Multigrade pedagogies: Africa's response to Education for All

In the ‘Scramble for Africa’ some 250 years ago, colonial powers trans planted their education systems to their newly acquired territories. These systems positioned ‘mono grade’ teaching as the ‘gold standard’ of instruction in schools, where one teacher instructs a class of same-age pupils. Learning theories of the time described children’s knowledge development as a sequence of age-linked steps. Grouping pupils of several ages and grade levels, to study different curricula in classes taught by a single teacher, was not considered an effective approach to teaching and learning. Today, this type of grouping is known as ‘multigrade’ or mixed-age teaching. Theories of children’s learning have evolved significantly since the African colonial period, yet there is still a widespread perception that monograde teaching is superior to multigrade teaching. In this chapter, the authors use findings from their research in Uganda and Zambia, together with existing literature, to argue that multigrade pedagogy is the only way African nations can meet the challenges of Education for All children.