Virtual Booth

INSTEP: INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL FOR ESL TEACHING IN MULTIGRADE CLASSROOMS 

Multigrade classrooms are common practice where a single teacher instructs students from two or more grade levels in the same classroom. This is especially true in rural Malaysian schools with low student enrollment, often having fewer than 30 students. To sustain these schools and ensure access to education, the Ministry of Education in Malaysia has mandated the implementation of multigrade arrangements, such as combining Year 2 and Year 3 in one class, or Year 4 and Year 5 in one class. However, this practice presents significant pedagogical challenges for teachers, particularly in English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. Teachers must plan and deliver separate lessons with different learning outcomes simultaneously, often with limited resources and professional support. This innovation introduces INSTEP, a research-driven instructional model specifically designed to support ESL teaching in rural multigrade classrooms. The model was developed from qualitative research involving in-depth interviews with 8 ESL teachers from 8 low enrolment rural schools in Peninsular Malaysia, complemented by classroom observations and lesson plan analysis. INSTEP offers a structured yet flexible framework comprising five interconnected components: Dual Planning, Smart Adaptation, Tiered Delivery, Peer Collaboration, and Reflective Practice. Instead of a physical product, INSTEP is a new teaching approach that can guide teacher training, curriculum planning, and education policy for multigrade classrooms. It focuses on practical strategies created by teachers, helping them turn multigrade ESL classrooms into supportive, inclusive, and effective places for learning.

Keywords: ESL, multigrade classrooms, rural education, instructional model, differentiated instruction