Increasing class sizes defies common sense

Too often essayists discussing educational issues turn to the ‘‘research’’ regarding academic achievement and class size that alleges there is no correlation between them and academic achievement, without indicating how that research was carried out or why so many classroom teachers and parents disbelieve it.

It is certainly a handy tool when wielded by headmasters overloading their classroom teachers with excessive workloads, and now the Minister of Education is using it to officially increase class sizes.

When ‘‘research’’ confounds the experience of frontline practitioners and when it flies in the face of the commonly accepted wisdom, it needs to be closely examined and critiqued.

The Press editor in trotting out this ‘‘research’’ findings in his editorials needs also to provide his readers with an explanation as to why it flies in the face of something that seems axiomatic: That smaller class sizes equals more teacher time spent with each student and a better academic performance by those students.

Indeed, if smaller class sizes do not produce better results why are the senior students to be treated differently from the junior? Since to be a senior student indicates a high level of motivation, it might be argued that they need less teacher time than an unmotivated junior student.

If smaller class sizes do not produce better student performance then why are so many parents concerned to find schools where their sons and daughters will be in small classes? Are they suffering from selfdeception?

The ‘‘research’’ the editor alludes to needs to be treated with large doses of scepticism. VAL MCCLIMONT

Woolston registration there are substantial expectations for teacher performance that form the basis of teacher appraisal.

Currently teachers cannot get full registration without up to three years of training and provisional employment, often after several years at university, and they are appraised annually. Schools are required to ensure compliance with these expectations and this is reviewed by ER0.

I suspect many employment places in the community have lower expectations but are seen as performing highly because the measure of performance is simpler to quantify.

What is needed is recognition of teacher performance in response to the well established criteria. Maybe we need better information about current practice.

DIGBY PROSSER Central Christchurch