Re: Re: In Defense of HS Teachers


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Posted by Doug W. (sorta long) on September 04, 2002 at 09:29:52:

In Reply to: Re: In Defense of HS Teachers posted by An. on September 03, 2002 at 20:36:52:

Small class sizes: This is a bigger issue in education right now than you might think. Smaller class sizes have absolutely no benefit IF THE TEACHER DOES NOTHING DIFFERENT. The benefit comes when teachers are able to devote more time to individualized instruction. BUT, how are the teachers supposed to learn how to effectively use their time with smaller classes if all of their professional development comes in the form of "Drive By In-Services." There is a type of professional development being explored quite a bit called "Professional Learning Communities," which is an eloborate and formalized version of team teaching. In this type of teaching/ learning model, teachers spend a considerable amount of time together reviewing each others lesson plans and teaching strategies. The goal is to end the isolation that most teachers have (and often enjoy). The caveat to this effective model is that in creating common planning time, classes need to be larger or students need to spend less time in the classroom. In our culture, we are focused on quantity of time on task, so excusing students while teachers have common planning is not an option. Therefore, the only way to accomadate this researched and proven effective teaching method is larger class sizes.


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