Of course, this title is somewhat provocative and exaggerated in its unalterable significance. Nevertheless, there is a lot of truth in it. American researchers have found that the composition of the first class already has a major impact on the school success of students. So it doesn’t matter which primary school a child attends. The results of the years of research are really interesting.
Strong classes don’t necessarily produce strong results
Perhaps you think that in a demanding class, all children take it further than in a class with many problem cases. But that is not necessarily the case. Those with an average talent and a mediocre talent will be highly valued by their classmates. He lives the same child day after day, but if others are smarter, faster and better than themselves, his self-confidence will decline. This often affects learning behaviour.
This is what a great school start looks like
- the school class moves in size at the bottom
- teachers are experienced, patient and just
- the classroom offers many possibilities
- the equipment of the school is modern and responds to the needs of the children
- the class has a balanced level of performance, so that every child can have success experiences
- Weak pupils can either be given special care to groups
- Bullying is openly addressed and stopped immediately
School success: It’s about standing out positively from the group
At least in school, this effect is clearly demonstrated. One could also call it this: among the blind is the one-eyed king. We all probably know a child who grew up with English as a mother tongue. There is no question that in a purely German class it performs much better than the others in The German. Without question, therefore, it usually has a very good grade. And experiences himself as a good English speaker. It’s better, but it also feels better. And that’s hugely motivating.
Your own performance is compared to others
It is clear that you always compare yourself to those you are dealing with. At school, weaker and worse classmates seem to improve their own performance. The experience of being able to do something better than others is motivating and conducive to school success. From the very first grade onwards, this motivation for learning is an important factor for school success. And that will remain the case for the next few years of school. Despite the start of school, these 5 biggest school problems also have an impact on school success.
Students behave differently
Only after puberty or in study does the behaviour change. Here, stronger students act as a magnet that pulls the others along. However, if a student moves in a weak learning group, he is also happy to be involved. So the effects of the learning group change over the course of a lifetime. If weaker classmates are motivating at the beginning of school, they tend to have a negative impact on learning behaviourin older young people.
Teachers take their class was subjective
Teachers, of course, also play a major role. In a largely weak class, an average gifted child is positive. It is much more supported, supported and motivated here than in a group of high-performing children or young people. In such a group, it takes powerful and perhaps even highly talented children to stand out positively. Teachers are also guided by the group they work with.
This behaviour is human
There is no accusation behind this finding. After all, in a school class there are no robots, but human beings. They want to share their experiences, promote children and young people and enable them to live a successful life. Teachers are happy about strong students and experience them as an enrichment of their teaching. But they are also committed to the weaker students. The term is strong and weak always an extremely subjective perception and is based on the existing composition of the class.
