Hard hitting this one. Private schools of course are notorious for their small class sizes. I wonder what a private school teacher would have to say about this?
I'd be curious to hear more about your experience in private Jeff, I'm not very familiar with the challenges teachers face in the private sector. I am planning to visit a private school in Surrey next week, so I hope to learn more about this
Hi there. Thank you so much for your comment. I’ve been teaching for 30 years and I’ve taught in a variety of “sized” private schools. Smaller schools have pros and cons, just as bigger schools do. The one thing that will always remain true is that classes larger than approx 20 students are just too big. Too big for students learning and too big for educator to properly teach each student, grade, and have space needed to do the work in a classroom. I truly do not agree with any research, theory, or expert that says otherwise. Class size and school size are two completely different discussions. The school size discussion is much more nuanced. The class size is not. I hope that answers your question a bit… I have written a few articles and eventually I will get to one touching in this issue. Right now I’m focusing on the best teaching methods (according to me😂.)
Thank you for taking the time to share this. I completely agree that the school size debate is far more nuanced than the class size from what I've looked at and from what teachers I've spoken to have said in both the state and the private sector. This is what I was particularly interested in looking into in that attached discussion of mine above. I've also been interested in mixed year group / mixed age group classes, having had the opportunity to visit a school with this set up recently. I'm planning on visiting another private school next week in Frensham, south of the UK, as a part of this series, so very much looking forward to learning more on this topic. Many thanks again for taking the time
A private school educator would agree that smaller classes are easier to teach and thus they are able to better serve their students. That’s part of the reason I’m a private school educator, because private schools are fully aware of that fact and are very fortunate enough to be able to provide small(er) classes.
It definitely is one of the most famous perks of private school education. I actually wrote a piece on the topic of small classes and small schools generally. I wonder if your experience in the private sector resonates with any of my thinking here?: https://samuelkammin.substack.com/p/scale-anonymity-and-the-human-school This involved a visit to small private school in the New forest in the UK, but I'd be curious if any of this matches your experience in private schools in the US?
It's so true, Jeff. I've been speaking to colleagues about this debate for awhile now. Class size of course doesn't matter if you're an exceptional teacher who is spending hours and hours making a brilliant environment for your students and working hard to meet everyone's needs. It's not sustainable, of course.
I would have to disagree with that. Even the most exceptional educator would argue that a smaller class is more beneficial for everyone including them! Environment is important, but the most important part is the educator. A class of 40 vs a class of 20 makes all the difference in the world… I don’t really care what any study has to say about that. I’ve been teaching 30 years… trust me.
Yikes, that one is harsh. I've never heard it before.
Hard hitting this one. Private schools of course are notorious for their small class sizes. I wonder what a private school teacher would have to say about this?
I taught private for quite a bit of my career and they squeeze teachers in 100 other ways besides class size. My $.02
I'd be curious to hear more about your experience in private Jeff, I'm not very familiar with the challenges teachers face in the private sector. I am planning to visit a private school in Surrey next week, so I hope to learn more about this
Hi there. Thank you so much for your comment. I’ve been teaching for 30 years and I’ve taught in a variety of “sized” private schools. Smaller schools have pros and cons, just as bigger schools do. The one thing that will always remain true is that classes larger than approx 20 students are just too big. Too big for students learning and too big for educator to properly teach each student, grade, and have space needed to do the work in a classroom. I truly do not agree with any research, theory, or expert that says otherwise. Class size and school size are two completely different discussions. The school size discussion is much more nuanced. The class size is not. I hope that answers your question a bit… I have written a few articles and eventually I will get to one touching in this issue. Right now I’m focusing on the best teaching methods (according to me😂.)
Thank you for taking the time to share this. I completely agree that the school size debate is far more nuanced than the class size from what I've looked at and from what teachers I've spoken to have said in both the state and the private sector. This is what I was particularly interested in looking into in that attached discussion of mine above. I've also been interested in mixed year group / mixed age group classes, having had the opportunity to visit a school with this set up recently. I'm planning on visiting another private school next week in Frensham, south of the UK, as a part of this series, so very much looking forward to learning more on this topic. Many thanks again for taking the time
A private school educator would agree that smaller classes are easier to teach and thus they are able to better serve their students. That’s part of the reason I’m a private school educator, because private schools are fully aware of that fact and are very fortunate enough to be able to provide small(er) classes.
It definitely is one of the most famous perks of private school education. I actually wrote a piece on the topic of small classes and small schools generally. I wonder if your experience in the private sector resonates with any of my thinking here?: https://samuelkammin.substack.com/p/scale-anonymity-and-the-human-school This involved a visit to small private school in the New forest in the UK, but I'd be curious if any of this matches your experience in private schools in the US?
It's so true, Jeff. I've been speaking to colleagues about this debate for awhile now. Class size of course doesn't matter if you're an exceptional teacher who is spending hours and hours making a brilliant environment for your students and working hard to meet everyone's needs. It's not sustainable, of course.
I would have to disagree with that. Even the most exceptional educator would argue that a smaller class is more beneficial for everyone including them! Environment is important, but the most important part is the educator. A class of 40 vs a class of 20 makes all the difference in the world… I don’t really care what any study has to say about that. I’ve been teaching 30 years… trust me.
When are teachers, or anyone who dares try to do something that is not exploiting someone, the good people?
I'm curious what you mean here Damon? Is there a specific example/story you have in mind?