Talk:Essay:Advantages of Large Classes

I had large and small classes in both high school and college. I much preferred the small classes (less than 25 or so); I learned better, I made better friends and I had a much closer relationship with the teacher.

For four years I went to a very small school. At its biggest point there were 80 something kids from K-12! My average class size was anywhere from 4-16. This has its own disadvantages though: team sports were non-existent, the band and choir program were lacking, and if cliques arose they would be much more devastating. But that's just my experience.HelpJazz 12:08, 18 October 2008 (EDT)

Your second paragraph identifies why large classes have key advantages. Your first paragraph merely repeats the misperception. You didn't have large classes in high school, and you don't know if you really learned better in the smaller classes. The large classes inevitably have better competition, more insights, and better socializing.--Aschlafly 12:22, 18 October 2008 (EDT)

I did have large classes in high school, and in college, and for that matter, elementary school. The first time I had a class with fewer than 30 students was probably the 6th grade. I'm not saying that small classes are always better, just that, for me, they were. I'm also agreeing with you that small schools do have problems, which is part of the reason that I moved back to a larger school in the 10th grade. HelpJazz 12:45, 18 October 2008 (EDT)

I think that both have advantages and disadvantages. Different subjects also are probably better taught in different ways, as well. A big group discussion about history can be great. Some topics, though, like calculus, I think benefit from a small student to teacher ratio because of the mental leap involved in understanding it. Corry 13:01, 18 October 2008 (EDT)