Class size and student learning - Research Paper Example

All the same, those that approve of the shrinking of class sizes fight for the benefits that it could have on the success of students within these smaller classes. The greatest benefit of shrinking the size of classes is that students would be able to receive more one-on-one communication with the teacher. The teacher will have the opportunity to understand the academic strengths and weaknesses of each student (Chen, 2008), which can help them find and use various methods to help them teach. After the subject has been taught, if a handful of students are still unable to grasp the topic, the teacher will be able to find more time to address the needs of each individual student.

This could prove to be especially beneficial to at-risk students. With fewer students, the teacher would also be given more time in which to teach their subject, whether to the whole class or individually, until everybody is able to properly comprehend what is being taught. The teacher will be able to find more available time to implement various teaching techniques and instruments, such as labs or other specialized instruction, to aid the students in understanding the subject matter. With a small class size comes a general lack of disciplinary problems (Vanderlee, 2009).

There would be fewer students to present distractions to fellow students and to the teacher. As such, a teacher would be able to spend more of their time teaching than tending to the disruption of troublemaking students. Likewise, students will find it easier to focus more on their work than on the distractions caused by their peers. When there is less distraction in the classroom, there will be more time dedicated to learning and to making sure that everyone is at the same level of understanding as the rest of the class.

This not only applies to the teacher, but to the students as well, who will be able to direct their attention onto the primary reason for being in the classroom, which is to learn. Without distractions, the teacher will either be able to get through lessons quicker, while still being able to slow down their pace of teaching when it is demanded of by one or more of the students. Finally, students are more likely to participate in class activities and discussions if the size of the class is smaller.

This is mainly due to the fact that students often feel more comfortable when there are fewer people around. With fewer students in a single classroom, there will be an increased sense of closeness between the students and the teacher (Blatchford, 2003), which can come in handy as students begin to rely on each other for help, especially when the teacher is aiding another student. There is also less pressure for the students to impress their fellow classmates, providing them every opportunity to really engage in what is going on within the classroom.

When a student actively participates, they are presented with the best chance of fully grasping what they are being taught. They are also able to receive the proper feedback when they are more vocal in class discussions, which can be used to further determine if more studying or practice activities are required. The greatest concern about decreasing class size is the extensive cost of doing so, and the fact that most schools do not readily have the resources to make it happen.