Approach: Assessing the Impact of Multi-grade Classrooms, Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 16(2), 417-440. Shareefa, M. (2021). Using differentiated instruction in multigrade classes: A case of a small school. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 41(1), 167-181. Veenman, S. (1995). Cognitive and noncognitive effects of multigrade and multi-age classes: A best-evidence synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 65(4), 319- 381.