Interview with ECE teachers

I had the opportunity to also talk to a few Early Childhood Education teachers located in different school districts. Together they covered grades kindergarten, first, and third. After talking with these educators, I received similar information from all of them. Since their information was similar I will "summarize" what they said to keep the post small and to keep from repeating information.

They all agreed that having a smaller class size is beneficial to both the teacher and students. By comparing years where they have a large class to years they have a smaller class, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages when it comes to larger class sizes.

With larger class sizes these teachers found it difficult to find extra room in the classroom. Desks could only be set a certain way to accommodate the amount of students. It is also more difficult to separate the different personalities of the students to decrease interruptions.

With an increased amount of students it is hard for the teachers to have good classroom management. It is more difficult for teachers to help students stay on task and make themselves available to help struggling students. Teachers agreed that it is easier for students to fall behind in larger classrooms because they do not demand as much attention as other students.

With a smaller class, they find it easier to form a more creative lesson plan. They are able to use more space in the classroom, move desks, and have the students spread out throughout the room. They also found it significantly easier to get through each lesson and have extra time to help the student with whatever they may be struggling to comprehend. Smaller class sizes also gave these teachers the opportunity to have better classroom management. They are able to separate students more effectively to make the classroom a healthier learning environment for every student.

Project STAR

Project STAR was a four-year class-size study. In Project STAR, 7,000 students in 79 schools ranging in grades from kindergarten to third were randomly selected into one of three interventions. The first was a small class which was thirteen to seventeen students per teacher. The second, a regular class size with twenty two to twenty five students. The last was a regular-with-aide class which had twenty two to twenty five students with a full-time teacher’s aide. The teachers were then randomly assigned to a class they would teach.

The research reported many advantages to the smaller class sizes. Students in small classes are more likely to pursue college. It was also found that students who attended small classes in grades kindergarten through third achieve at higher levels. Research shows that these students were between six and thirteen months ahead of their regular-class peers in math, reading, and science when they reach higher grades.

 

As a follow-up to my last post, I would like to ask for feed-back on the topic. Does Project STAR provide enough evidence for you to believe smaller class sizes are better?

Class sizes in Early Childhood

 

Class size reduction is one of the most popular school improvement topics in the United States. Parents like the idea of smaller class sizes because they believe their child will be able to get more attention during class and it gives the teacher an opportunity to practice each parent’s favored educational method. Teachers agree to smaller class sizes because it reduces the effort they must expend in order to deliver instruction. Teachers’ union may like class size reductions because it increases the demand for teachers. Administrators benefit because class size reduction increases the size of their domain. Although it may seem that class size reduction is beneficial to more than the students, it has been a subject complicated to study. Most studies done on class size reduction have been based on researcher bias.

Project STAR is a well recognized study that ignited numerous studies that present influential evidence that major class size reductions at early ages can have significant short and long-term benefits. Although Project STAR is well known and shows the benefits of smaller class size in Early Childhood years, it is still a topic being discussed in the United States.

My question to those reading, what do you think about smaller class sizes? More about Project STAR to follow.