Class Size - Does it matter? YES!

I do not get it.  My Finnish colleagues do not get it. 

Why can't U.S. policy makers and administrators understand the obvious challenges of larger classes and the educational impact of smaller classes? 

Some people say there is no definitive data -- something else for me to research or to substantiate...

This past fall, I had four classes of 35 students in Chicago.  The last year I was in the classroom, I had three classes of 37 students.  How do we expect teachers to (1) know their students' strengths and needs well and (2) plan & teach engaging, inquiry-based lessons effectively?

Here, almost all of the classrooms I have visited have 18-22 students with a couple that had 24 students (There were also several classes with less than 18).  Every mathematics lesson I have observed thus far, the teacher presents the theory and/or examples and then gives the students time to work.  Then the teacher circulates the room checking-in with each student 2 and often 3 times to check for understanding and clarify misconceptions.

That is the most consistent practice and, I would argue, most effective formative assessment I have seen.   As the teachers consistently shared in interviews and I witnessed in each classroom - the teachers know their students.  No standardized assessment would ever give this timely, accurate information as the teacher assessing each student, each lesson.

So how about connecting some dots... standardized tests cost millions of dollars annually.  Smaller class size means more teachers would need much more investment of funds.  So why can't we reduce and prioritize all the required standardized tests and invest the savings in smaller class size?  Am I mistaken?  I have the impression that we talk about these issues separately and they are so interconnected -- testing, class size, & instructional time.

Progress Scheduling School Visits

So my school visits are progressing... After next week's ski holiday winter break, I will have several more schools to visit coming on the radar:

I look forward to visiting a school in Kirkkonummi (about 40 kms away) where the principal has written a problem-based mathematics curriculum and she was a Fulbright teacher about five years ago.  After the winter break, I will also have the opportunity to visit the English School in Helsinki and return to the Viikki Teacher Training School.  My Fulbright buddy Eija has also suggested several schools in the Helsinki metropolitan area that I should pursue.

I  am most excited about the ten schools that Kari Kinnunen (who is with the teachers union) has offered to coordinate for me.  Kari will initiate the contact with 5 schools in Espoo and 5 schools in Vantaa which are both right outside Helsinki, but not visited near as much as the Helsinki schools.  I continue to learn how small Finland is -- Kari had a Fulbright teacher colleague from Chicago at his school many years ago. 

My preference for most of my schools will be to establish a relationship with some teachers and return to the school several times.  Check back to see what I learn.  Any questions you wonder about?