Engaging Large Groups of Students in Oversized Classrooms

1. Engaging Large Groups of Students in Oversized Classrooms Jim Corrigan Post University Figure1. Overcrowded classroom (dianegottsman.com)

3. Follow along on your IPad or save the link for later… • This PowerPoint may be accessed on the schools website under “teacher resources” “Oversized classrooms PD training” (Show a link to the schools website here) Figure 2: Ipad in hand (www.ipadcreative.com)

4. Objectives for todays training: Teachers should be able to… • demonstrate an understanding of various teaching methods to engage large groups of students in oversized classrooms. • demonstrate an understanding of the importance of furthering the learning experience outside the classroom using tools such as social media (Twitter). • access the schools website where you can find useful tips and hints that you can re-visit in the future as a reminder for engaging students in your oversized classrooms. • Access your setup Twitter page which you will utilize in your classroom to further the student’s engagement to learn the content from in class.

5. What’s the problem? • Growing class sizes • Budget cuts • Students are struggling to learn vital skills and gain essential knowledge • In 2008 teacher to student ratio was 15.8:1 • In 2010 the ratio had grown to 25:1 • If nothing changes students will continue to fail (Clifton, 2012) Figure 3: Cartoon (www.cityonahillpress.com Figure 4: Budget cuts (www.defendernetwork.com

6. First Activity: At each table: Discuss the relevance and use of each strategy that will follow. Leading questions: How can you use it in your classroom? How can it help to engage more of your students? Is there a better way of utilizing this strategy? **5 minutes to discuss each strategy in your group** Figure5: Table cartoon (www.dreamstime.com)

7. Do everything possible to get to know your students. A positive relationship with your students builds a willingness on their part to actively participate in class. Figure 6: getting to know you (www.bathfoundationyear.com)

8. Move around the class when talking this engages students more actively, and it can reduce the physical and social distance between you and your students.

9. Tell your students you will be available before and after class to answer any questions they might have. Figure 8: Frustrated student 1 (http://serc.carleton.edu) Figure 7: Extra help (www.mathscott.wikispaces.com) Figure 9: Frustrated student 2 (www.howtolearn.com)

10. Invite small groups of students to visit you to discuss important class issues. Figure 10: small groups (www..cristianhmingo.wordpress.com)

11. When necessary, involve students and use positive discipline to deal with misbehavior. Figure 11: Positive students (www.greatergood.berkeley.edu)

12. Recognize the attention span of students is limited: 15 minutes of lecture followed by an activity and then additional lecture if needed is an ideal timeline. Figure 12: Attention span cartoon (www.therelaxeddentist.com)

13. Determine what information can be delivered in a form other than lecture and develop these methods. For instance, group work, role-playing, student presentations, outside readings, and in-class writing can be excellent ways to vary classroom routine and stimulate learning. Figure 13: Students working (www.pltw.org)

14. Using social media to continue classroom discussions outside of class Figure 14: Twitter (www.educationpr.org)

15. Develop a visual display of the outline of the day’s topics and learning objectives (for instance, a list on a chalkboard). This will make following the flow of the class much easier for you and your students. Figure 15: Chalkboard (www.hatboro-horsham.org/page/4716)

16. Plan for a clear beginning, middle, and end to the class.

17. Give assignments that really assess whether or not your students are learning what you are teaching. Can they explain the process by which they solved a problem, and can they apply what they are learning to everyday life?

18. Figure 17: portfolio 2 (www.iconfinder.com) Develop a portfolio system or other ways to keep track of student performance Both successes and areas needing improvement – and to identify those students who require extra attention(Practical tips for teaching large classes, 2006, p. 51-52) Figure 16: portfolio 1 (www.bang2write.com)

19. Involve your students in the grading process to give faster feedback.(Practical tips for teaching large classes, 2006, p. 51-52) Figure 18: ABCDF (www.eagleionline.com)

20. Figure 22: Museum (www.msichicago.org) Get out of the classroom-Moving beyond the classroom is especially important in the education of special needs students(Hampton, 2010, para. 9) Figure 19: Rebuilding Together (www.rebuildingtogether.org) Figure 21: Building (www.chpaonline.org) Figure 20: Habitat for Humanity (www.hcpress.com)

21. Figure 23: Twitter (www.evad3rsjailbreak.com)

22. Twitter Setup:1. Log onto Twitter.com2.Click the “New to Twitter Sign-Up” button. You will be led through a step-by-step process for setting up an account .3. Take a picture of yourself (use your IPad’s camera) or upload a picture previously taken to your profile.4. Setup your profile page. Figure 24: Twitter and bird (www.Twitter.com)

23. Activity two:As individuals, search Twitter for an interesting resource (this could be a blog entry, a tweet, a website, a picture, a video etc.) and tweet or re-tweet it on your twitter page. Figure 25: Tweet /Retweet (www.plannerwire.net)

24. Question and Answer…

25. References: Clifton, R. (2012, December 4) Over crowded classrooms [video file] retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4MtRpmrAwMPreble, L. (n.d.) Classroom overcrowding: It’s not just a numbers game retrieved from: http://www.teachhub.com/classroom-overcrowdingHampton, E. (2010, November 29). How to address overcrowded classrooms. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-hampton/how-to- address- overcrowde_b_788763.htmlUNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. (2006). Practical tips for teaching large classes: A teacher’s guide. Bangkok, Thailand Retrieved from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001488/148867e.pdf

26. Supplemental documentation:Introduction Email: The day before the training session the trainer will send an email to the learners including an article about overcrowded classrooms to get them thinking about the topic at hand. Reference: Preble, L. (n.d.) Classroom overcrowding: It’s not just a numbers game retrieved from: http://www.teachhub.com/classroom-overcrowdingSchool website: The schools website will have a link on it to the PowerPoint presentation that will be shown at the training session.Questionnaire:This will assess how well the training session prepared its learners to teach oversized classrooms and also will assess how well the learners gained the knowledge and content. Some questions may include: Describe how you could utilize specific “strategies for teaching large classrooms effectively” in your classroom? How well did the training session prepare you for over-sized classroom teaching in the future? Does anyone feel the need for follow up training on either “Using Twitter in the classroom “ or “Methods for teaching oversized classrooms”?