Quality and Quantity Key Issues in Education

Green Party Education Spokesperson Catherine Delahunty says that Professor John Hattie’s indepth study of student achievement raises many important issues but fails to make the link between student/ teacher relationships and class size.

“Professor Hattie makes very powerful points about trust and relationship building in the class room as the key to student achievement, but then concludes class size is not the most important issue.”

“The Green Party believes that respectful relationships between teachers and students are the vital element in all classrooms but that trust is effectively built in smaller classes.

“Professor Hattie rightly challenges teachers as to whether students feel free to admit they don’t understand the teaching content.

“However, in a group of thirty-five students there is far less time to spend addressing an individual learning issue than in a group of twenty- five. In some subjects eighteen students would be an ideal number.

“Respectful relationships are also about recognition of the cultural background of all students and being creative and participatory. Schools have progressed in these areas, but again the larger the group the harder it is to make this meaningful”.

Ms Delahunty agreed with the teachers’ union, the PPTA, that the proposal to reward excellent teaching with performance related pay would be problematic.

“There are so many value judgements involved in what is good teaching performance. More measurement of students or teachers is not going to help the learning environment., Professor Hattie’s call for more time for quality professional development is valid, but teachers also tell us they need breathing space to prepare and more time to actually teach, as well as better pay.

“However, it is much easier to be a quality teacher if you are working with small groups of students who feel good about being there and feel what they are being taught has some meaning in their lives”.

Ms Delahunty said that inspirational teachers made a life long difference in students’ lives but that it was pretty hard to inspire large groups of diverse young people.

“Smaller classes will not automatically lead to a mutually respectful learning environment but it would be a good start.”