A framework on the curriculum of small class teaching in a teacher education programme

With the implementation of small class teaching in the local primary schools, some teachers keep asking the question: How should I teach in a small class setting to optimize the learning of my students? Literatures on small class teaching commonly agree that teachers should change their teaching practice adopted in regular classes to teach in small classes in order for students to benefit. Yet, some teachers and teacher educators argue that the teaching methods used in a regular class can also be used in a small class. They insist that there should not be a different kind of teaching methods for small class teaching. Designing an effective teacher education programme on small class teaching to meet the different needs of teachers is a big challenge. This paper aims to report how some teacher educators attempt to design a teacher education programme on small class teaching for in-service teachers. Based on the theories of learning and teaching, they have created a framework upon which the programme is developed.