Trick or treat...or teach

Personally, this week’s reading was not as helpful as our previous readings. I felt the information was all over the board and a bit disconnected from my teaching situation. While the information is important to know, my connection to the material was not as strong as in past readings. I made sure to take notes on the material, as my teaching circumstances may change, but it was difficult to relate to lab instruction and distance learning.


The following are ideas from the reading that I found useful and suggestions on how I could implement them into my class:

Although the classes I will teach in the next two years will be relatively small, I found the McKeachie’s section on teaching large classes interesting. I didn’t particularly enjoy large lectures, in my undergraduate days, because of the anonymity and lack of involvement in the course work. But, a few of McKeachie’s suggestions would definitely make large classes more interesting for the students.

The first suggestion is the use of technology during lecture to engage students and help the instructor assess their learning (p. 255). By using wireless Internet, an instructor can put a question or poll on the board for students to answer. The instructor can check the students’ answers for accuracy, to get discussion started, or to tailor the rest of their lecture.

I have used Poll Everywhere in smaller classes and I believe it would be ideal for large lectures as well. I could implement this into my own teaching by prompting students to answer questions throughout my lecture. This would make it possible to get feedback on their understanding of the content. It would also help me to generate discussion if there was an inconsistency in the answers.

McKeachie’s also provides a list of ways to reduce anonymity in large classes. Two of the suggestions seem quite useful in large and small classes (p.260). The first one is using flashcards to remember student names and faces. During one of the first readings for this class, The First Day to Final Grade stressed the importance of learning names (p. 24). This is something that shows students respect and generates more student involvement. I think it is important that McKeachie encourages instructors to learn names, even in classes with 200 or more. By making a flashcard with a student’s name on one side and their picture on another, an instructor can study student names outside of the room.

Even though I teach smaller classes, this is an activity that I plan on using in the future. Each student can post a picture of themselves on the Blackboard discussion board. It not only gives me a chance to learn names and faces, but their peers can do the same. I can then make flashcards or study the names and faces online.

The next suggestion on the list is meeting with students in small groups outside of class. McKeachie proposes this by way of meeting to discuss assignments, observations, or just general meetings (p. 260). I think this is important, again, because it can be overwhelming for an instructor to remember and connect with 200 students in a large class. It is also important to make students feel that they are not just a number in a lecture hall. By breaking them into smaller groups or one-on-one, an instructor can spend more time with individual students.

I plan to incorporate this in my classes by setting up a meeting, early in the semester, to go over drafts or a given class assignment. It is important to have small group or one-on-one time with a student. This can give them an opportunity to ask questions or give feedback on their individual experiences. It may also help the student feel less apprehensive if they have already communicated with the instructor. By implementing meetings outside of class, my students and I can get to know one another better. It will also allow me to give them more individual help they may not receive in a large class.

In First Day to Final Grade I found the section on meta-teaching to be quite interesting (p. 168). Giving students the option to give feedback about my teaching seems a bit intimidating, but helpful. Meta-teaching can seem like an opportunity for students to view at an instructor as less authoritative and credible, but the authors prove otherwise. I like that students can incorporate their ideas and feedback on more useful ways to get them involved. This is highly constructive and can save time and energy on failed activities or discussion.

I plan to incorporate this into my classroom at the first sign of unsuccessful activities or discussion. I want to use positive language to make students feel that we are on the same team and that their opinions matter. They may be more apt to provide feedback if I can explain my intentions for an activity and how it will help them learn the material. They can understand what went wrong and we can decide what we can do better collectively. I believe meta-teaching is something that is useful, but I know I will need to prepare how I address situations. The examples in the book will come in handy in understanding how to address the class.

Additional Resources:

More info on teaching large classes. The page breaks down the problems, benefits, activities, and strategies of teaching a large class.


An article on Blended Instruction (blending face-to-face learning with computer-based learning) in large classes.