Dealing with the Challenges of Teaching large Groups

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Dealing with the Dealing with the Challenges of Challenges of Teaching large Teaching large

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Problems of teaching a large Group

• Over view

– Introducing MMM132– Why large Group teaching is

problematic?-Brookfield’s (1995) critical reflection

process

MMM132- Management unit

• Run across all semester• Largest unit in Deakin• First yr core management unit • Popular elective subject • 2 one hr lecture, 1 hr tutorial• 1500+ students in Sem, 2, 2007

Problems of teaching a large Group

Large Group Teaching- Why it is problematic?

• Lack of engagement• Lack of motivation• Problems of anonymity • etc, etc

Challenges of Diversity of the student cohort?

Critical reflection Process

• Brookfield’s (1995) critical reflection process

Self Reflection process

Autobiography as a teacher and learner

Students’ eyesExisting literature

Colleagues Experiences

Critical reflection (contd)

• Autobiography as a teacher and learner - ‘Well prepared’ for confidence-teaching strategies influenced by my

experiences as a learner- build a ‘trusted’ relationship with he students

Critical reflection: Autobiography as a teacher

and learner (contd)

• Strategies used:– Addressing students by their names– Asking open-ended questions– Focus on two way communication– Using MCQ and True/False questions – Summarizing the main point– Pausing after every 20 mins

Critical reflection (contd)

• Students eyes– seeing ourselves through student’s eyes is

one of the most consistently surprising elements in any teachers career’ ( Brookfield, 1995: 32)

• Challenges

Critical reflection Students’ eyes (contd)

• Strategies:– We want to learn from you– Discussing how they will learn in the unit– Showing interest– Explaining things– Making the subject interesting– Understanding the problem of students

Critical reflection (contd)

• Colleagues’ experience

• Strategies:– Using MCQ/ True/false questions – Walking up the isle– Design of DSO site – Adopting multimedia– Responding to student queries

Critical reflection (contd)

• Existing Research‘There is no one way to teach a large class. We have to take into account our teaching style, the characteristics of our students and the goals and objectives of our course’ (Handbook for Teaching Large Class, 2000).

Critical reflection: Existing Research (contd)

• Strategies– pause after every 15-20 mins (Biggs, 2003;

Mc keachie, 2003) – using self-addressed questions (Biggs, 2003)– small individual activities– ‘less is more approach’ (Ramsden, 2003)– catering to different learning styles (Fedler,

2005)

Concluding points• Large group teaching has

challenges but these can be addressed to a large extent if we use Brookfield's self reflection process.