The fact that the University of Richmond has small, faculty-led classes really hits home for me. I go to a DoDDS high school on a military base in Southern Spain and as of right now, my graduating class consists of 39 people, including myself. Over the years I’ve found that I’m actually more likely to understand the material and connect with the teacher in classes that have less students, which, to me, is an essential part of my education. On the other hand, because it’s a small school I’ve always felt like there weren’t enough opportunities for me. Whether it was a class I wanted to take or a club or sport I wanted to participate in, many times there weren’t enough students who signed up for them, so they never got picked up. If I went to
“Of course class size is important. You have to find the child before you can teach the child (Archived… 2000).” Though this opinion may seem radical to most people, you can see the underlying theme in the argument. Smaller classes allow students to have more personalized, individual attention from teachers. Many teachers and smaller class size advocates believe that such classes will allow for more constructive group activities, strengthen students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills, and accommodate for a wide range of learning paces. These advocates also believe that a reduced student to teacher ratio will give teachers more time to be innovative and develop new ideas, lead class discussions to further understanding, and give more practice exercises. For parents who want the best education for their children, these proposed effects of small class size make you wonder where the hard evidence is to back them.
Throughout my educational experience not once did I ever come to think about how much of a difference the size of class makes. As I sit here thinking about how much of a difference my education would have been if the class sizes were smaller. I remember sitting still in class as I observed my teacher pressing against her temples stressed out because her class of thirty-one wasn’t listening to the instructions. “Kids if you can just please listen to me and stop hiding so we can start class.” Mrs. Robles exclaimed. Not a day went by where she did not mention how big this class was and how many kids were crammed into her small classroom as she went over her material. Regardless of it being presented with such normality we are unaware of how much of a problem it has been. In fact, this has been a problem with over 40 states in America and they have all carried out a ruling that entails smaller classes for academic and disciplinary reasons. Throughout the following essay I
The primary trait that I lack is confidence. In my mind, others are always smarter, prettier, more driven, and just better than me. Because of this attitude, I do not usually voice my opinions, state my ideas, or take control of anything; I automatically assume that anything I say or do is wrong or stupid. Although I still need to work on strengthening my confidence, SMU’s community atmosphere, specifically the Hilltop scholars program, has given me the enormous confidence boost I need to step out of my comfort zone and make my ideas a reality. A gain of confidence through supportive communities is apparent in the films Legally Blonde, Renaissance Man, and Higher Learning because each film includes individuals who need greater self-confidence, which comes from the support of their communities. In “The Quest for Community in Higher Education,” Parker Palmer outlines specifically how community can build up confidence. Additionally, in “The SMU Community According to Etzioni,” Christiano Gallo illustrates that confidence promotes involvement, which promotes confidence. The support I feel from various members of the SMU community has provided me with experiences similar to Elle, Rago, and Malik’s and has helped me understand how Palmer’s ideas foster confidence. Also, encouragement from others has opened my eyes to how involvement can instill confidence. Community gives us somebody to lean on. Somebody to lean on gives us confidence.
First thing Camden County College needs is a variety of classes. What is meant by a bigger selection of classes is to have more hybrid and interactive courses available. The students should be allowed to decide whether or not they want a lecture class or one that gets them involved with others. The idea of group activities can be extremely successful in many ways. For example, the technical learners of the class like hands on projects instead of taking notes and listening to boring instructors. Having them get out of their seats stimulates the mind and helps students better retain the information. Indiv...
Class sizes in America have been on a constant rise for years now, with little help from a budget, and almost no recovery from a slumping economy, which brings to light the age-old discussion; does class size really matter? With class sizes rising at a constant rate there is also no relief for students. There are many students who tend to struggle in certain subjects, and a smaller class could mean more individual time with a teacher and that could help improve their knowledge and comprehension of the subject. Our students are in classes day in and day out that are simply too big for even the finest teachers to handle, which impairs each individual’s learning. Therefore if teachers had fewer students this would enable them to give more individual teaching time to each student. Class size is important, and it has a large impact on our student’s education and that is why class size should be cut, specifically in Pre-K to third grade classes or classes which serve the most “at-risk” students.
