Multiage education uses an intentional mixing of ages and focuses on the class as a community of learners, to help optimize children's social and cognitive development. The emphasis in the multiage classroom is on cooperation rather than competition, and open inquiry and discussion rather than rote learning and drill. Rather than advance on the basis of grade placement, the students are allowed to make continuous progress in each subject according to development and ability. The children are allowed to work on a concept until they have mastered that concept. This prevents children from feeling discouraged when they do not understand something.
Children can progress as quickly as they are able.
They spend no longer on a lesson than is needed in order to master that lesson. The children are given extension activities in areas of strength in order to enrich and deepen their learning. Mixed age groups also provide older children with more leadership opportunities than they would have in same age groups where natural leaders tend to dominate. This is helpful for the less socially adept child who can be the leader when interacting with younger students. For younger children, mixed age groups provide opportunities to participate in more complex play and social interactions.