Documentation:FlISWModuleLargeClassroomsRowshanNov2015
Time to complete this module
15 minutes
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Identify possible challenges which might arise in teaching a Large Classroom (LC) in your discipline
- Share your story of an effective technique you have used (or seen used) in a LC
- Describe the idea of ‘Change-up’ in lectures
- Develop and discuss strategies for change-up that can be used in a LC in your discipline
Think about your experience/perception of what you call a large classroom. Using the Comments box below, briefly answer the following questions:
- What is the approximate size of a class you consider a Large Classroom?
- Mention 1-2 major challenges you associate with teaching a LC
- Have you ever had an experience (either as a teacher or a student) of a particularly successful strategy used in a LC? Please mention the topic of the class and briefly share your experience.
Read
- "I sat in the back of the classroom, observing and taking careful notes as usual. The class started at one o’clock. The student sitting in front of me took copious notes until 1:20. Then he just nodded off. The student sat motionless, with eyes shut for about a minute and a half, pen still poised. Then he awoke, and continued his rapid note-taking as if he hadn’t missed a beat."
The above is the opening paragraph of an article titled ‘The "Change-Up" in Lectures’ (Middendorf & Kalish, 1996). The authors argue that given that students have an attention span of around 15 to 20 minutes and that university classes are scheduled for around 50 or 75 minutes, it is essential to build a “change-up” into your class to punctuate sections of lecture and restart the attention clock.
Discuss
Here is a short version of the article: [1]
- Please read the section titled ‘A Change-up Sampler’ (pages 4 and 5).
- Mention 2-3 change-up strategies that you find useful in a large classroom in your discipline.
Submit your responses using the reply box below.
(For full text of the article please see Go Further section of the module below.)
Go Further
- ‘Large Classes: A Teaching Guide’, from Teaching & Learning Transformation Center, University of Maryland
- ‘The Change-up in Lectures’, full article by Joan Middendorf & Alan Kalish
- ‘Actively Engaging Students in Large Classes’, Teaching and Learning Bulletin, Center for Instructional Development and Research, University of Washington