Does Class Size Matter?

 

Does Class Size Matter?

 

            The question of class size is one on which many Uni students likely have an opinion, seeing how many of us moved from a large public school to Uni where we have a mere 65 students per class. Personally, I completely believe that class size has a large effect on students' ability to learn material and get help if they don't. When there is a large class size, it is often more difficult for a student and teacher to really connect, which might hinder the kid. Apart from learning ability, class size also has a profound impact on the social net of the school, which we can clearly see in our school. Overall, I feel strongly that a smaller class size is far more beneficial to the students involved than a large class size could ever be.

            Compared to my old school in Mahomet, I have most definitely made more meaningful connections in Uni than I ever did in Mahomet, and I think a large reason for that is because of how much smaller the grade is. In Mahomet, my class size was somewhere around 250 kids, and I never met over half of them as our classes were split into two groups, orange and blue, because of how big our class was. I prefer the small class size of Uni as it allows me to meet and become friends with most people in the frosh class. "The benefits of smaller class sizes can impact students’ ability to connect with their peers, share their ideas and broaden their perspectives. With fewer students in each class, you have more opportunities to establish meaningful and long-lasting friendships" (Pace).

            There is also the learning effect of class size to consider. As the size of a class grows, the one teacher in the room has less and less time to interact with each student individually. This is not only confined to in-class though as if the teacher has more papers to grade then they will have less time to interact with students out of class, which can severely hinder the kids. "Smaller class sizes allow for more one-on-one interaction between student and teacher, and easier interaction among classmates. If a student needs extra help or attention, they can get it easily in a small class. And if your student has unique academic needs, a smaller class will almost certainly boost their performance at school" ("Class Size Matters"). If a student begins to fall behind the rest of the class, they should be able to ask the teacher to explain it to them better. However, a larger class size does not allow for that, simply leaving the student on their own.

            Overall, I believe that class size matters dramatically not only for the student but also for the teachers. In this blog, I only talked about the negative effects on students, but also, a larger class size leads to a lot more stress for the teacher as they have to teach a large group of rowdy kids and grade a lot more assignments. I am extremely happy that Uni only allows 65 kids per class because I think that if we had more, it would diminish the tight-knit community that we have now. I know others may have a different opinion on this topic; however, I would guess that a vast majority of students at Uni would agree with me.
            

Works Cited

“Class Size Matters – Research Shows | Virginia Academy.” Virginia-Academy.com, virginia-academy.com/class-size-matters-research-shows/.

Zach Pace. “Benefits of a Small Class Size in College.” Furman Blog, 15 Nov. 2023, www.furman.edu/blogs/benefits-of-a-small-class-size/.