Cambridge expert warns that without effective teachers impact may be tiny
The already heated debate on small classes in Hong Kong intensified this week with a visit of an education expert from Britain's Cambridge University.
Speaking at the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) on Wednesday about his recent research on the relationship between class size and student achievement in the UK, Maurice Galton's message was loud and clear - small classes are no doubt favourable, but they need to be combined with proper teacher training to maximise the potential.
Professor Galton's UK research on 7,142 primary pupils, among the largest study of its type on an international scale, shows that small classes allow teachers to give students more individual attention, ask more challenging questions, and better promote values and confidence.
However, the difference was found to be 'insignificant' and problems such as less interaction between pupils could arise if teachers did not change their teaching approach.
But governments tended to turn the argument around and say that there were ways to improve teaching and learning other than reducing class size, said the academic.