Wow... That would be a lot of students. At the elementary level class sizes are 18-24 this year but I expect most will be 24+ next year because some teachers are not being replaced as they retire.

Hi,

I work in a high school and when I first started ( 3 years ago) we had 30 or so students in each class. It was very overwhelming and our equipment and spacing for each student was limited. Within the last 2 years, the district has attempted to cap our classes at 25, but the numbers sometimes go slightly over because of students failing previous semesters/needing extra courses. Putting the cap on the classes has allowed us to have more student participation in our wellness center ( a strength and conditioning room) as well as more room for activities in the gym. I could not imagine having 40 students in one class!

I could not even imagine having 40 students in a classroom setting. When I started at my high school, class sizes were maxed out at 30 students. I was definitely most nervous when I was teaching in the pool setting. There were many students to manage as I was constantly counting heads.

One of our new developments has been a decrease in the maximum number of students in a class to 25. This is much more manageable and creates an educational difference. Student learning is greatly improved with lower numbers.

I think it would be interesting to look at how much time you have with your students versus my classes as well as the staffing within your district (If you see your students for a longer time, is that the reason for higher numbers or is it because the district won't spring for more staff).

3/13/15

Lynn,

The class sizes in PE at our school range from 20 up to approximately 32-40.

Some of the classes offered such as Life Guard Training and Athletic Training lend itself to having smaller numbers.

Our freshman and sophomore classes are larger as well as out Junior/Senior Team Sports usually have larger numbers.

We offer a Current Trends Class with an emphasis on step aerobics, Yoga, and aerobics, etc. that has increased the number of girls as well as boys in our school that do not wish to take my strength and conditioning class. The Trends class has actually tapped into a market that we knew would increase our total numbers of participation with our Physical Education Department.

The Strength and Conditioning class that I am responsible for ranges in numbers from a low of 22 to classes that are currently at 30+. It kind of runs in cycles with my numbers.

The problem I run into is when the sophomore classes get above 30 in a badminton, ping pong, or even a basketball unit whereby the numbers are uneven. Then I have to be creative and have substitutions are have an extra team walk and then bring them in after a game finishes.


Thank you.

dean W. Tutas

I have 36 in a weight training class. There are only 16 racks. This makes it difficult to pair students to have a meaningful workout in 48 minutes. Safety becomes a concern as well.

When we have our big class in the fitness center we run a circuit. For example, have the students will rep out for 30 seconds while the other half skip rope. Slightly different work out, but it allows you to focus on 2 components of fitness and a circuit is great for breaking up the monotony of just lifting weights.

The class sizes in my school for Heath and PE varies depending on the size of the entire class for that school year. We have a limited number of sections offered each semester so I would have to save overall class size is our main factor as to our individual class size. Our district has fewer students now than in the past so our PE and Health classes are very manageable now with 20-26 students per section.

Wow! 40 students in a class seems too large. How can you or anyone else effectively provide the best physical/health education while managing 40 students? Our cap is at 25. After 25 students, they bring in a teacher assistant to assist with classroom management and transitioning from one class to another.