Creative and inclusive teaching practices in multigrade schools. An ethnographic study on the use of digital media

Abstract

This article analyses how teachers in multigrade classrooms challenge the culture of homogenisation in teaching through inclusive and creative practices facilitated by digital media. Specifically, it presents the results of a multisite ethnographic study conducted in five rural multigrade schools, all participating in a broader project (PID2020–112880RB- I00) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. This project focuses on investigating creative and inclusive teaching practices in complex schools due to a high percentage of migrant population or because they are in remote environments across Spain. The study highlights practices that promote student participation and learning based on their needs and life experiences, reflecting teachers’ commitment to an inclusive teaching approach. Teachers acknowledge the need to address students’ lives, interests and abilities, while encouraging interactions with peers and the community to support learning in multigrade classrooms. However, these teachers also identify barriers to inclusion arising from an education system that homogenises groups of children through organizing schools by age related grade and prescribes specific curricula for each grade. These constraints seem to influence the reproduction of educational practices that overlook students’ lives.