The Breakfast Club – #BFC530 – is a 15 minute, 1 question Twitter chat every weekday. We chat in 4 timezones Mon-Fri – 5:30am Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Times. The mission of BFC is to empower participants to make a difference in education by engaging in consistent reflective practice in a supportive community that inspires and challenges one another.
This is a tough question... I think it depends on the group of kids that you have and what subject you teach. I have had awesome experiences with classes of 27 and then also awesome classes of just 11... #bfc530
I teach grade three. The amount of things we need to teach them is crazy, and include cursive and solid computer skills. My ideal class is anything below 20. I had 16 last year..that was a dream. #bfc530
Morning #BFC530
Depends on grade level. Lower grades need smaller class size no more than 18 would be great. I just finished teaching a HS class that had 12 kids in it. I did not like the dynamics of the group and thought it might be better with more kids...
For me, ideal class size is between 16-20, anything less will make it difficult to do some of the activities we do in my class, more leads to less time for individualized attention #bfc530
Good morning everyone. Luis from RI checking in. I work with ELLs so the ideal class size for me is 10. Enough numbers for collaborative groupings but not so many to make it difficult to personalize. #BFC530
Differentiation is at the core of what I do. Working in small groups and conferring with kids is essential. The more kids, the harder it is..the time is still the same..so it can be impossible to touch all kids #bfc530
Good morning everyone- I teach grades 1/2- and one of my toughest classes had just 12. It is so dependent on the dynamics of any given group. Anything over 20, however, becomes challenging- constraints on space and time to offer that much-needed 1:1 support. #bfc530
I totally agree, Kathy! I find that anything below 20 works quite well, as we strive to meet the learning needs of our students. Better opportunities for one-on-one and small group interaction/support! #bfc530
I teach grade three. The amount of things we need to teach them is crazy, and include cursive and solid computer skills. My ideal class is anything below 20. I had 16 last year..that was a dream. #bfc530
#bfc530 I have taught classes between 18 and 27, the latter being in my final year of full-time teaching. I agree that anything in the low 20's is wonderful for both #teacher and #student. It is so critical to interact with every #student every day.
I'm currently hovering in the mid 20s, and I feel some days certain students can get lost in the shuffle. I have to really focus to check in with everyone, but I normally have a few time monopolizers that hinder my focus. #bfc530
I have had sections that were too small. No amount of coaching or scaffolding helped student leadership. One or two more Ss with stronger pro social habits would have helped! #bfc530
Im averaging 24 this year with a 22-27 range. But I would much rather have more kids than more preps. Being able to focus on one curriculum keeps me better organized and serves my student population well rather than dividing my attention #bfc530
I have heard about research that states class size doesn’t determine achievement, but for me lessening class size stabilizes my sanity, and that’s always good for kids!🤪 #bfc530
The issue with class size is that it is an arbitrary number that does not take into account the individual kid nor the subject matter. I have a class of 25 who have better discussions than my class of nine ... both are get same content, but perspective/depth different #bfc530
In a self contained class where 12 is the max, ive found under 10 best. In inclusion, 20 works well. But a lot depends on the size of the classroom... #bfc530
I have heard about research that states class size doesn’t determine achievement, but for me lessening class size stabilizes my sanity, and that’s always good for kids!🤪 #bfc530
So true, Letha! The many dynamics of a group makes a huge difference...it’s not all about the numbers! Sometimes even less than 20 can seem like 30 or more! 😊 #bfc530
Good morning everyone- I teach grades 1/2- and one of my toughest classes had just 12. It is so dependent on the dynamics of any given group. Anything over 20, however, becomes challenging- constraints on space and time to offer that much-needed 1:1 support. #bfc530
The class itself I can seem to manage regardless of the size, what does seem significant is the work load. In the past the closer the class size got to 30 the less essays I could sign throughout the year. Every student adds hours to the “ grading formula” #bfc530
Good morning! I enjoy 18-22-ish as large enough for groups, small enough for personal feedback and attention. Conferring doesn’t become a scheduling nightmare. With no state max, our classes get huge. I’m lucky, 31 my biggest this yr as ELA, but SS & Sci have 36 😱 #bfc530
In a self contained class where 12 is the max, ive found under 10 best. In inclusion, 20 works well. But a lot depends on the size of the classroom... #bfc530
20 is a good number ... sometime I just wish my classes were balanced ... last year I had a class of 4 ... hard to have deep teaching discussions with a small History classes. #bfc530
