Inconsistent Modern Language Class Sizes Sparks Concern

As a result of add/drop period course changes, several modern language classes have been exceeding 12 students, raising questions around departmental funding.

According to Dean of Faculty Ellen Wolff, staffing is reviewed annually by each department chair and the Dean of Faculty. “We base all our staffing projections—and our hiring—on historical enrollment patterns and on students’ spring schedule requests,” she said.

Interim Chief Financial Officer Marijka Beauchesne noted that once these discussions were complete, appropriate funds were always allocated. “All demands from a department regarding staffing are met,” she said.

However, problems arose when section sizes fluctuated beyond these estimates after the add/drop period at the beginning of each term.

Wolff noted that certain sections had to go beyond 12 in order to run more advanced classes that had low enrollments. “We sometimes run smaller sections of advanced courses to satisfy students’ requests,” she said. “When that happens, some other courses sometimes become larger than the ideal 12.”

Christoph said, “Large classes balance out the small ones, and we are mindful of the imbalance in the student experience.”

These large sections have indeed shown to be a detrimental aspect of language classes for both students and faculty. Each student has less time and opportunity to participate in the discussion and to practice speaking the language.

French Instructor Viviana Santos brought up that having an ample opportunity to speak was a central part of the Harkness method. “Pedagogically, it’s not ideal. We don’t have any other way for students to speak to each other than in classes if they’re not getting a chance, because there are too many people and sometimes there are two or three aggressive speakers in the class, and it’s hard to try to find a way in,” Santos said.

Spanish Instructor Jacqueline Flores said that especially in beginning levels, an overcrowded classroom could foster a discouraging environment. “It’s bad enough that you have to overcome your shyness or overcome your fear of making mistakes because sometimes all you need is confidence to speak in a foreign language,” she said.

Chinese Instructor Levi Stribling also emphasized how speaking is crucial to expanding the students’ abilities to speak and understand a foreign language. “In a language class...I’m trying to suck every minute to get more exposure,” he said. “The only way language improves is with time and practice.”

Lower Isa Matsubayashi, whose Chinese class was composed of nine students, attested to the value in having a small section. “It gives everybody—even the people who don’t talk as much—an opportunity to contribute to the class,” she said.

Smaller sections, on the other hand, also have their downsides. Senior Bella Ilchenko took a 500 level Russian course which only had four students. Though she said that, “in general, the smaller the class, the better,” she noted how with only three other people it was more challenging to have a proper Harkness conversation.

Lower Hassane Fiteni pointed out how even a section of 14 is quite small compared to classes at other schools. “I think we’re just so accustomed to having 12 kids in a class that 14 might seem big, but if we look around, it’s still an amazing size and [we are] still able to keep a good discussion and interaction,” he said.

On the other hand, in an elementary Spanish class with 12 students, prep Kate Mautz felt that larger class sizes led to difficulty in student engagement and organization. “With a larger class, I feel that it is easier for the class to get off topic more frequently and for side conversations to occur when people are speaking,” Mautz said.

French Instructor Amadou Talla noted the spatial limitations of an Exeter classroom. He recalled how a few years ago, his class was so large that they could not fit around a Harkness table. “If the teacher cannot sit at the table with the students, it changes the whole dynamic of the class. Now instead of looking at each other, they have to [turn around and] look to the teacher,” he said. “It’s hard to include everyone if you cannot fit people at the table.”

Large classes also bring up challenges in testing. With only 12 sliders on every Harkness table, faculty mentioned the inconvenience of having to accommodate for additional students. “I have to put the additional student at my desk which pushes me to move my things. Even proctoring a test becomes challenging,” Talla said.

Stribling added that such alternative arrangements could make it easier to commit academic dishonesty. “It becomes an issue of physical space, and a little bit of security and compromising when we have assessments or tests,” he said.

Spanish Instructor Mark Trafton, while understanding the Academy’s various needs, believes that the school displays its priorities through its investments. “We have to have resources for all sorts of programs, so we don’t always get what we want. But an institution states its values by where it invests its resources,” Trafton said. “I think we teachers would all agree that splitting a class of 15 students into two sections is worth the costs to the academy in terms of economics, space and personnel.”