Every now and then someone in education policy (Arne Duncan) or education philanthropy (Bill Gates) or the media (Malcolm Gladwell) will say something about why class size isn’t really very important because a great teacher can handle a boatload of kids.
Not really.
A new review of the major research that has been conducted on class size by Northwestern University Associate Professor Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach and published by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado Boulder makes clear that class size matters, and it matters a lot. Schanzanbach, an associate professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern and chair of the Institute for Policy Research’s Program on Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies, writes in the review:
Considering the body of research as a whole, the following policy recommendations emerge:
- Class size is an important determinant of student outcomes, and one that can be directly determined by policy. All else being equal, increasing class sizes will harm student outcomes.
- The evidence suggests that increasing class size will harm not only children’s test scores in the short run, but also their long-run human capital formation. Money saved today by increasing class sizes will result in more substantial social and educational costs in the future.
- The payoff from class-size reduction is greater for low-income and minority children, while any increases in class size will likely be most harmful to these populations.
- Policymakers should carefully weigh the efficacy of class-size policy against other potential uses of funds. While lower class size has a demonstrable cost, it may prove the more cost-effective policy overall.
Why do small classes work? She writes:
The mechanisms at work linking small classes to higher achievement include a mixture of higher levels of student engagement, increased time on task, and the opportunity small classes provide for high-quality teachers to better tailor their instruction to the students in the class.
The research is there. Class size matters. Even the finest teachers are limited in what they can do when they have large classes.
So can we stop pretending that class size doesn’t matter?
Source: Washington Post
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You’ve played that piece of music a hundred times and practiced for hours on end. You’ve memorized every note and can execute it perfectly, but how can you play it in a way that moves you from amateur musician to classical pianist? How can you cross the bridge from acceptable to exceptional? Emerging research shows that the best way to do that is through “deliberate practice.”
Psychologists tell us that the way to build significant performance expertise in any area—be it music, sports, chess, academics, drawing, or coding—is to move beyond repetition and incorporate thoughtful goals, focused attention in the face of boring tasks, immediate feedback, and the willingness to leave your comfort zone and attempt something new. Instead of trying harder, experts suggest trying things differently while reflecting on your weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. Deliberate practice is “a marathon and not a sprint,” says Corbett Barr, creator of the “Expert Enough” website. One-to-one support can help you make the leap and learn how to begin concentrating on quality instead of quantity.
“The best way to get past any barrier is to come at it from a different direction,” write K. Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool in their book PEAK: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, “which is one reason it is useful to work with a teacher or coach. Someone who is already familiar with the sorts of obstacles you’re likely to encounter can suggest ways to overcome them.”
Students can incorporate this philosophy into their academic work by mastering basic concepts in each subject until that information can be retrieved automatically, identifying the “gold standard” for where they want to be, and using coaching and mentoring to move through their goals and reach a higher level of achievement.
Resources:
Chen, Ingfei. Measuring Students’ Self-Control: A Marshmallow Test for the Digital Age. NPR. KQED, California, 15 Sept. 2014. Radio.
Barr, Corbett. “Deliberate Practice: What It Is and Why You Need It.” Expertenough.com. Fizzle Co., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2016.
http://expertenough.com/1423/deliberate-practice
Ericcson, K. Anders, and Robert Pool. “Not All Practice Makes Perfect.” Nautilus. NautilusThink Inc., 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016.
http://nautil.us/issue/35/boundaries/not-all-practice-makes-perfect
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