My experience in community college was invaluable; I encountered many professors who inspired me to push myself harder and pursue higher education. These teachers helped me push myself into taking honors courses and applying to top-tier universities. Their passion for social justice through education was visible and made me want to become an educator myself. One day one of my favorite professors, Dr. Bernard, excitedly shared information with the class about the Los Angeles Team Mentoring (LATM) program. In this program, you can volunteer to mentor local at-risk middle school youth through small group activities centered on wellness, diversity, and development. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to give back to my community with hopes to
Discounted Dreams: High Hopes and Harsh Realities at America’s Community College. Prod. John Merrow. PBS Home Video 2007. DVD.
Growing up is hard enough to do in this day and age, but even more so when a small child's education is sacrificed. Today's classrooms, kindergarten through college levels, are experiencing a significant rise in the number of students in each class. This brings the teacher-to-student ratio to an unacceptable level. Teachers cannot effectively teach their students if there are too many in a single class. Therefore, it is extremely important for the United States' educational system to take an in-depth investigation into this situation and work towards a better way for our children to learn in a more focused environment. For our children's sake and for our future, we all must assist in finding a way to lower the teacher-to-student ratio.
Have you ever wanted to take a class that intrigued you, but couldn’t due to the packed schedule full of classes you’re not remotely interested in? I vividly remember feeling bored out of my mind as I sat there in the class, counting down the minutes and wondering when the bell would finally ring. In that moment, even the loud ticking of the clock seemed more interesting than the words that sputtered out of my teacher’s mouth. The educational system has been this way for quite a while now, requiring students to take specific classes because of how they’re meant to shape the youth into a proper, educated person of society. But do these classes really benefit our future, and contribute something to us rather than wasted time? Students in school
From these different types of data, Finn et al (2003) discovered that their hypothesis on small class behavior was supported and that “smaller classes promote an atmosphere in which students are more supportive and caring about each other” (p. 341). I found this statement to extremely accurate when I compare my elementary years, with class sizes of about 25, to my students, who have enjoyed having 9 to 15 students in the entire school.
Through my own experiences, and as enforced by others' opinions in the profession, I have found that teaching is one of the most rewarding careers. Not only are you placed in the position of instructing and guiding children and young adults through the life long learning process, but you are able to give back to the schools and communities which have supported your early education and experiences that opened you up to a bright future. In becoming an educator, I hope to someday share the knowledge and lend the helping, supportive hand that I was once given, allowing students to formulate their own perspectives of the multicultural society and world around them. Teaching is a career I have been interested in pursuing throughout high school, and as my experiences and study in the field expands, I feel that my desire to teach will grow stronger and develop more soundly.
Not only do the rapid growth of technology changed the way we live, from the way business is conducted to the way we communicate with each other, technology advancements are also affecting the way we teach and learn. According to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), new skills needed in the workplace are catalysts that spur technology use in the classroom. It is clear that the business world demand schools to prepare educated workers who are skilled at working in teams, can effectively solve problems, are able to process and apply information, and who can use technology effectively in the global market place in order to maximize productivity. Thus, the challenges and educational goals for schools should focus on creating appropriate learning environments that integrate technology as well as foster the needed skills to empower students. This paper describes the characteristics of teacher-centered classrooms and student-centered learning environment. In addition, this paper will explain the significance of teacher education for the effective implementation of technology as well as student-centered learning environment in K-12 classrooms.
I hear the sound of my alarm clock at 6:30am. Time to get up! I wish
I attended Pinewood, a small private school, from Kindergarten through eighth grade, which is largely responsible for my success in college. With such small class sizes, 40 kids per grade, each student had the opportunity for more individualized help, assessment, and general “bonding” time with their teachers. Teachers could then more thoroughly assess each individual student’s understanding and strategically enable students to monitor their own weaknesses and strengths. Classes usually had a small amount of traditional didactic lecture, and then teachers would walk around as students did their assignment, visiting with each student to monitor their progress and offer them advice. Since the class was so small, this enabled the teacher to actually evaluate and converse with the student and offer them personalized help; and not just “pass by” to see if they were accomplishing their work. Additionally, there was a lot of collective discussion, small group discussion, and reciprocal teaching, where students could formulate opinions, and share their knowledge and strategies among peers.
It is universally acknowledged that education is an effective means for social reconstructions and to a great extent it offers solutions to the problems a society is faced with. These problems may be economic, social, cultural, political, moral, ecological and educational. Since the teachers play a major role in education of children, their own education becomes a matter of vital concern. Various problems in the way of teacher education are following: