ABSTRACT
This chapter answers the question as to whether mixed-age groupings are really important. Multiage education rejects the homogenized view of learning, purported by the graded system, and endorses the idea that mixed-age children can, and do, most effectively and comfortably learn from each other. This defining characteristic of multiage education is highly significant for all stakeholders to comprehend. This chapter outlines the social learning theories that set the stage for multiage education and then discusses, with examples, the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits for all children within the multiage learning context. The details of this chapter highlight the extraordinary value for every child’s learning and well-being in a mixed-age environment, and advises educators to abandon the narrow idea of school age segregation.
