CRI听力：Small-class Teaching Benefits Students in Shanghai

Years after a small-class teaching program was promoted in Shanghai, the new form of education has not only reduced class sizes but also enabled students to enjoy more educational resources. And, as our Shanghai correspondent Zhou Jing reports, it has also benefited students in encouraging a teaching style that is more innovative and tailored to their needs.

Reporter:

Students at Yangpu Elementary School are having a Chinese class. Unlike a traditional setting where every silent student sits facing the blackboard, the 30 students here are separated into groups, and each group sits in a circle so that it's easy for them to discuss the lesson.

This boy seems to enjoy his small-class educational environment a lot.

"Every student has a chance to say something during the class, to share what we've learned."

Yangpu Elementary School started to implement the "small-class" teaching format 10 years ago, meaning the number of students in a class was reduced from around 50 to only 30. And the changes were not just in superficial size reductions. Since then, the teachers have been involved in innovative and interactive teaching, they strive to design new curriculums and develop new teaching methods, and they assess the students' achievements in a multiple of ways.

And to get even closer to the kids and help them at any time, many teachers have even moved their office into the classroom.
Here is a teacher taking about the advantages of small-class education.

"The point of small-class education is that we can teach students in accordance with their aptitude. Every kid is different from another."

Yu Songquan is the headmaster of a local elementary school.

"It has actually changed our attitude towards education. It encourages teacher to get closer to their students and enables students to enjoy more quality educational resources."

A recent survey has found that all students interviewed say they prefer small-class teaching. And 60 percent of them say they are more willing to voice their opinions in smaller classes and feel content after doing so.

To date, small-call education has been widely adopted in Shanghai's primary schools. And thanks to this successful experience, the city's education committee is planning to promote it in middle schools as well.

Zhou Jing, CRI News, Shanghai.