Engaging Large Classes

In this useful and practical book, Elisa Carbone offers a wealth of sound advice on how to deal with a large class, from the first day to end of term evaluations. Full of examples taken from many different disciplines, Teaching Large Classes will be an ideal companion for any teacher facing the challenge of the large introductory class.

Large classes have become a fact of life in colleges and universities across America; even as academic funding has decreased, class enrollments have continued to rise. Although students, teachers, and administrators are often concerned by the potentially negative impact of uneven teacher-to-student ratios, large classes also offer many potential advantages that are less recognized and not always maximized. In Engaging Large Classes, the authors demonstrate that large classes can be just as stimulating and rewarding as smaller classes. Written by experienced teachers of large classes across a wide range of disciplines and institutions, this book provides faculty members and administrators with instructional strategies and advice on how to enhance large class settings. This book summarizes many of the core issues related to successfully teaching large classes, including An honest review of the advantages and disadvantages of large classes Advice on how to design, plan, manage, and fairly assess large classes The universality of large-class issues across disciplines, from classroom management to working with teaching assistants Strategies for using classroom technology, active learning, and collaborative learning Seventeen detailed examples of large classes from a range of higher education institutions The authors not only present an overview of research on teaching large classes, they also equip readers with helpful insight into the mechanics of large-class pedagogy. This book has the potential to change the way academia views the reality of teaching large classes.

This guide combines theory on teaching methodology with advice on good teaching practice in order to help teachers face the challenge of larger numbers of students in their classrooms. It includes a number of case studies which explore innovative teaching methods.

In this much needed resource, Maryellen Weimer-one of the nation's most highly regarded authorities on effective college teaching-offers a comprehensive work on the topic of learner-centered teaching in the college and university classroom. As the author explains, learner-centered teaching focuses attention on what the student is learning, how the student is learning, the conditions under which the student is learning, whether the student is retaining and applying the learning, and how current learning positions the student for future learning. To help educators accomplish the goals of learner-centered teaching, this important book presents the meaning, practice, and ramifications of the learner-centered approach, and how this approach transforms the college classroom environment. Learner-Centered Teaching shows how to tie teaching and curriculum to the process and objectives of learning rather than to the content delivery alone.

This book describes team-based learning (TBL), an unusually powerful and versatile teaching strategy that enables teachers to take small group learning to a whole new level of effectiveness. It is the only pedagogical use of small groups that is based on a recognition of the critical difference between "groups" and "teams", and intentionally employs specific procedures to transform newly-formed groups into high performance learning teams.This book is a complete guide to implementing TBL in a way that will promote the deep learning all teachers strive for. This is a teaching strategy that promotes critical thinking, collaboration, mastery of discipline knowledge, and the ability to apply it.Part I covers the basics, beginning with an analysis of the relative merits and limitations of small groups and teams. It then sets out the processes, with much practical advice, for transforming small groups into cohesive teams, for creating effective assignments and thinking through the implications of team-based learning.In Part II teachers from disciplines as varied as accounting, biology, business, ecology, chemistry, health education and law describe their use of team-based learning. They also demonstrate how this teaching strategy can be applied equally effectively in environments such as large classes, mixed traditional and on-line classes, and with highly diverse student populations.Part III offers a synopsis of the major lessons to be learned from the experiences of the teachers who have used TBL, as described in Part II. For teachers contemplating the use of TBL, this section provides answers to key questions, e.g., whether to use team-based learning, what it takes to make it work effectively, and what benefits one can expect from it–for the teacher as well as for the learners.The appendices answer frequently asked questions, include useful forms and exercises, and offer advice on peer evaluations and grading. A related Web site that allows readers to “continue the conversation,” view video material, access indexed descriptions of applications in various disciplines and post questions further enriches the book. The editors’ claim that team-based instruction can transform the quality of student learning is fully supported by the empirical evidence and examples they present. An important book for all teachers in higher education.

Strategies for Teaching Large Classes Effectively in Higher Education helps educators effectively harness the power of the large class to support student learning. The book features advice from instructors across disciplines, results from the initiatives they've tried, and scholarship to support their claims. The text emphasizes the ideas that a large class represents an opportunity and scholarly teaching can occur in a class of any size. The book begins with practical advice for planning ahead, increasing the efficiency of the administration of a large class, implementing pedagogical strategies, and using physical demonstrations to increase engagement. Later chapters focus on building community with students through the application of technology and gathering feedback. Instructors learn various approaches to course development and student assessment, including active learning, the flipped classroom method, concept sketches, and two-stage exams. The book concludes with chapters dedicated to leveraging technology to promote innovation, interactivity, and learning outside the classroom. Featuring experience-driven and scholarly insight, Strategies for Teaching Large Classes Effectively in Higher Education is an ideal resource for instructors who wish to successfully engage large classes and provide students with an optimal environment for learning.

Now in Paperback! "Masterfully balancing the practitioner's need for concretesuggestions and the scholar's quest for intriguing ideas, this bookoffers tips to be tried in class tomorrow and ideas to be mused onfor months." --Maryellen Weimer, professor, Penn State University-BerksCampus "I have used the first edition of Joe Lowman's book for years andfound it most helpful. The new edition is a must for teachers andfaculty developers." --Milt Cox, University Director for Teaching Effectivness Programs,Miami University In this second edition of his classic resource, Joseph Lowmanexpands on his earlier model of effective teaching to place greateremphasis on motivational skill and commitment to teaching. Hepresents a practical new learning model that compares six sourcesof influence on what and how students learn in a college course.All types of teachers and instructors will discover options on howto organize classes and use group work to promote learning. Theywill also find a checklist for assessing their classroomperformance on video, detailed instructions for using videoanalysis to improve their technique, and an innovative approach toevaluating their overall performance.

Teaching at Its Best This third edition of the best-selling handbook offers faculty at all levels an essential toolbox of hundreds of practical teaching techniques, formats, classroom activities, and exercises, all of which can be implemented immediately. This thoroughly revised edition includes the newest portrait of the Millennial student; current research from cognitive psychology; a focus on outcomes maps; the latest legal options on copyright issues; and how to best use new technology including wikis, blogs, podcasts, vodcasts, and clickers. Entirely new chapters include subjects such as matching teaching methods with learning outcomes, inquiry-guided learning, and using visuals to teach, and new sections address Felder and Silverman's Index of Learning Styles, SCALE-UP classrooms, multiple true-false test items, and much more. Praise for the Third Edition of Teaching at Its BestEveryone veterans as well as novices will profit from reading Teaching at Its Best, for it provides both theory and practical suggestions for handling all of the problems one encounters in teaching classes varying in size, ability, and motivation." Wilbert McKeachie, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, and coauthor, McKeachie's Teaching TipsThis new edition of Dr. Nilson's book, with its completely updated material and several new topics, is an even more powerful collection of ideas and tools than the last. What a great resource, especially for beginning teachers but also for us veterans!" L. Dee Fink, author, Creating Significant Learning ExperiencesThis third edition of Teaching at Its Best is successful at weaving the latest research on teaching and learning into what was already a thorough exploration of each topic. New information on how we learn, how students develop, and innovations in instructional strategies complement the solid foundation established in the first two editions." Marilla D. Svinicki, Department of Psychology, The University of Texas, Austin, and coauthor, McKeachie's Teaching Tips