We believe the Discoverypoint School of Massage offers the finest Professional Massage Program (PMP) in Seattle based on several factors; the foremost being the depth and breadth of knowledge of our faculty, as well as their passion and experience as teachers.  Another thing that our students point out as what sets us apart from other regional massage schools, is the quality learning environment created by our small class sizes. We have a student-to-teacher ratio of 14:1 in all of our hands-on classes to ensure more in-depth and personalized feedback for each individual. Our average class size is 16-20 with 2 instructors, and our maximum is 24.

It’s been shown time and time again that small class sizes are extremely beneficial to learning in a K-12 setting. Interestingly, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the education research community realized this. Until then, it was generally accepted that class size had little or no effect on student achievement. It wasn’t until civil rights groups investigating the effect of crowded inner-city classrooms on student learning and development that people started to realize how much can fall through the cracks when your student-teacher ratio gets too high.  The importance of small class sizes is especially true in hands-on vocational programs like massage certification. Here’s why:

More Attention

When class sizes are small, students are able to engage more with their teachers. Questions and curiosities are easier to raise, and the instructor can spend more time addressing each student’s concerns. Our instructors are also able to more closely observe their students’ work, correcting poor body mechanics and stroke techniques before bad habits are formed. And in massage, the stakes are pretty high—bad habits or spotty understanding could potentially mean injuring yourself or your client.

Building Better Career Paths

One finding from the National Survey of Student Engagement, which queried undergraduate students about their educational experience, noted that student-faculty interaction is an important predictor of success in college. Professional programs are very similar. Students who are able to form individual learning relationships with instructors tend to have more successful massage careers. At Discoverypoint we work hard to help each student define and achieve their career goals, and set them on the path to a successful career. Students are a lot more than their course fees to us—we see future helpers and healers, who we look forward to welcoming into our professional community.

Personalized Education

Because we keep our class sizes are small, we know each of our students on a personal basis. We know how to teach to their different learning styles, and work with them to overcome any obstacles they might encounter during their program. We help our students identify their strengths and weaknesses so they can provide massage based on their individual gifts. Small class sizes allows for a degree of personal and professional communication that’s impossible in larger programs.

If you think you a smaller class size would be beneficial for your massage education, we urge you to give us a call at Discoverypoint, and we’ll talk about how we can help you realize your potential.