TEFL Comstock Minnesota

Dealing with large classes, though intimidating to the inexperienced teacher, is not ultimately all that different from dealing with classes of a smaller size. The definition of a large class itself is highly subjective – while 35 students might be a large class for one teacher, another might be used to dealing with lecture halls of hundreds. If a class seems large to the person teaching it, it makes sense to treat as a large class. When dealing with a large class, there are a few special considerations for the teacher. It is important to make sure that all board work is clear and legible and that the teacher's verbal instructions are loud and clear even from the back of a large classroom. It can be difficult for a teacher to become personally familiar with all of the students in a large class, so extra steps should be taken to preserve a personal touch. Making name cards, playing introduction games, and using seating arrangements are all good ways for teachers to learn student names quickly. Using students' names helps to give a more personal touch to the large classroom and helps to keep everyone involved. When a class is too large to keep close track of students' individual progress, one popular way of keeping a personal touch is to keep portfolios of students' work; this way, teachers can look back over what students have done in the class and pick out good habits to be praised and emerging problems to be worked with. Large classes can be rowdy and unruly, a natural function of the number of students and variety of personalities they contain. Laying down clear rules early on and enforcing them consistently and fairly is the best way to tackle the issue of discipline. Students can even be involved in the rule-making process, crafting a class bill of rights on the first day. Students can also be involved in enforcing class rules as appointed group leaders and monitors. For students who misbehave because they are seeking attention, roles such as these can be especially beneficial, providing both attention and a way to be more constructively involved in the class. If students have clear, understandable rules and consistent enforcement, problems are less likely to arise in the first place. It can be more difficult in a large class than in a small one to use personal connections with the students to prevent behavioral problems, but it is still important for the teacher to make his or her presence known in the classroom and to try to establish rapport with the class. The teacher should pay special attention to his or her positioning in the classroom, staying close to students and moving frequently through the classroom during activities. The physical arrangement of the classroom is one aspect of classroom management that will be very different in large classes than in small ones. Large classes often make for crowded classrooms, so it is important to minimize the presence of unnecessary furniture, if possible. Some seating arrangements will be almost completely unworkable; while circles and horseshoes may make for intimate atmospheres in small classes, in large ones they just place students that much farther from one another, inhibiting movement. Group work is important to use in large classes, so seating arrangements should be made to facilitate group work and easy movement. Some teachers prefer to divide large classes into teams or groups that will be used throughout the course; in such cases, setting up desk islands and group work areas may be useful. If no such arrangements are to be made, it may be easiest just to stick to orderly rows. The diversity and number of students in a large class can be useful in many activities. Taking polls can be easier than it would be in smaller class sizes, since students raising their hands know they are in a large group and likely won't be the only ones with a given opinion. Activities like role-plays benefit from the diverse experiences of the students, and a wider range of interests in the classroom gives the teacher more options for topics that could interest the students. Whole-class activities will be difficult to coordinate, but teachers can work around this by having students do frequent group work. Grading large numbers of worksheets and tests can be difficult, but having students correct each others' papers takes a lot of that work off of the teacher and also helps to show the teacher how well students really know their material. To help make up for the lack of one on one time in class, it is important for the teacher to be available before and after class to address individual concerns. Arriving early to chat can also help put students at ease. Large and small classes can be challenging in different ways. If teachers approach large classes methodically, taking care to familiarize themselves with their students and to use their classroom environment to its best advantage, they can bring the same level of teaching to any class, regardless of size. Bibliography Practical Tips for Teaching Large Classes: A teacher's guide. Bangkok: UNESCO, 2006. Web. 8 July 2012. Klionsky, Daniel J. Tips For Using questions In Large Classes. The Teaching Professor (1999) 13: 1, 3. Web. 9 July 2012. Vernon, Shelley. Staying In Control Of A Large Class. esl Base. Web. 9 July 2012.