Title: THE HONG KONG SMALL CLASS TEACHING (SCT) STUDY
1THE HONG KONG SMALL CLASS TEACHING (SCT) STUDY
- Maurice Galton
- Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge (mg
266_at_cam.ac.uk)
2BACKGROUND TO THE SCT STUDY
3Study on Small Class Teaching
Year of Study Small classes 20-25 pupils Normal classes 35-37 pupils Normal classes 35-37 pupils
2004/05 P1(small) P2 (normal)
2005/06 P1(small) P2(small) P3(normal)
2006/07 P1 (normal) P2(small) P3(small)
2007/08 P2 (normal) P3 (normal)
3
41. The main research questions
5- What are the benefits of SCT in the local
context? - What teaching strategies, professional support
and resources are necessary in order to maximise
the benefits of SCT in Hong Kong primary schools?
6- Do pupils in small classes make more progress
than those in regular ones? - Are attitudes to languages and mathematics
stronger in small classes? Does
self-esteem/motivation improve? - Do attitudes and attainment improve the longer
pupils remain in small classes? - Is attainment or attitude associated with
certain teacher and pupil behaviour? - Do pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit
the most? - What other factors (school leadership, parent
support) influence performance in small classes ?
7Research Methods Used in the Study
8At school level Chinese English Mathematics Parents survey Principals survey P1-P4 year groups At class level Teacher characteristics Gender Experience Qualifications Training Subject specialism Survey of opinions Class size Observation Questions asked Statements made Feedback given etc. Class/group/ individual Sustained At pupil level Pupil characteristics Gender Age Place of birth S.E.S Outcome measures Attainment Attitudes Self-esteem Motivation Observations Time on task Pupil talk Targets setting
9SAMPLES
In most years of the study some 700 classes were
tested in Chinese, mathematics and English Approx
20,000 pupils took part in P1 , 23,500 in P2,
20,500 in P3 and 11, 000 in P4. 53.9 of the
initial P1 sample were in small classes, 27.2
from the regular classes in the same schools and
18.9 from the reference schools.
102. The Main Results
11Conflicting views on the benefit of small classes
What teachers say What the research shows
More individual attention for pupils Little change but conversations last longer
Better pupil attainment Moderate increases in a few cases
Better attitudes/motivation Attitudes decline year by year but more slowly than in normal classes
Improved relationships with pupils Yes according to pupil interviews
12School Learning Orientation (combined attitude
motivation as of maximum score)
13Relative academic Performance of SCT classes and
control classes
14End of P1 scores
15End of P2 scores
16End of P3 scores
17End of P4 scores
18Main Conclusions
- These results are difficult to interpret but in
all cases differences between the various samples
are not large with small to very small effect
sizes. - Cohort 2 do best in P1 drop back in P2 but do
better again when they return to normal classes
in P3 - Cohort 1 do least well in P1 and P2 (except in
English) hold their own in P3 (compared to
controls) but fall back again when they return to
normal classes in P4 - There is therefore no overwhelming evidence that
being in a small class boosts pupils attainment.
Consequently being in a small class for 3 rather
than 2 years has a marginal effect. Returning to
a large class has a positive effect in Cohort 2
but a negative one in Cohort 1. The fact that
these trends are not consistent suggest that - Initial attainment at the start of the year is
the major determinant of progress - The expertise of the teacher of a particular
class is also a crucial factor - Teachers in small classes were still
experimenting with different teaching approaches
hence the variable results - .
19Teacher Talk in Hong Kong Primary Classrooms
20(No Transcript)
21Some implications of this finding
- The figure for the average observation when no
pupil was in focus had dropped from 73 to 66 by
the end of the study. During this time pupils
were - Listening to the teacher talk or watching him/her
demonstrate - Singing a song or reciting a poem/story/ writing
on the board in unison - In a 35 minute period there is a maximum of 12.3
minutes to give individual attention ( either
alone in a group or as part of the class). With
20 pupils this gives a maximum of 37 seconds.
With 40 the figure is 19 seconds. - .
22Four types of teacher of teacher behaviour
- Cluster analysis used to identify 4 teacher
types - Type 1 (30.1) Individual/pair sustained
enquirers - Type 2 (18.5) group task monitors
- Type 3 (30.1) Whole class instructors
- Type 4 (21.3) Whole class questioners
23Questions by type (as of all observations)
24Statements by type (as of all observations)
25Feedback by type (as of all observations)
26Audience by type (as of all observations)
27 Effectiveness of teacher types
- At P1 there were no significant differences in
attainment between the teacher types in any
subject but pupils taught by individual/pair
sustained enquirers had higher learning
dispositions (combined subject attitude
motivation score) in Chinese. In mathematics
pupils in the top third of the ability range
taught by whole class questioners had the
strongest learning disposition. - At P2 only English registered significant
results. Pupils in the top third of the ability
range made significant progress in attainment
and had better learning disposition when taught
by whole class questioners. - When aggregated scores were used P2 pupils taught
by whole class instructors had the worst learning
disposition while those taught by whole class
questioners had the best. There were no
attainment differences.
