Smaller classes enhance the learning process
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/home_news/2009/05/22/smaller_classes_enhance_the_learning_process

MAJORITY of teachers in Brunei Darussalam believe that small class sizes provide more learning opportunities compared to large class sizes, said local researchers during the 14th International Conference on Education.

Held yesterday afternoon at the Chancellor Hall, two lecturers from Universiti Brunei Darussalam's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE) namely Dk Yusimah Pg Hj Amjah together with her colleague Nor' Arifahwati Hj Abbas, shed light on the repercussions of a student's learning in large-sized classes. Both researched the paper entitled "Teachers' perceptions on Large Class Sizes: The Effects on Student Learning" and presented their findings and recommendations to participants of the conference.

Dk Yusimah, who trains teachers in SHBIE, spoke to The Brunei Times said that the research stemmed from a discussion she had with her students, "(Large class sizes) is one of the recurring issues that were discussed and has become problematic for a number of teachers at local schools and that was why we wanted to look at it (in more detail)," she said.

At present, large class sizes cannot be avoided. Dk Yusimah added, "I have experience in teaching a total of up to 38 students in a class and it can be quite hectic." Some problems, she said, include interruptions, classroom control and indiscipline.

"Some teachers also spend a lot of time marking papers because of the large number of students and consequently the heavy workload leads to stress, lack of motivation and they tend to lose their joy in teaching," she said.

She cited comments made by a principal, also a conference participant, regarding minimising class size, adding, "The principal told me that she has at least 12 to 15 students in classroom." She added, "If we want a small class size, we require a lot of budget in terms of training more qualified teachers and this was one of the limitations we found in our research."

In a large class with students of different backgrounds and behaviour, concentration becomes difficult to attain. "Some have really poor achievements in learning because of this issue," she said. She recommended increasing the number of teachers so that class size can be reduced and proposed continuous professional development for teachers.