1 How to improve large class teaching?: Tips and tool for better teaching Hiroaki Sato Vice Director and Associate Professor, Office for Educational Planning

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How to improve large class teaching?: Tips and tool for

better teaching

　

Hiroaki SatoVice Director and Associate Professor, Office for Educational

Planning and Research, Ehime University, Japan

Japan Association for Educational Development in Higher Education

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I am from Matsuyama, Ehime.

Matsuyama Castle

Dogo Hot Spa

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It is your turn. Where are you from?

Please introduce yourself to the neighbors.

1 - Name 2 - University 3 - Area of speciality

How are you?

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1 2 3

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0%0%

1.I am very fine!

2.I want to go back home (Very bad).

3.Not too bad.

How long have you taught in higher education?

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25% 25%25%25%1. Less than 5 years

2. 6 years – 10 years

3. 11 years – 15 years

4. More than 16 years

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0 / 50

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Content

1.Characteristic of large classes2.Tips for course design 3.Tips for conveying information

clearly 4.Tips for not making classes

anonymous 5.Tips for pair work/ group work 6.Tips for questions and answers7.Tips for delivering and collecting

materials effectively

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Learning Outcome

After you finish this workshop, you will be able to get at least one tip among 31 tips for better large class teaching.

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1.Characteristic of large classes

When you say “large class”, does it mean how many students for you?

91 2 3 4 5

20% 20% 20%20%20%1. 50 ～ 99

2. 100 ～ 149

3. 150 ～ 199

4. 200 ～ 299

5. 299 ～0 / 50

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Two perspectives on research for class size （ Nakai, 2006 ）

① Class size effects on motivation of teachers and students. As a result, it affects educational effects.

② Class size does not effect on class-rooms control and outcomes.

→ No clear consensus on it.

1. Characteristic of large classes

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Class-size research in North America（ Yamazi, 2007 ）

There is a negative correlation between numbers of students and evaluation points for group interaction and /or sense of trust. Less students classes are evaluated more highly. But numbers of students are over 100, the class is evaluated highly.


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Class-size research in Japan （ Nakai, 2006 ）

・ Large class-size affects negative impact for classes.・ Big difference is seen in “Chance for questions and assertion” and “Promotion of learning outside classes”・ Topics on educational effects such as “ Intellectual stimulation” and “ Total satisfaction” are highly evaluated in over 100 classes.・ Students satisfy large class more than teachers.


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Small class

Large class

SmallDistance between

teachers and learnersLarge

Less Responsibility of learners More

Various Feasible teaching method Limited

Low impact

Relationship among learners

High impact

EasyInteraction between

teachers and learnersDifficult

ShortPreparation time for

teaching classLong

Visible Reaction of learners Invisible

1. Characteristic of large classesLarge class students is a

crowd

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Challenges and Questions• How to teach “large classes” like “small classes”?• How to change “crowd” to “community” in your classes?

Effectiveness of teaching & learningSmall class ＞ Large class

The difference of Sense of community


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2. Tips for course design

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Tips 1. Design Structured Teaching Plan In large classes, it is hard for professors to catch the reaction of learners. It is hard for students to ask questions. It is not easy to change teaching plan flexibly. It is better to design structured teaching plan.

Model of structured teaching planIntroduction/ 2-3 Main topics/ Summary

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Tips 2. Draw attention first Large class students are various in terms of interest, motivation and ability. Before starting to teach main topics, you need to draw attention first to explain the following things （ Hashimoto and Suzuki, p.158 ） .

1 - Reason why you pick up the topics2 - Evidence of how the topics are important and valuable3 - Connection between the topics and learner’s merits


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Tips 2. Draw attention first

AIDMA (Samuel Roland Hall)• Attention “What is this?”• Interest “ It might be interesting.”• Desire “ I want to know.” • Memory “I remember it.”• Action “ I want to learn more about it.”


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3. Tips for conveying information clearly

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“ If I clap my hands together at Sarusawa-Pond, a maid came to me with a cup of tea, carps came towards me and doves began to fly.”

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Tips 3. Speak with articulation and indicate clearly

・ The more audiences, the more misunderstanding

・ If you teach large classes, you need to think that there would be a lot of students who misunderstood what you taught.

・ When you teach important things, you can repeat, write, deliver in the paper and ask them whether they understand or not.


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Tips 4. Conveying information strongly and largely

・ Voice ： Use of microphone ・ Action ： More body language with

exaggerated gesture, Walk around classroom （ Bear Walk ）・ Writing ： Big letter・ Presentation ： Use of audio visual aid (Over head camera, power point, youtube video…)


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Tips for Power point in large classes （ Ritsumeikan University, 2005,

p.8 ） 1. Character-size, font and points ・ 50 points. ・ Gothic or Arial ・ Bold face ・ one sentence should be under 15 characters and under 5 lines2. Color ・ No bright background ・ Bright characters and dark background

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4. Tips for not making classrooms anonymous

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　 4. Tips for not making classrooms anonymous

What kind of problems do you have in teaching large classes?

