David And Goliaths

Overcrowded schools are one of the many reasons why America is falling backwards. With high birth rates and continuous immigration flow the classroom has become overcrowded. The best way a student can learn is if the attention is not so divided. With large classrooms having over 30 students, it makes it almost impossible for a teacher to attend to each student equally. “Slavin (1989) reviewed those studies that lasted a minimum of 1 year and had 20 students or fewer. He concluded that substantial reductions in class size have a small positive effect on students” (Synopsis of Class Size Literature). Classrooms should be small enough for a teacher to perform well without divided attention. In smaller classrooms, students are recognized for their contribution and participation. Students can respect the work of their peers individually and learn from them and help maintain order. They have more time to be collaborative, work creatively, think critically and draw their own predictions. In “Every Classroom Teacher’s Dream”, Patricia Handley states that “Teachers have more opportunity for personalized assessment with students, such as individual conferencing. With a small class, teacher can maximize best teaching practices, heightening students’ academic achievement” (6). There is ample evidence on how a small classroom can improve so much.

Underdog, a term that we are all too familiar with, has classified disadvantages in life for centuries. Little do we know that there is no such thing as being an underdog, it is simply just a myth. Malcolm Gladwell, the author of David and Goliath, explains through a series of real life stories how some of the biggest disadvantages can really be an advantage. The three-sectioned book goes into explicit detail on the advantages of disadvantages (Gladwell pg.18), theory of desirable difficulty (Gladwell pg. 97), and the limit of power (Gladwell pg. 195). Along with the book David and goliath is the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Jamal, the main character in Slumdog Millionaire, along with the people in the book, are the epitome of an underdog. This

You would never think that a hockey game could have such a crazy effect on the world and America. The medal round game between the United States of America and The Soviet Union would prove to be much more then just a game. The United States was getting more then just a victory and an upset, but our country was getting a much-needed moral boost in the fight against the Soviet Union in the Cold War. This wasn’t just a potential gold medal on the line, it was how we lived and our lifestyle compared to theirs. You want a true “David vs. Goliath” example; well you couldn’t ask for a better example how a David wins.

In one research study in Tennessee researchers had elementary grade students attended the same size class for four years. The one class had more then twenty students while the other class had only fifteen students. After each year of the study the students took the Stanford Achievement Test battery and received separate scores for reading, word-study skills, and mathematics. At the end of the test they found out that the students in the smaller class of fifteen students were 0.5 months ahead of the other students by the end of kindergarten, 1.9 months ahead of the other students at the end of 1st grade, 5.6 months ahead of

According to Malcolm Gladwell chapter two, economist Caroline Hoxby did some research and found there wasn’t any significant data indicating smaller classrooms had a greater effect on a child academic learning skills. Gladwell made it a point in his story to notion details contending smaller classroom sizes are not necessarily the best learning environment.

Legislators, teachers and parents produce many groups in America 's society that are most interested in improving primary education. These actors recognize the importance of improving primary education to create a more stable, knowledgeable and successful society for all of the country. One highly debated issue in education reform is the student to teacher ratio in classrooms. Many parents and teachers want to see a decrease in class sizes so that students receive more individualized education and become more socially developed. Conversely, a large sum of Americans, mainly government officials, are not convinced that reducing class sizes will lead to the outcome that activists and parents are imagining. Student education at a primary level affects all of society, either directly or indirectly. America is highly concerned with education reform, and decreasing the amount of students per class in grades K through three is a logical solution to better the education provided to American students. Class size reductions cause for many positive effects such as more individualized learning, better developed social skills and a more educated youth leading to a more successful society in the future. Education reform can best be achieved through decreasing the number of students in classes, especially at the primary level.

In 2003, Finn co-authored a paper that identified a gaping hole in the puzzle: “Despite the many studies that show positive effects, research has yet to come up with a consistent, integrated explanation for the gains attributable to reduced class size,” according to the paper, published in the journal. Review of Educational Research.

