Classroom Size

I heard an interesting report the other day about personal work space. I chuckled as it said that the adult working in an office has lost some of his/her personal space in recent years. The average adult in the business world has been reduced to a personal work area of 70 square feet so roughly (7’ by 10’) which is 5 to 10 square feet less than a decade ago. The commentator added at the end of the piece that of course the average size of executive offices has not decreased at all.
Recently, during 3 different interviews, I heard three well known business men talking about large class sizes as a solution to the many problems in Education. I am convinced that these 3 men have never taught in a classroom and assume that children K-12 have that same 70 square feet. Not so and I fear that these gentlemen consider children as small adults.
The average classroom no matter how many students it holds is around 645-650 square feet, which means that if we gave children the 70 square feet that adult workers get, the average classroom would accommodate 9 students. In my state, licensing for preschools requires 35 square feet per child which then would mean 18 children in a room. Visually considering the size of young children, then 35 square feet per child is comfortable however children grow and class size for an elementary school usually is 20 + children. This is being generous, many public schools (and charter) have 20 to 25 and some even closer to 30 students per room. By the time students are in 5th grade many children (and yes they are still children) the number of students per class is increased “because the students are bigger”. These class sizes often run 30 to 32. Doing the math- 645 divided by 30 means 21 square feet per student. That doesn’t include the teacher or other adults that need to be in the room. Now add in the factor that these are children (not yet young adults) who need to move, must have some space to work and keep items to use. There is the question of common equipment as well.
Two of the men referred to above talk about class sizes of 60 students. I just about choked as I heard that statement. The reasoning given by one is it would be better for 60 students to have the benefit of an excellent teacher! Being at a conference this weekend I was in several presentation rooms setup for a reasonable amount of chairs and therefore people. There were more people cramming into those rooms for the purpose of learning. The presenters were full of expertise and had the credentials to prove it. Yet, being one of the attendees, I was uncomfortable in a confined tight space as the person next to me was shifting, 3 phones were on vibration around me after the first ring, a person dropped a book, and sitting along a wall with my “stuff” around me, not really able to see. Within minutes it became difficult to be able to concentrate on the excellent presentation, let alone take notes. Yet we now expect students to do that daily and we want to add even more students to a class! How can students reach their optimum if we can’t and don’t offer them a physical environment that encourages and allows students to be learners.
Visualize for a moment about the logistics of 60 students in a classroom. Each child needs a desk or is part of a table for working. Chairs should be available for each student as well. Somewhere in that room or just attached, there needs to be a place for coats, backpacks, boots, for each child and a restroom either in the room or close at hand. What about doors that are universal design for those in need of wheelchair access or children too small for the water fountain or even the toilet? Now consider the other necessary equipment that takes up space in a classroom. What good study habits can be developed when sitting with a coat on the floor or leaning against the wall or the low murmur of student learning that needs to be going on? Then the issues of safety and health: fire, weather, lockdowns and the passing of disease.
Students need to be facing an area to read a board with overheads, Smart boards or Prometheus boards, and all the other technology, as well as and hear the educator. Everyone in that room also needs to be able to move around. What about the need in science classes to have work areas?
Even more so, consider the process of learning particularly with the k-12 scenario. Children find it difficult to wait for help and wait for a turn. K-6 teachers need to listen to their children to know what learning is in place and what questions remain. Many students these days are in need of much individualized attention for many reasons. Remembering the varieties of learning styles, much foundation learning involves doing and moving.
Educators continually adjust and customizing lessons to the needs and personalities of the students in a particular classroom. All of that means getting to know each child well and how that child learns best. An educator is able to then be precise in building on the skills and knowledge of each child. Aside from developing and teaching lessons there is the need for continual informal evaluation to know if there is understand and learning. In elementary school this often needs to be done 1 to 1. When children are younger and learning they need assistance when revisiting and correcting work.
If this country is on the course of helping our students to reach toward potential then let’s give them the environments conducive to flourishing.