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The advantages and disadvantages of class size
Can class size influence student performance
The advantages and disadvantages of class size
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Nowadays, variables in a classroom become one of the most important parts of education, especially to high school students. Since they spend most of their day sitting in classrooms to learn skills and knowledge for their future, it is important to choose better conditions for students. Among the several variables in a classroom, the number of students in a class is important for education, especially small-sized classes. So, high school students will learn more and better in small-sized classes. The first reason is students can concentrate more because there are fewer distractions. The second reason is teachers can be more aware of how each student is doing in class. The last, most important reason is teachers can help each student according …show more content…
According to the article “What are the advantages to schools with small class sizes”, a larger-sized class can lead to chaos from the voices of many students if they get to do a simple activity. For example, a larger-sized class group activities can turn into a chaos because many students will get distracted from their classmates leading them to get off topic from their assigned activities. In contrast, a small-sized class students will be more focused because of less distraction from their classmates. In addition, "in a classroom that large, personality conflicts are more likely to occur" ("What"). For example, during a class lecture some students are asking their teacher unnecessary questions to disrupt their classmates just to annoy them, that sometimes leads to personal conflicts. These distractions can lead many students to have difficult time concentrating during class. So, small-sized classes can have less distractions, leading students to concentrate more during …show more content…
A smaller class size helps teachers to know and spend more time with their students. Also, teachers are able to prepare the different teaching styles for the students to learn better. However, some people could say that decreasing the number of students in a class to just help students in their own learning style is not cost effective. According to the report “More than scores- An analysis of why and how parents choose private schools”, the authors James Kelly and Sacafidi Benjamin state that because the cost to reduce the size of classes is too expensive, making more classes and hiring more teachers, school districts are saying they cannot afford. So if they try but cannot solve the financial part, they will ask parents to pay more. However, a research came out that the two of the top five reasons why parents move their children to expensive private schools are 48.9% for smaller class sizes and 39.9% for more individual attention for their children (Kelly and Scafidi). The expense does not matter to lessen the class size. Therefore, a teacher who teaches a small-sized class is able to give more individual attention for students with their own learning
AAA, for example, is a small school (“About the Academy”). The currently enrolled student body is made up of about 400 students, making the student to teacher ratio 15:1 (Best College Comparison). Another example is SAIC which is a medium sized school (“Compare Colleges”). SAIC has an average of 3,000-4,000 students enrolled a year. According to “SAIC”, about 83% of the classes at the school are small with less than 20 students. About 15% of the classes are medium with 20-49 students, and the final 1% of the classes have 50 or more. With classes this size, SAIC has an average student to teacher ratio of 9:1 (Best College Comparison). The final example is Columbia which happens to be a medium sized school. Columbia has an average of 9,000 students enrolled a year. According to “Columbia College Chicago”, the average class size at columbia is fewer than 20 students, making the student to teacher ratio 13:1. The school and classes are big enough to be able to work and learn from other students, but still be able to get one-on-one time with instructors. While class size is an important aspect of the decision making process, the cost of college is likely one of the biggest deciding
But the truth is that smaller classes and better teachers do improve student achievement. Members of our government claim that giving more money to schools will not make a difference, but the government funding for schools needs to be used effectively to see a change in student performance. (Connell)
In the article, "The Difference Between Small Colleges and Big Universities," it mentions how most college students tend to go for a college with a big campus, thinking it will be a better learning environment for them. A larger college usually has big sized classrooms with 200 to 300 students, while small colleges have classrooms with no more than 25 to 30 students. Smaller sized classrooms give students a greater
Districts have to think about if it is worth the money to reduce class sizes, and if there is enough proof that students are academically better off in smaller class size rather than larger classes. According to Matthew Chingos and Grover Whitehurt authors of Class Size: What Research Says and What It Means for State Policy, “Increasing the pupil/teacher ratio in the U.S. by one student would save at least $12 billion per year in teacher salary cost alone” (Chingos, Whitehurt). Why would districts want to pay for the creation of smaller classes when they could save more by just adding more students to a class? This goes to show that there should not be a price tag on someone’s education. Why put more on a teacher’s plate just to save money? With the result from the Student Teacher Ratio, it is hard for districts to say that having smaller class sizes is not the way to spend money. If the districts spent the money on the class size reduction, they would not have to worry about an annual cost, because once small classes are set in place, the districts do not have to continue to pay. According to the National Education Association (NEA), having class size reductions do not only involve money but also create “improved health, less Medicaid coverage, lower crime rates, and fewer welfare recipients” (Class Size Reduction: A Proven Strategy). So, the districts should also look at this before being concerned to where their money goes. The district’s money, according to the NEA, is going into these students who will live a better life later on when they are out of school and into the real
School funding has always been a debatable topic. Although school funding needs to be increased, there is no proof of academic achievement (Hanushek). Academic researchers have sought to answer the questions of whether education expenditures are correlated with student performance(Hanushek). Hanushek has found that there is no proof of academic achievement towards funding the schools(Hanushek). It depends on how the money is spent, not on how much money is spent(Hanushek). “ There are so many areas of education that require money(Shanker).” When you are able to reduce the size of a classroom you allow the teacher the opportunity to give additional help by spending more time with each individual student(Shanker). Also, higher teacher salaries are very important when it comes to having the best teachers(Shanker). Studies show that raising the city’s basic per-pupil allocation from $9,306 to $11,608 will provide better technology and better teachers(Brown). Smaller classroom size and better teachers have a positive effect ...