1. Think about that by yourself at first. You can write memo about it.2. Share about that with pair near you next.

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In classroom where students are not treated as an individuals, they feel less responsibility for classmates or professors. Students who think they are anonymous tend to be lower motivated and do not work. Students who have sense of community tend to concentrate learning and more active in class （ Davis, 2002, p.153 ）

　 4. Tips for not making classrooms anonymous

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As soon as possible, you need to make social relationship among

professor⇔student⇔student


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Tips 5. Indicate the location of desk to students Tips 6. Make students sit down forward and center in the class Tips 7. Call students’ name Tips 8. Arrive at classroom early and exit slowly (Students are easy to talk with you) Tips 9. Indicate student to submit homework to teacher directly


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Tips 10. Walk around with the aisle Tips 11. Use Minute Paper and tell student’s voice and questions Tips 12. Talk about your private story Tips 13. Make students introduce themselves to the next (Ice break)


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　 5. Tips for pair work/ group work

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5. Tips for Pair work/ Group work

Tips 14. Use “Think, Pair & Share”

Think…Think / Write idea by myself Pair…Share with two people Share…Share with group or everyone

Tips 15. Do not expect that all students do pair or group work

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6. Tips for questions and answers

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6. Tips for questions and answers ・ Questioning ＝ Making blank space in

brain ・ Brain tend to fill the blank space

・ If you give students good questions, students’ brain start to work.

・ Question and answer time is Showtime. It is chance to involve more students to learning.

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Tips 16. Use “Open questions” and “Closed questions”

Tips 17. Use “Non-Appointed questions” and “Appointed questions”

Tips 18. Use “Relay questions” and “Return questions”

Guess what each questions mean with pairs.


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Tips 19. Take enough time for waiting students’ answers

Tips 20. Collect answers from all students Tips 21. Appoint student fairly and impartially Tips 22. Give positive feedback to answers Tips 23. Make all students to applause the students who answered questions (Sharing emotions)


Have you heard about the word “clicker”?

361 2

50%50%1.Yes

2.No

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　 Clicker

http://news.com.com/2300-1041_3-5819187-2.html?tag=ne.gall.pg

Teachers catch them with receivers.

Students push the button with wireless transmitters.

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　 Easy clicker

１． Communication Card

２． Number Card

３． Paper and Pen

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7. Tips for delivering and collecting materials

effectively

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7. Tips for delivering and collecting materials effectively

Tips24. Deliver the bundled materials in the first day （ course packet ）

Tips25. Put the materials on line and tell students to print out them

Tips26. Bring envelopes and tell students to put homework into them by ID numbers

Tips27. Select leaders in each group in the first class and ask them to collect homework

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Tips28. Set some deadlines for reports

Tips29. Write assessment of evaluation or deadline of task in syllabus

Tips30. Carry out mini-test in the beginning of classes or give homework. Tell students to check the result each other.（ peer evaluation ）

Tips31. Assess the student by rubric assessment sheets

7. Tips for delivering and collecting materials effectively

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　 Rubric AssessmentBad（Ｃ） So-so（Ｂ） Good（Ａ）

Voice発表全体を通して、教室全体に声が

届かず、端では内容がよく聞き取れない。

教室全体に声が届いているが、時々、内容が聞き取れないことがある。

教室全体に声が届いており、最初から最後まで、内容がよく聞き取れる。

EyeContac

t

発表全体を通して、聴衆を見ていないことが多い。

発表中に、聴衆を見ていないことが時々ある。

発表全体を通して、聴衆を見ている。

Content

わかりやすい順序で内容が構成されておらず、聞き手が理解に苦しむ。ポイントが不明瞭である。

内容の順序については、改善の余地が若干あり、聞き手が理解しにくい部分がある。ポイントもやや不明瞭である。

わかりやすい順序で内容が構成されており、聞き手が理解しやすい。ポイントも強調されている。

Passion

やる気が表現されていない。淡々と発表をこなしているように見える。

やる気がないわけではないが、人を動かすほどの熱意にまでは表現されていない。

やる気、人を動かす熱意も十分表現されている。

TeamWork

メンバー間でのコミュニケーションがとれておらず一人に任せきりにしている、もしくは一人が勝手に発表を進めているように見える。

メンバー間でのコミュニケーションがまあまあとれており、協力して発表を進めているように見える。発表に対する熱意が感じられないメンバーがいる。

メンバー間でのコミュニケーションが十分にとれており、協力して発表を進めているように見える。発表に対するメンバー全員の熱意が感じられる。

Q and A

質問を正確に理解していないために、応答が的を射ていない。応答が攻撃的であり、質問者や聞き手に不愉快な思いをさせている。

質問を正確に理解しているが、応答が的を射ていない。応答は誠意を持ったものになっており、やりとりが建設的である。

質問を正確に理解しており、応答が的を射ている。応答は誠意を持ったものになっており、やりとりが建設的である。

Timemanage

発表時間は規定時間を過ぎた。もしくは大幅に早い時間で終了した。

発表時間は、規定時間内であったが、若干早い時間で終了した。

発表時間は、規定時間内であり、ぎりぎりまで有効に時間を使っていた。

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Reflection time

What did you learn from this workshop? You can write anything that you want to change in your teaching.

Sample• Putting pair work at least one time in my math classes.• Using microphone in my classes.

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Learning Outcome

After you finish this workshop, you will be able to get at least one tip among 31 tips for better large class teaching.

Thank you very [email protected]

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Documents

1 How to improve large class teaching?: Tips and tool for better teaching Hiroaki Sato Vice Director and Associate Professor, Office for Educational Planning