Reflecting on large class teaching at UJ
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The document discusses strategies for effective teaching in large classes, emphasizing that class size alone does not determine student performance; rather, quality of teaching, active learning, and student-faculty interaction are crucial. It highlights the importance of engaging students through collaborative projects, prompt feedback, and creating a welcoming environment, while addressing challenges such as maintaining discipline and ensuring effective communication. Overall, it advocates for continuous reflection and adaptation in teaching practices to enhance learning outcomes.
![Samuel R (“Chip”) Delany [American science fiction writer]
published his first novel, The Jewels of Aptor, in 1962. Now
professor of English at Uni of Buffalo.
Everyone in class must raise hands when ask question – no
shame in not knowing. Also, no such things as ‘what the
answer should be’.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/vanrooyenreflectingonlargeclassteachingaug2016-160816100153/85/Reflecting-on-large-class-teaching-at-UJ-23-320.jpg)
Reflecting on large class teaching at UJ
- 4. Relative to what you are used to. When it becomes challenging to engage with each student individually. Relative to smaller classes engaging students requires: More planning, more behaviour management, more effort to get to know the students, more time management (as more emails, more marking, more tutors…)
- 5. Write your number (response) on a piece of paper, and hold it up.
- 6. Long-standing belief that number of students in class affects quality of learning environment (Ehrenberg, Brewer, Gamoran & Willms 2001). In particular, large classes correlate with low student performance. • But class size not distinguishing feature of student performance. • Quality of teaching (what lecturer does in course), curriculum design and kinds of activities / assessment used more important than class size (Biggs 1999; Boulton-Lewis 1998; Exeter et al 2010; Kember 1998; Marton & Booth 1997; Meyers & Nulty 2002; Mulryan- Kyne 2010; Powell 1982; Rowntree 1987) Look at John Hattie’s effect sizes of 195 influences – e.g., class room discussions, lecturer clarity, feedback, visual /
- 7. Large class can & should be welcoming & engaging space for learning - not about information transfer. Principle for effective learning (American Association for Higher Education): 1. Student-faculty contact: from day one; share who you are 2. Cooperation/ collaboration among students 3. Active learning: Learning is not a spectator sport. Active learning shown to increase student scores on exams (Freeman et al 2014) 4. Prompt feedback 5. Emphasise time on task: also link content to their lives 6. Communicate high expectations 7. Respect diverse talents and ways of knowing Effective teaching in large classes then about making class
- 14. Create groups of four; allocate role of lecturer and student – discuss challenges. Decide on how provide feedback to the bigger group. 1. Management: discipline, distractions (such as noise levels, coming last / leaving early), absenteeism, organising activities 2. Physical: noise, can’t see/hear, provision of materials 3. Affective factors: achieving rapport, not knowing students individually / anonymity, sense of community (drink tea with small groupings of students; arrive early / leave later to chat with students) 4. Interaction: passivity; opportunities to speak; students not asking questions 5. Marking and feedback: logistics of collecting assignments, marking load, moderate
- 15. Isolation / anonymity, Noise, Engagement /concentration, Motivation, Fear Carbone & Greenberg (1998) find general dissatisfaction with quality of large-class learning experiences: - Lack of interaction with faculty members (in and out of class - Lack of structure in lectures - Lack of or poor discussion sections - Inadequacy of classroom facilities and environment - Lack of frequent testing or graded assignments Consequence is pedago-pathologies of amnesia (can’t remember), fantasia (dreaming), inertia (not doing) (Shulman 1999).
- 20. Verb: to ignite, to build, to challenge, to persuade, to teach
- 21. 1. Do survey in week 1 about who they are, and use it in class in examples. Like inventory of class – not to know deficit, but what contributions bring. 2. Try to learn some student names - attempt is appreciated, as it communicates care 1. Name cards in front of them 3. Encourage use of consultation hours 1. Students come in groups 2. Give extra credit for students making use of consolation hours to discuss progress in course
- 22. 1. Make yourself know to students, and always be honest 2. Show care for and belief in students a. Start on day one with learning b. Integrate student life in class, e.g., Valentine’s day c. Respond to emails timeously 3. Students have to get to know one another - tutorials very useful; study buddy; think-pair-share in class a. student-to-student interaction (rather than lecturer-student interaction) 4. Do group work: online discussions, tutorials, collaborative project-based learning 5. Create a space in which mistakes are celebrated. But not the same mistake.