28Pupil behaviour in the classroom
29Four types of pupil behaviour
- Cluster analysis used to identify 4 pupil types
These are similar to those identified in UK - Type 1 (43.8) Solitary workers
- Type 2 (22.4) intermittent workers
- Type 3 (23.3) Active collaborators
- Type 4 (10.5) Attention grabbers
30Pupils behaviour (as of all observations)
31Pupil-teacher behaviour (as of all
observations)
32Pupil-pupil behaviour (as of all observations)
33Pupil types as a function of teacher types
34Some implications findings
- No attainment, attitude or subject differences
between pupil types - More active collaborators in small classes (25.2
compared to 18 in normal classes) - Girls constituted 54.8 of solitary workers while
59 of attention grabbers were boys - In P1, P2 and P3 solitary workers are in the
majority. In P3 there were more active
collaborators (30) and fewer attention grabbers
(7.1) - In general patterns are stable suggesting types
may be, in part, a function of personality
rather than a consequence of teaching approach.
35SCHOOL FACTORS AIDING SUCCESS
36School aggregated scores were ranked to give 6
high attaining schools and 4 low attaining ones.
Comparisons were then made on a number of measures
- Successful schools had
- Principals who took an active part in curriculum
development and teachers professional learning - Teachers who tended to favour the individual/pair
sustained enquiry approach - More mathematics teachers teaching mathematics
and less mathematics teachers teaching other
subjects - Higher levels of parental support
373. RECENT IDEAS ABOUT LEARNING THEIR RELEVANCE
TO SCT
38Watkins (2003) Three Ways of Learning
39Ways of Knowing I
40Teaching as Instruction
- Provide an Advanced Organizer
- Check what pupils know with quick, snappy
question answer session - Present new knowledge
- Provide for practice which emphasises
application - Extend practice by homework
- Give feedback which is informative
- Review new learning
41Uses of Direct Instruction
- YES
- Mathematical procedures
- English grammar
- Scientific information
- Historical facts
- Using maps
- Practical skills
- NO
- Mathematical problem solving
- Extended writing
- Scientific investigations
- Discussing controversial social science topics
42Ways of Knowing II
43Teaching as Enquiry
- Engaging in complex cognitive processes requires
thoughtful discourse. Pupils are invited to make
predictions, debate alternatives, etc. This can
take place during interactive whole class
teaching or during peer interaction in pairs or
groups and should involve - Placing the topic in the wider, meaningful
context (big picture) - Using open ended questions
- Allowing suitable wait times
- Encouraging explanations or elaboration of
answers.
44Ways of Knowing III
45Teaching as Scaffolding
- Helping pupils to learn how to think for
themselves requires temporary frameworks. They
reduce the degrees of freedom a child must
manage in the task to prevent error rather than
induce it. (Bruner) - Providing models of appropriate response (e.g.
model answers, demonstrations etc.) - feedback as in guided discovery
- Identifying potential problems from the outset
- Rehearsing an argument (pupils explain to
class/group in words their reasoning e.g.their
answer to a maths problem) - Cue Cards ( as in writing frames )
- Self-evaluation checklists (requires pupils to
check through the process by which they reached a
conclusion and to indicate how it might be
improved
46What research says about effective teaching
- John Hattie (2005) surveyed a large number of
studies and - concluded that the following were important
(effect size in - brackets)
- Motivation improving disposition to learn
(0.61) - More questions, particularly challenging ones
(0.42) - Informing feedback (self regulation) (0.95)
- Feedback that reinforces effort (0.94) rather
than general praise (0.14) - Corrective feedback (0.37)
- Peer tutoring (0.56)
- The more we increase the use of these variables
the - better our results.
47Six key principles to keep SCT on track
Communicate learning goals to class in terms of
process not outcomes
Use assessment to inform future instruction
Give feedback which helps pupils to sort out
their own mistakes
Provide more thinking time during questioning
Boost participation during class discussions
Develop cooperation between pupils by pair/group
work
48Small Class Teaching The next steps
49Professional Development
- Learning Circles have been well received with the
number increasing during the past year.
Attendance appears to improve the quality of
classroom discourse - More needs to be done for coordinators who in
many schools exercise sole responsibility for
running the SCT programme. - Some Principals need to rethink their leadership
strategies (less delegation and more active
participation) particularly in relation to
pedagogy.
