> It is often put about by administrators, school inspectors, and politicians in
discussions concerning teacher numbers in the state schools in Britain is that
one can teach a large class as effectively as a small one.  It comes with the
unspoken implication that the effectiveness depends on the individual teacher's
professional ability, and that therefore one has no cause for complaint if faced
with 30 plus students.  It has, of course, the added advantage of keeping the
overall cost of teachers' salaries within bounds, with a lower demand on the
taxpayer's pocket.

However, for secondary schools particularly, where homework is insisted
upon, a key factor is absent from the discussion, namely the number of
assignments that one has to mark in 'one's own time'.  If one is
conscientious in one's marking (for example, to quote one criterion, the
endeavouring to match the marking and comment specifically to the student),
the time taken is clearly greater for the large classes.  The temptation for
the less conscientious teacher to rush through the marking -- or to set work
that can be quickly marked -- is always present.

There is also no reference made to the fact that with a smaller class one
can spend more time with individual students.

Incidentally, it is also never mentioned in these discussions that those
parents who send their children to private schools consider small classes
high on their list of requirements, or that those private schools that do
have small classes score well on the government's 'league tables' of
examination results.

Do American high school English teachers have to load their car boots at the
end of the afternoon with three or four piles of 30+ homework books?  (It is
normal for two sets of homework to be set for each class in one week, and
one is likely to be teaching seven or eight classes).

Edmond


Dr. Edmond Wright
3 Boathouse Court
Trafalgar Road
Cambridge
CB4 1DU
England

Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/elw33/
Phone [00 44] (0)1223 350256

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