TEACHSOC: Re: SOTL on ideal class sizes?

[Walter Dean]

We may not like it, but class sizes can not be discussed outside of  budgetary constraints. Harvard U has plenty of money:  it can have smaller classes.  What about other institutions that are not as well financially endowed?   Walter Dean [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: Roberts, Keith To: Nijole Benokraitis ; Susan Webb ; teachsoc@googlegroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2005 9:13 AM Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: SOTL on ideal class sizes? The Dean, prodded by the Provost, President, and Board, has asked departments to justify class sizes, especially those under 40 students or so.  Is anyone aware of literature on ideal class size for learning?  Specifically we were asked to address the question with regard to sociology, but I’m hopeful there’s general literature on class size issues.  Please send citations to me directly or to the list. *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   I’m not able to point to specific studies of class size, but I would approach this issue through learning theory.  Students learn through a variety of methodologies, and if a class grows too large, it becomes impossible to address the diversity of intelligences or learning styles in the classroom.  One is left to lecture as the main or only delivery style.  A few sources on learning styles and multiple intelligences appear below.   I have been intrigued by the research indicating that if we do nothing but lecture, we may unwittingly engage in institutionalized racism and sexism, for passive reception of lectures is the preferred learning style of whites and especially of white males.  Generally speaking (and of course there are individual variations) lecture is not a strong learning modality for African Americans, Hispanics, or women.  So it would be the height of irony to deliver a lecture on institutional racism or on cultural diversity in a class that has only lecture formats.  If classes are smaller, it is more possible to customize the course, perhaps even individualize some of the learning experiences, to address a variety of learning styles and ways of knowing/processing material.   Howard Gardner, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Basic Books. Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice.  Basic Books. Howard Gardner, Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century.  New York: Basic Books Linda Campbell. Bruce Campbell, and Dee Dickson  Teaching and Learning Through Multiple Intelligences.  2nd ed. Allyn and Bacon. www.pz.harvard.edu/SUMIT/MISUMIT.HTM www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.hmt Bernice McCarthy, Four-Mat System: Teaching to Learning Styles With Right-Left Mode Techniques. Excel         Mary Haywood Metz Classrooms and Corridors University of California Press. David A. Kolb Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, Pearson   Also see: Thomas Kochman.  Black and White Styles in Conflict (Univ of Chicago Press) Mary Field Belenky et al Women’s Ways of Knowing (Basic Books)   I have seen other studies on learning styles related to ethnicity, but can’t put my hands on them right now.   Keith   *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *      Keith A. Roberts, Ph.D.     Dept of Sociology & Anthropology     Hanover College     Hanover, IN  47243       [EMAIL PROTECTED]     Office: 812/ 866-7353       Thanks.   Susan Webb Professor of Sociology Coastal Carolina University (843) 349-2933