Class size makes a huge impact on how the student learns. Along with many other things, there is more to the amount of kids in class than most people think. The quality one on one time is affected. Along with that, important questions that the students needs clarity on from the teacher might not be able to be answered because so many other students are in the room asking their own question. Students learn in their own ways. Teachers have to be flexible to how their students learn and in order to do that they need to know their students on a personal level. When class sizes are large, it effects students in negative ways in their learning.
If class sizes where smaller, teachers would be able to do more hands on activities and there would be less chance for distractions. Even through, teachers would be able to do more hands on activities and there would be less chance for distraction. Teachers could do more hands-on activities in a science class likesuch as experiments in class instead of homework outside of class. In smaller class sizes there would be less chance for distractions, more time to review for a big test, there would be more interaction with the teacher.. “In elementary schools, class sizes generally hovered around 20 in 2008, rising to 25 to 30 in many cases this year.” (Giuliani, 1)There would be more time to review for a big test in a smaller class. There would be more interaction with the teacher in a smaller class size. According to Scott Thill “The proposal by billionaire Bill Gates to increase cl...
Many people in today’s society believe it’s wise to send their children to private schools. In making the decision on whether to put children in public or private schools, they look to four main factors: curriculum, class size, the graduation rate, and cost. When people have to pay for something, their first thought is, “Will I be getting what I’m paying for?” With a private school education, the amount you have to pay is usually well worth it. Public schools offer diversity. Here students can find people who are just like them and can associate better. Wherever you live, you have to send your child to the closest school. There’s no choice on what public school you can send your child to, whereas for private schools you can pick to send your child there. It’s not an easy choice for parents to decide, but many factors point toward a guarantee that a good education would be achieved, which is most important.
... Class size reduction is another area that would enable our school system to move forward. In a smaller size classroom, educational quality will be improved. Teachers have greater amount of time to build a solid ground for the students to flourish. Though changes need to take place in our current school system, I am thankful to be in a country where my children have the right to be educated.
The environment of the classroom is important because is a social place where children have to feel secure so they can become part of the lesson and for the lesson to succeed. The classroom is organized and the students are in their individual desks respectfully listening to the teachers lecture and following along. The students look
...mpared to privately funded school sizes. According to (NCES) the average school size for a central city, state-funded school is 1,083 compared to 398 in privately funded school. That means teachers will have an even harder time giving a state-funded the same one on one time when compared to the privately funded school. Since the education is not equal to private schools should be abolished.
Classroom management has the largest effect on student achievement, so students cannot learn in poorly managed classroom. Additionally, research has pointed out that the quality of teacher-student relationships is the main aspect of classroom management.(…2). Furthermore, when teachers set classroom management plan, the plan will give structure to everything from seating to lessons to grading to the relationship between students. Teachers should incorporate strategies for addressing student behavior into classroom
For teachers to be effective their classrooms should be open, encouraging and safe environments, where a strong student-teacher relationship can be achieved (Marsh, 2008). Students should be treated with respect in order to meet their need for belonging (Eggen&Kauchak, 2010). The layout of the room and resources need to be well considered allowing different areas for different activities (Bennett &Smilanich, P. 1994) keeping in mind space for easy movement and creative work. Seating arrangements, noise level and room temperature all need to be taken into account when planning the classroom to maximise productive lea...
During the first day of school, a variety of different students enter the classroom. These students are excited and nervous, they have their parents by their sides who are observing the classroom walls and arrangement. From the minute the students enter the classroom, students are observing the classroom environment and notice the everything. Everything in the classroom needs to have a purpose, but provide a pleasant environment. When preparing and organizing the classrooms, teachers need to consider the different variables that impact the classroom. Classrooms can be disorganized if the walls are cluttered and have no meaning The organizations of the desks, the wall decorations, and the seating arrangements significantly impact the physical environments. Students are like sponges, they soak up everything that surrounds them. In the article A comparison of actual and preferred classroom environments as perceived by middle school students in the Journal of School Health stated “studies have shown that classroom environments are closely related to a number of aspects of student
In addition, during my observation even if this was my first day, I observed the different levels of intelligence of the students based on how they answer the question and how they react in the discussion. I also noticed their behavior inside the classroom, students at the back were very noisy, and busy doing unnecessary things.