[Shadow, side effects of small mathematics class] Will the busy days of teachers improve?Possibility of deterioration

　In public elementary schools, it is expected that the class will have fewer than 35 students over the next five years. Today (12/17), it is also reported that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology have reached an agreement. It will be the first revision in about 40 years.

As I wrote in the previous article, there are many good points and points that can be evaluated in this movement. However, there are many problems, concerns, and questions.

Previous article: [Elementary school to class of 35] What can be evaluated, major issues, and questions

■ Is it really good? ? ?

``If the class size is smaller, it will be easier for the teacher to provide detailed care for each student, which is a good thing.'' I think there are many people who think so. For example, under the current system, if there are 36 students in one grade, it is one class, but if there are 35 students in the class, there will be 18 students x 2 classes. Well, with 18 people, the teacher can also face each one.

But things aren't all that good.

　As Professor Sota Kimura, a constitutional scholar, has pointed out, when the number of students in a class is small, diversity in the classroom tends to decrease (friendships usually decrease, too), and there is also a lack of compatibility with teachers. In the case of a bad case or a homeroom teacher who tends to harass, there is also a disadvantage that the damage to the child may be greater (Okinawa Times August 9, 2020).

In addition, there are also concerns about whether sufficient quantity and quality can be secured even if the number of teachers is increased due to the increase in the number of classes (as pointed out in the previous article).

■Have you done a proper comparison with policies other than small classes?

　I have another very worry.

　A variety of policy options are possible, but here I would like to talk about two major directions. One is to reduce the number of students per class. This includes small-group math classes and team-teaching in mathematics (small-group instruction).

　The other direction is to reduce the number of classes taught by teachers. (next picture)

For example, let's say you, the reader, are a teacher in charge of a 6th grade elementary school. As I gave an example earlier, if there are 36 students in one class, under the current system there will be one class, but in the near future (five years from now?), there will be 2 classes with 18 students. Therefore, at least one teacher will be added.

I'm glad~. However, Japanese language, arithmetic, arts and crafts, physical education, etc. are basically taught in individual classes (in terms of the system, it is still possible for multiple classes to have joint classes). The number of hours you will be in charge of will basically not change whether you have a small class or not.

Here, let's check some data. As shown in the following slide, according to the 2016 National Survey of Teachers' Working Conditions, about half of elementary school teachers have more than 26 classes per week. In addition to these numbers, there are class activities and committee activities, so elementary school teachers are on their feet most of the day.

　Middle school teachers are also busy, but the number of classes is quite different.

　The next slide is a scene from an elementary school that I occasionally talk about in my lectures and training. where do you think

　The scenery is not very tidy, but it is the state of the staff room. One principal took a picture and told me:

In addition, due to the prolonged school closures this year due to the impact of the new coronavirus, some regions have increased the number of classes per week. Some teachers even teach more than 29 classes.

　According to the 2016 national survey, which is the same as the number of classes mentioned above, the arrival and departure times for elementary and junior high school teachers are as follows. There are many different jobs, but most of them are teachers. Teachers arrive around 7:30 in the morning and work until after 7:00 in the evening. Since this is the average, there are many people who are longer.

　I would like you to pay attention to the break time. Elementary school teachers only have an average of 6 minutes. Junior high school is also short, but junior high school has club activities after school, so it's busy. As I explained earlier, elementary schools are full of classes, and the children's school lunches and break times are also time for teaching and watching over them, so it's hard to get a coffee break.

It is often said that "cystitis is an occupational disease of elementary school teachers", and many people actually suffer from it. why? I'm so busy that I don't even have time to go to the bathroom.

■Will elementary school teachers be less busy with small math classes?

By the way, Do you think that this busyness and overwork will be alleviated with the policy of small class size?

　In the previous example of the 6th grade teacher, the class will be 35 people, and the number of students per class will be reduced, so the burden will be reduced somewhat. This is because grading, checking notes, writing comments, and interacting with parents tend to decrease according to the number of children. Also, if the number of regular teachers increases by one more class, we will be able to share administrative work in the school with those teachers.

So, it's not that the 35-student class won't reduce the burden on teachers at all. You can expect it to have some impact. However, as I explained earlier, the number of classes will basically remain the same, and the busyness during the day will not change so dramatically, which is probably true. In fact, looking at the national survey data in 2016, working hours tend to decrease when the number of students per teacher is small. The average is 11 hours and 15 minutes per day, and for teachers with 25 or more students per teacher, it is 11 hours and 21 minutes, a change of only about 6 minutes per day.

In addition, rather than reducing the number of students in charge of grading and checking notes, it is possible to achieve both efficiency and educational effectiveness through other measures such as the use of ICT.

　Additionally, it has been reported that there is a policy to make a class of 35 people by utilizing some of the manpower and financial resources that have been used for small-group instruction until now. In other words, for 6th grade teachers, there is a high possibility that the burden of their own math classes will increase instead of increasing the number of classes such as 2nd grade (because there was an addition of small-group instruction, but it will disappear).

■The biggest risk is that the budget will not be allocated to reduce the burden on teachers

　I will explain again based on the diagram you saw in the first half. 1. Maintaining the status quo is probably the biggest problem, but the current movement of the 35-student elementary school class is going in the right direction. As the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology requested a class of 30 students or less this time, I think there are also claims that 35 students is still too many.

So, just as the Ministry of Finance was reluctant to compile the budget this time, it is not easy to allocate more of the limited national budget to elementary school teachers and elementary school education amidst the declining birthrate. Due to the corona crisis, the national debt is piling up like never before (it is also a debt for elementary school students now and in the future). When this happens, 3. From the policy of small class, 3. ×4.

　In other words, In order to spend the money of the national and local governments on small mathematics classes, teachers are trying to increase the number of teachers to reduce the class hours they have, or to make it easier to implement a subject teacher system at elementary schools. It would be a pipe dream to try to reduce the burden of classes by increasing the number of students, or to set up a shift system like nursery schools and hospitals to eliminate long working hours.

　I'm most worried about this scenario, even if I've seen this move so far. If teachers who are politicians and the Ministry of Education really think about the welfare and well-being of children and teachers, then 4. We should demonstrate leadership in the direction of combining policies such as not allowing a single teacher to have more than 20 classes per week (this also requires an increase in the number of teachers).

　If an elementary school teacher has less than 20 classes per week, there will be 2-3 free classes per day. You can also do clerical work. This would probably improve the quality of teaching as well.

　Do you think you can take good classes and take care of children in a workplace like now, where you can't easily take breaks, die from overwork and suffer from cystitis? Nevertheless, it is a reality in many areas that the teachers in the field are making great efforts with gritted teeth. is reaching its limit. Therefore, the number of aspiring teachers is also decreasing.

If you somehow think that if the number of people in a class is reduced, you will be able to do it politely, in the near future you may end up saying "this wasn't supposed to be this way".

What is the policy of 35-student classes or small mathematics classes for? , I would like you to consider carefully and multifacetedly.

◎Related articles

● [Elementary school to class of 35] What can be evaluated, major issues, and questions

●Promoting policies based on small classes is dangerous. Educational “reform” that pushes forward with ambiguous grounds and content

●Is there a high need and priority for small classes? (1) Doubts about its effectiveness as a countermeasure against COVID-19

●Is there a high need and priority for small classes? (4) Comparison with other policies (options)

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