- 23. Samuel R (“Chip”) Delany [American science fiction writer] published his first novel, The Jewels of Aptor, in 1962. Now professor of English at Uni of Buffalo. Everyone in class must raise hands when ask question – no shame in not knowing. Also, no such things as ‘what the answer should be’.
- 24. Michael Wesch talking about teaching as soul making - http:// mediatedcultures.net/ presentations/learning-
- 25. 1. Must use mic / pa system 2. Move around - mobile mic & slide mover 3. Visual aids - images & colour in presentations 4. Have some suspense & anticipation 5. Put questions to students to discuss in groups, and have group questions back - think, pair, share 6. Challenge of large class is keep students engaged in authentic manner A. Use of clickers B. Twitter C. Discussions with tutors D. Write / draw on paper E. Experiments / demonstrations 7. Activity in class that count for class attendance 8. Flip classroom
- 26. #FMF2016 is voice - challenge us to think about what and how we do in HE. Question not only governance of HE, but also within class. What voice do students have in your courses? How do you give students voices? A. Feedback mechanisms (taking pulse & hearing them): - Student reps for class. - Online discussion forum that focused on decisions make in course. Must respond to feedback that get! Freire’s Pedagogy of the oppressed - all about who has power - handing over the stick.
- 28. Discipline is about power and standardisation. That not what learning is about.
- 29. 1. There must be organising; but it does not mean no noise! Planned chaos 2. Start & end on time - be a role model on time management 3. Encourage spontaneity 4. Use humour & entertainment A. Thea’s toilet roll A. Healer act B. Play music
- 31. Let’s dance! Mike and the Mechanics – Word of mouth
- 32. 1. Collaborative project-based work 2. Tutorials 3. Online - Blackboard, wiki, other online courses (MOOC) 4. Students create personalised learning networks - have hundreds of experts involved in their learning
- 33. 1. Continuous & formative assessment 2. Use marking rubrics & moderate 3. Timeous and sufficient feedback so that learn from mistakes: start assessment early on; share list of common problems in assignments 4. Peer review: provide marking guidelines, have two students mark it, get average of marks; have rebuttal period where student motivates to lecture why disagree with markers 5. Lombardi’s authentic learning: real-world relevance, ill- defined problem, multiple sources / perspectives, collaboration, reflection, interdisciplinary perspective, integrated assessment 6. More plagiarism in large classes?
- 34. 1. Use markers: train them, moderate marking 2. Have logistics sorted so that have week turn-around 3. Increasing use various forms of exemplars to guide student efforts - also for markers
- 35. 1. With other lecturer(s) & support divisions within UJ 2. Effective use of tutors 3. Make use of students working in groups
- 37. Can make large class teaching so much easier. But be careful – it’s not about the tech, but the pedagogy. Tech remains but a tool, and is not neutral. 1. Tablets in class. 2. Follow and share at #ujtablet or #ujhtl
- 38. 1. Tech is a tool to be used to achieve learning 2. Blended learning. What do with large class online? Wiki, blog, tweet
- 39. Crucial that constantly reflect about what is happening in course. Try out things the whole time, reflect with students about your teaching practices, and be honest with students and self. And that do research on own teaching – scholarship on teaching and learning. Join SOTL@UJ – contact prof Brenda Leibowitz.
- 46. Staying with the trouble is about not avoiding frictions of contention, but endeavouring to remain in the middle of troubling situations. It is also about the possibility for the not-yet-finished, the ongoing, the dreadful but generative forces.
- 47. Exist pass: also, what bugs you still? Use these at start of next class.
- 50. Taking biology as major replaced with learning human biology to eliminate world hunger.