Multigrade classrooms for educational inclusion: a case study in a grouped rural school

The great diversity of today's schools requires the adoption of pedagogical optimization processes in order to offer an education capable of catering for the individual differences of each student. Among the different didactic strategies based on Universal Learning Design, we analyze in this study the potential of Multilevel Learning, based on a case study developed in a Rural Grouped Centre (CRA) in Valencia (Spain). Based on the information gathered through participant observation and interviews with both teachers and students, the strengths and challenges of this experience are addressed. The results show that the development of this type of dynamic is complex, because it requires a high degree of commitment from the teaching staff, both in relation to the design and planning of the proposal, as well as the need to optimize teaching coordination. However, despite these challenges, multilevel learning is an excellent tool to promote attention to diversity and move towards a more inclusive and fairer school, promoting not only a pedagogical change, but a holistic change.