Mixed Senior Infants and 1st Class

surfer12

Hi,

We got a letter home last week informing us that our daughter who is now in a split class of senior infants (20 in each class), will next year be in 1 of 3 mixed classes of 12 seniors and 14 1st class.

I am wondering if anyone has being in this situation before, l thought they would mix junior/senior, 1st/2nd, 3rd/4th, or 5th/6th.

I'm wondering how do the teachers teach 2 separate curriculums?
How will they avoid disruption when the seniors are leaving an hour earlier?
How have other schools decided on how the classes are split?
Has this worked in other schools, seniors and 1st class mixed?

byhookorbycrook

I'm wondering how do the teachers teach 2 separate curriculums?
The curriculum is spiral so many areas overlap, with greater detail for the older class.

How will they avoid disruption when the seniors are leaving an hour earlier?
Has never been an issue, kids soon get the routine, parents/minders just need reminding not to delay teacher with "a quick word!"

How have other schools decided on how the classes are split? Numbers generally and also the age profile of the classes.

Has this worked in other schools, seniors and 1st class mixed? Yes ,quite well. I have worked in 2 teacher schools where I had four classes, the children become very independent and active learners.

It's not ideal, but it is actually a lot more workable than you think.

heldel00

I have had this combination many times in previous years. Definitely not the most straightforward split but it is doable.
In our school if we were to keep jun&sen infants together then one teacher would have 34 in her classroom and the 1st class room next door might only have 18. Just wouldn't work.
Split classes IMO are great for children. Not so much fun for teachers though!

surfer12

Thank you for your replies,

Another query l have is that l thought it was a big jump from seniors to 1st class with regard being able to do more for yourself, fill out home work books etc, how can a teacher tell one half of a class to do this and still have to teach seniors?

Why are split classes great for children?

What disadvantages are they to it, if any?

afkasurfjunkie

surfer12 wrote: »

Thank you for your replies,

Another query l have is that l thought it was a big jump from seniors to 1st class with regard being able to do more for yourself, fill out home work books etc, how can a teacher tell one half of a class to do this and still have to teach seniors?

The same way he or she would if she was telling one group to do one activity while she does another activity with a different group. Gone are the days when all children do the same thing at the same time. Group work and differentiated activities are the way things are done now.

Why are split classes great for children?

I personally like them because children who are finished quickly in the younger class can listen in to the older classes material and pick it up, while older children who might find something tricky get a second chance to hear things again when the younger class cover it.

In Sen inf/1st the teacher gets the first class children as a small group on their own in the afternnoon. I found it invaluable for doing English and maths with the smaller group in the afternoons.

What disadvantages are they to it, if any?

Textbook choice can confuse parents as one class might have to do SESE/music/religion at a level up or down. But the teacher will adjust things accordingly.

heldel00

surfer12 wrote: »

Thank you for your replies,

Another query l have is that l thought it was a big jump from seniors to 1st class with regard being able to do more for yourself, fill out home work books etc, how can a teacher tell one half of a class to do this and still have to teach seniors?

Why are split classes great for children?

What disadvantages are they to it, if any?

It is definitely a big jump for Sen inf but teacher will more than likely not make any big changes eg: filling out homework etc, until after Christmas. Depends from class to class and every year will be different but the teacher will know when they are ready for changes.

A lot of work is done together (nearly all subjects except 2) with high/low orderquestions being directed at the different classes. The only thing that classes would do by themselves is literacy and numeracy. You all get into a routine fairly quick and it usually just works. One class will be doing something for the 20 mins+ that they can do independently while the other class is working with the teacher. When it works, it works very well!

Another advantage is that a lot of senior infants would tune into what the first class is doing and this can only be a good thing.

Disadvantages for the children in split class can sometimes mean that children are away from their friends (always more of an issue for mammy and daddy!) Children are very adaptable at this stage and I have never seen being separated from friends being a problem after week one. We bring classes together as much as possible, school tours, swimming and every playtime they are together.

Another disadvantage is the extra paperwork workload for a class teacher. I HATE PAPERWORK!

katydid

surfer12 wrote: »

Hi,

We got a letter home last week informing us that our daughter who is now in a split class of senior infants (20 in each class), will next year be in 1 of 3 mixed classes of 12 seniors and 14 1st class.

I am wondering if anyone has being in this situation before, l thought they would mix junior/senior, 1st/2nd, 3rd/4th, or 5th/6th.

I'm wondering how do the teachers teach 2 separate curriculums?
How will they avoid disruption when the seniors are leaving an hour earlier?
How have other schools decided on how the classes are split?
Has this worked in other schools, seniors and 1st class mixed?

Senior infants and 1st class is a strange combination, but it'll be fine. My daughter was in mixed classes all the way through primary, in a small four teacher school. There was no problem - the teacher knew when to get the classes working separately and when they could do work together. I really admire the teachers, because they have to plan this very carefully, but it worked very well.
When my daughter was in senior infants, the juniors would have left earlier, leaving the teacher time to do stuff with the older kids. I imagine that's a good thing for kids and teacher.