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<p>Unfortunately, being able to cater to multiple learning styles/learning speeds is one thing which doesn’t scale well to ever larger class sizes*…especially when school districts/educational budgets mandate having classes filled with students of wide ranging academic abilities/learning styles. </p>
<p>And we’re not including the often unacknowledged fact that it takes only a tiny handful or even one highly disruptive and/or violent student to destroy the learning environment for the teacher…no matter how able and the rest of the class. </p>
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<li>Some reasons why Japan’s public schools can get away with large class sizes with far less disruption include parental/community/student peer pressure against disruptive/disrespectful/violent students**, teachers have the power to refuse to teach the lesson of the day if some students/class misbehaved during or in previous class until students with parental prodding issue public apologies for such misbehavior, and academic laggards aren’t allowed by peer/community pressure to hold the rest of the class back…they are expected to get tutoring in/outside of school or sink.<br></li>
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<p>** Japanese schools also have no compunctions about permanently expelling students for serious disciplinary infractions even in elementary/middle school. Happened to one older friend who was expelled in 7th grade for a mild schoolfight with no other public school willing to take him and family disowning him. Ended up having to work odd/unskilled factory jobs for several years before a lucky break with a benefactor meant he was sent to the US to finish his education here in the states. When I met him, he was a 26 year old senior about to graduate college with flying colors.</p>