The influence of smaller classes
There are various influencing factors on the success of pupils‘ learning. Teachers and their teaching have the greatest influence on it. The class size, on the other hand, has less of an influence on learning, but is also an important factor for many parents when choosing a school, especially when choosing a Gymnasium or another secondary school. In this article, we would like to emphasize why. We would also like to try and answer one of the most common parenting questions, namely the advantage of smaller classes as the optimal learning environment for their children.
What impact does a smaller class have on learning success?
On average, the class size at Gymnasiums in Berlin is 28,6 students (Berlin 2021). The aim of the Mentora Gymnasium is not to teach more than 24 students in a class. If we use the study by the German Institute for Economic Research, a reduction in class size from 28,6 to 25 can be associated with an increase in performance of around 9 teaching weeks per school year (Bach 2018). However, this study referred to grades 1-4, while in higher grades this effect seems to persist, albeit not as strongly (Chingos 2011). The positive influence tends to affect the working conditions in the classroom of all grades. Teachers are supposed to control how students learn in their class as if they were directors: They have to know where their students stand in the current learning material, how learning goals are achieved and where and when differentiation and support are necessary. If pupils do not understand or master something, teachers can offer them alternative learning paths. This is simply easier to implement in a smaller class than it is in a larger one.
Feedback culture
Feedback has one of the most powerful influences on student performance. Teachers need to recognise where each individual student stands, what mistakes they are making or when and where they are not actively participating in the classroom. The goal of giving feedback is to shape and promote a learning behaviour that aims at increasing knowledge and acquiring skills. With the help of feedback, pupils can see, understand and independently control their own learning process based on specific tasks. Maintaining a feedback culture in the class is easier to design and continuously implement in a smaller class than it is in a larger one.
Learning at the Mentora Gymnasium
Particularly powerful influencing factors on school learning success, which we also implement at the Mentora Gymnasium, are the structure and clarity of rules in classroom management, the teaching climate and the teacher-student relationship, the extent and variety of activating learning strategies, sufficient practice and regular discussions in the class as well as diverse feedback measures. Based on these powerful influencing factors, we would like to support children in controlling their learning processes themselves and thereby promoting their individual learning development as well as the desire to learn.
If our school program and pedagogical model appeals to you and the education you want for your kid, take part in our informative events or make an appointment. We are there for you and, above all, for your child.
Sources
- Senatsverwaltung für Bildung, Jugend und Familie (2021), Blickpunkt Schule - Tabellen – Allgemeinbildende Schulen 2020/2021
- Bach, M. (2018), Kleinere Grundschulklassen können zu besseren Leistungen von SchülerInnen führen
- Chingos, M. (2011), Class Size: What Research Says and What it Means for State Policy