ABSTRACT

The issue of class size is a complex and contested topic that has divided opinion for many years. Whilst many teachers believe that smaller class sizes assist in enhancing outcomes, a number of policy influencers, policy makers and researchers argue that it has little influence on success in learning and that decreasing class sizes is not cost-effective. This article reports on over 20 years of research on this topic that is embodied in a recent text entitled Rethinking Class Size: The Complex Story of Impact on Teaching and Learning by Peter Blatchford and Anthony Russell of the University College London Institute of Education. The book offers an extended exploration of how class size affects key classroom processes including teaching, classroom management, peer relations, groups in the class, marking and other administrative teacher activities, as well effects on teachers themselves. The article is based on a question and answer session between one of the authors of the text, Professor Peter Blatchford, and his colleague at the UCL Institute of Education, Matt Somerville.

摘要

班级规模的问题是一个复杂而有争议的话题，多年来引起了不同意见。尽管许多老师认为小班授课有助于提高学习成绩，但许多政策影响者，政策制定者和研究人员认为，这对学习成功没有太大影响，而且减少班级规模并没有成本效益。本文报告了有关该主题的20多年研究成果，该内容体现在最近出版的《重新思考班级规模：对教学影响的复杂故事》伦敦教育学院大学的Peter Blatchford和Anthony Russell撰写。这本书对班级规模如何影响关键课堂过程（包括教学，课堂管理，同伴关系，班级中的班级，评分和其他行政教师活动）以及对教师本身的影响进行了深入探讨。本文基于其中一位作者Peter Blatchford教授和他在UCL教育学院Matt Matterville的同事之间的问答。