50Teachers who attended Learning Circles
- Offer more ideas
- Provide more informing feedback
- Have pupils of different abilities working on
different tasks - Often sit pupils of different ability by
themselves when working on these tasks - More often praise for effort
51Factors promoting successful professional
learning communities
Offers intra- school as well as inter-school
sharing support
Takes place over a lengthy period
Involves collaboration with peers, mentors
outside experts
Takes account of contexts (school environment,
pupils etc)
Provides resources opportunities to practice
new ideas
Addresses key issues in curriculum instruction
Must be linked to specific content areas
52LEADERSHIP LEARNING
53Experienced and less experienced Principals
- Experienced school leaders
- Gave teachers less freedom to try out different
pedagogic strategies. - More likely to delegate total responsibility for
small class teaching to middle managers - Saw their main role as acquiring as many
resources as possible, setting clear goals, and
formulating practicable action plans. - Less likely to supply time for collaborative
lesson planning or peer observation.
54LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY
- According to MacBeath (2008) todays school
leaders are often more concerned with accounting
than learning, with compliance than with
risk-taking and with public relations than with
the quality of student experience,
55Leadership for Learning
-
- MacBeath suggests that Leadership for Learning
requires a kind of collegiality which challenges
rather than reinforces existing practice.
Learning is viewed as a collaborative,
communicative and cooperative experience and, as
such, it involves everyone senior managers,
teachers, support staff, pupils and parents.
565 CONDITIONS FOR WHOLE SCHOOL LEARNING
- A focus on learning learning at the heart of all
we do - Conditions for learning attending to conditions
which optimise learning - Creating a dialogue about learning and leadership
- Sharing leadership
- Sharing a sense of accountability
57Where learning and leadership meet
Leadership
Is an activity Is about change Is both individual
and distributed
Is an activity Is about change Is both individual
and distributed
58Leaders as learners
- The most notable trait of great leaders,
certainly of great change leaders, is their quest
for learning. They show an exceptional
willingness to push themselves out of their own
comfort zones, even after they have achieved a
great deal. They continue to take risks, even
when there is no obvious reason for them to do
so. And they are open to people and ideas even
at a time in life when they might reasonably
thinkbecause of their successthat they know
everything. - (Hesselbein, et al., 1996, p. 78)
QAD, EDB (2008)
58
59Leadership studies
- School leaders improve teaching and learning
indirectly and most powerfully through their
influence on staff motivation, commitment and
working conditions - School leadership has a greater influence on
schools and students when it is widely
distributed - Collaborative patterns beyond the school
strengthen the quality of learning and teaching - (Leithwood, 2006)
- Leithwood et al.
60Leadership for Learning
Shared leadership
A focus on learning
Dialogue
Conditions for learning
Mutual accountability
61 Leadership is exercised not at the apex of the
organisational pyramid but at the centre of the
web of human relationships. (Joe Murphy, 1994)
62leadership
Organisational learning
Professional learning
Student learning
63leadership
Organisational learning
Professional learning
Student learning
64MAKING LEARNING VISIBLE
The task of leadership is to make visible the
how, why and where of learning. It achieves this
by conversations and demonstrations around pupil
learning, professional learning and learnings
which transcend the boundaries of the school. The
challenge for leadership is to nurture the
dialogue, to make transparent ways in learning
interconnects and infuses behaviour. It promotes
a continuing restless inquiry into what works
best, when, where, for whom and with what
outcome. Its vision is of the intelligent school
and its practice intersects with the wider world
of learning. (MacBeath et al, 2007)
65Flying below the radar
- An extra-ordinary generation of school leaders
who have bucked the trend, who are not
intimidated and oppressed by the centre
because with imaginative leaders and committed
creative teachers they follow their best
professional instincts, who dont say Id love to
do innovation but I cant afford to because of
.. - Theyve just got on innovating and doing
exciting things and running very good schools -
exciting places for teachers and kids to be in. - (David Hargreaves)
66 Go to the people Live among them Start with what
they know And when the deed is done The mission
accomplished Of the best leaders The people will
say We did it Ourselves.
67Some References
- MacBeath, J. (2008) Leadership for Learning
exploring Similarity and Living with Difference,
in J. MacBeath and Y.C. Cheng Eds Leadership
for Learning International Perspectives, London
Sense Publishers - Watkins, C (2003) Learning A sense-makers guide,
London Association of Teachers and Lecturers
(ATL). - Watkins, C. (2005) Classrooms as Learning
Communities Whats in it for schools? London
Routledge. - Wood, D. (1998) How Children Think and
Learn,Oxford Blackwells