A small class is consider to be twenty students or less. In smaller schools there are not as many students so the teachers will be able to help the students more one on one. Students can have a better idea of the content that they are learning and even if they don’t understand then the could talk to the teacher to have a better understanding. In a recent study, students and teachers were randomly assigned to a small class, with an average of 15 students, or a regular class, with an average of 22 students. This large reduction in class size (7 students, or 32 percent) was found to increase student achievement by an amount equivalent to about 3 additional months of schooling four years later. Also, increasing the pupil/teacher ratio in the U.S. by one student would save at least $12 billion per year in teacher salary costs alone, which is roughly

In the poem “Casey at Bat” and story “David and Goliath,” a comparison of David and Casey shows differences and similarities. In the story “David and Goliath”, David is similar to Casey from “Casey at the Bat” because David isn’t afraid to lose just like Casey. The text states that David was a sheep tender, and Casey was a baseball player, their both different but they had one goal, to win! They both were supposed to win anyway. Another way Casey from “Casey at the Bat”, and David from “David and Goliath” are similar is because they are both boys. They are both boys because the text states that David was a boy, because who would name their girl David, and Casey is a boy because girls do not play baseball. This is a fact because people have been to baseball games and seen that they are boys, girls play softball, boys play baseball.

The research conducted however, was not based on would small classes have better results, but how small classes get better results. John Higgins of the Seattle Times writes “Students behave better and pay more attention in smaller groups, and this may account at least initially for the gains. For example, it’s harder for a couple of troublemakers in the back of the room to derail the class when they can’t hide in a crowd”. It is not the techniques of the teaching that makes kids do better, it is the simple fact that they are somewhat forced to pay attention. Perhaps I did not see the benefits of private school because I was already paying attention.

Reduced class sizes can show better behavior in students and earlier improvement of grades.In smaller classes, teachers have a better chance to get to know the student more, so there are less chances that the student will feel like need to act and lash out. Since the teacher and pupil will get to know each other better, the teacher can take the time to discover what areas the student needs help in and can make more of an effort to help the student fix those needs in a smaller, less crowded environment. (Rios, Robert J).According to a survey done by Mitchell and Mitchell in 1999, students in grades K-3 that were placed in smaller classes scored better on achievement tests in reading and mathematics than students in large classes did. Having smaller classes in kindergarten through third grade creates the most academic improvement in students. Reading and Mathematics are the subjects that the most information is retained in that sticks with students in older years. Also, students of minority

The classes more discussion-oriented and students are expected to be ready to discuss reading and assignments each class. Most college students feel more comfortable asking for help in smaller class size. In addition, the teacher better understands student strengths and weaknesses. Also, teachers are more apt to help students and it is easier to class become a group of friends. However, in large college, the quality of understanding with professor is not as good and attendance is less likely to count toward your grade. Nonetheless, some people think it is more important to learn from famous professors than to have a small class. According to Stephen Pemberton, class size can make a difference in your education. (“The importance of class size, Match 09, 2009). Conversely, according to Mark Montgomery, educational consultant, smaller classes are taught by the least effective teachers.

While placed in a big classroom can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. According to the text, Does Class Size Matter? Teachers, parents of students, and the principal of New York’s Forest Hills High School, believes that big classrooms

PROBLEM: According to Catherine Rampell’s article found in the New York Times in 2009, the average classroom size of American primary schools is 23.1 students while the average classroom size of American secondary schools is 24.3 students. However, there has been an upward trend in the average class size of American schools as seen in the National Center for Education Statistics’ School and Staff Survey from the 2011 to 2012 school year. This statistic shows that the average classroom size of an American school is nearing thirty students. This statistic is and will continue to increase if a law is not enacted soon.

It is pretty apparent that in America, and elsewhere, most parents and general adults want what is best for their children in terms of education. This mindset can be seen reflected in the legislative aspects of our education system; there are many incentives pushing through the school boards and legislatures of our nation in order to attempt to further refine the education system. This is important as it allows us to refine traditional American education in order to improve upon it, and one of these attempt refinements and improvements has to deal with the subject of class size. For many people, large classroom sizes are a spawning ground for many issues with the education system: high distraction in the classroom, teacher inefficiency, among a plethora of others. Although it may seem regressive to favor small classes over bigger, more potentially diverse classes, small class sizes are more beneficial for education in that it is less distracting for the students and raises the possibility of staying focused, it potentially raises teacher-student relationships, and it allows for better results and better statistics coming from these smaller classes.