[Classroom Management/Instruction] Differences between Schools and Cram Schools and Lesson Content [School/Cram School]

As I have often written before, I help out at a certain cram school, and recently, for a certain reason, I attended an elementary school class observation (even though I don't have children...).

However, since I was there (and it wasn't my own child's observation day), I was able to objectively observe classes in many classrooms by consciously walking around the entire school.

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The major differences between schools and cram schools are,

1. Number of students in the classroom
School => around 30, Cram school => a few to a maximum of about 20
2. Difference in student levels within the classroom
School => wide range, Cram school => possible to group by a certain level of academic ability

These are the two points.

Therefore, for me (not to say which is better, school or cram school),I think teachers who manage their classrooms well are amazing, and I think the difficulty of a teacher's classroom management is almost pitiful.

And this time, I was able to observe various classes, and I felt that the classes I thought were well-conducted had content that utilized various forms of modulation.

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(1) Modulation of voice volume

I felt this was the most skillful part.

Perhaps it is because a school classroom is large and other classes are nearby, making it easy for noise to enter,but it felt more like a voice that carries well rather than just being loud.

It was such an impressive voice that when I was walking down the hallway, I was drawn to it and wanted to peek inside.

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(2) Modulation of blackboard writing

When there are many students, the problem of varying times taken to copy notes easily arises,but I had the impression that they were skillfully incorporating handouts and projectors.

At universities, it seems there are places where you are allowed to take pictures of the blackboard, but that is certainly not the case in local public elementary schools lol

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(3) Modulation of eye contact

Having a large number of students means that the time spent on each individual is reduced.

Also, the fact that the classroom is large naturally makes it easier for blind spots to occur.

Perhaps to prevent that, in conjunction with (2), I made sure to minimize the time spent looking at the blackboard, and instead observe the entire classroom and walk around between desks as appropriate.

By doing so, I believe I increased the level of participation in the lesson for each student (especially those with lower academic ability).

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I found the lessons that effectively implemented (1) through (3) above to be very interesting, but compared to lessons at a cram school, I also felt that the difficulty and density of the content were lacking.

This is likely because, as mentioned above, schools have a large number of students with a wide range of academic levels, making it difficult unless something is sacrificed.

Even for students receiving good instruction, I felt that if they were above a certain academic level, it would be difficult to rely solely on school lessons for exam preparation without also attending a cram school.

As I have written before, it was a time that made me feel the need to appropriately promote collaboration between schools and cram schools.

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