An Educator's Realizations When Teaching a Large Enrollment Course
Don’t be deterred by the word biology here–you can replace “biology” with almost any “field of study” throughout this paper. Kimberly Tanner wrote this reflective piece after teaching a large-enrollment course for the first time. She lists realizations that amount to specific guidance for teaching, and—no surprise—the big takeaway is that all of these techniques are effectively about relationships. The piece resonates for us as practical and honest.
Realization #3: It Is Important to Be on the Same Team as My Students
One of the most striking things I have experienced as an undergraduate biology educator is the assumption that instructors and students play opposing and sometimes adversarial roles. While I had experience in cultivating a relationship that put me on the same side as my students in classrooms of fewer than 50 students, I had sincere concerns about whether I could accomplish this with ∼300 people sitting down in a room and me generally standing up. Even the body language of the situation put us in roles that I wanted to change. Reflections from students suggested that, even in a large class, we could cultivate a teaching and learning partnership where we were on the same side.