I thinks subject and grade also affects the answer. I would never say I wouldn’t mind a class of 28 8 year olds. I simply could not get the work done that needs to be done. #bfc530
The last class I had at Bonnet Elem. had 14 students. It was not without its challenges, but that small a number allowed me ample time to work with individual kids as it was needed. #bfc530
When I was able to teach in a self contained classroom I had 28 students once (4th grade) and it was challenging but doable. I wish our 5th grade were in the elementary school and not the middle school. #bfc530
Makes me sad when I see classrooms so full that the teacher & students literally have to squeeze through. There is so much to be said about classroom environment. And no matter how awesome a teacher is, there is only so much 1:1 a teacher can give in a classroom of 35. #bfc530
Last semester I had nearly 79 students between 3 blocks and was constantly questioning if I interacted with each one every day. It was very exhausting and (to be honest) I was physically and mentally drained by the end of the semester. #thewalkingdeadteacher#bfc530
This year I have:
Year 8 Maths - 26 students
Year 8 IT - 26 students
Year 9 IT - 14 students
Year 11 IT - 7 students
Year 12 Maths - 16 students #bfc530
The last class I had at Bonnet Elem. had 14 students. It was not without its challenges, but that small a number allowed me ample time to work with individual kids as it was needed. #bfc530
My #MFM2P is at 24 right now (the cap) and in the past I have found that too many to give the individual support so many of them need. 16-20 maybe? #bfc530
My favorite class had 11 students, but a lot of energy; felt like a class of 25. They could make me laugh & ponder all in the same sentence. I think what was more important than class size was the majority embraced whatever activity I presented & pulled everyone else in. #bfc530
I believe it depends on the teacher, I’ve seen teachers with classes of 25-30 students create amazing learning environments, room size is often more a concern than number of students #bfc530 😊
Im a big guy (wide more than high) & whenever I need to maneuver in a packed classroom, I always think I am Godzilla in this scene from the 80's classic One Crazy Summer #bfc530https://t.co/FFuTA1hQTJ
Here’s one example of the research via @EduMelb The reduction in itself isn’t the key. A change in pedagogy and practice is also needed. Enjoy! #bfc530
See: https://t.co/6zhVRWHWfl
Good morning #bfc530! Chris Jones, HS Principal, MA just stopping in to say hi this morning. The opportunity presented itself!
Ideal class sizes are relative to the instructional strategies being used. It doesn't matter if you lecture 15 or 30...It's still lecture.
My ideal class size is one where every student gets what they need to succeed. That means they have the ability to collaborate, I can give feedback in a timely manner in class & w assessments, and to be able to personalize for them w/o spending every waking moment on it. #bfc530
Here’s one example of the research via @EduMelb The reduction in itself isn’t the key. A change in pedagogy and practice is also needed. Enjoy! #bfc530
See: https://t.co/6zhVRWHWfl
This year I have 20 and last year I had 10. It’s very up and down at my school. I know I want to always have enough room to gather on the rug as well as to make groupings and do projects. I do know I have twice the workload this year w grading, meeting and paperwork! #bfc530
Late to the party, I had a bed stuck to my back. It is different now but, I had 25 in my intro classes, my level 2 had around 18 and 12 in my level 3 classes. There were equipment issues if the class was larger. #bfc530
I like a class size that’s between 16 to 24. Enough for groups and discussions but still small enough that I can give everyone the attention they need. 27 seems to be the magic number where everything gets significantly more challenging #bfc530
The thing about #bfc530 that everyone is missing is that we are on the verge of runaway climate change and we need a complete re-think of the global economy to ensure a just society & avoid planetary catastrophe.
Another issue that needs to be addressed is the workload created by those numbers ... 35 kids in a PE class is a way different outside of school workload than 35 kids in an English class #bfc530
In reply to
@avivaloca, @rchids, @Stephen_Hurley, @acampbell99
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@healthcare_cong@alliedmeet#bfc530
My smallest class has been 15, my largest 37. Each had its challenges. My ideal is 25. Enough voices to make it a diverse group and keep groupings interesting during the year. #bfc530
I wouldn’t want a class of 3 kindergarten kids, but then a kindergarten teacher would probably say the same about teaching middle school. The individual teacher and what they can handle is an important consideration #BFC530
Ideal class size would be 12, 15, or 18 students who attend regularly.
I like groups of 3 for accountability purposes. Social loafing less likely.
#bfc530
Fortunate to work in a district where class sizes hover around 18 to 20. I’m good w/that. Obvi, the smaller, the better. Easy groupings. Can meet needs nearly 1:1 nearly every day in nearly every subject.
But I have to make it work no matter the number. So, bring it on.
#bfc530
