"Teaching at UK" Vol. 2, No. 1 (Fall, 1995), Newsletter for the Teaching and Learning Center, University of Kentucky

Teaching at UK

Vol. 2, No. 1 (Fall 1995)

Table of Contents
The Large Lecture Class	Organizing the Large Lecture Class	The Teaching and Learning Center

The large lecture class: bane or backbone of the University

by Linda Worley, Director, Teaching and Learning Center, University of Kentucky

The paradox is real. How can educational goals such as developing active, higher-order thinking skills in our students be accomplished in a lecture format which, almost by definition, situates the learner as a passive recipient of knowledge? If it is true that people tend to remember only 20% of what they hear vs. 70%of what they write and say (Statistics compiled by American Management Association), then it would logically follow that the traditional lecture is a very poor teaching strategy. According to most advocates of active learning, lecturing is therefore "out." Yet the realities of funding for higher-education remain. The large lecture class will not soon disappear. Charles Bonwell, a history professor and well-known advocate of active learning, objects to this adversarial stance. Stressing that no one teaching approach should be ruled out across the board, he notes that the choice of instructional method "is best viewed as appropriate or inappropriate only when placed within a context that considers the professor's specific objectives, the complexity of the subject matter, the physical setting of the classroom, and the capabilities of the learners" (7). An enthusiastic lecturer can, for example, efficiently deliver large amounts of information, organize the material in ways appropriate to a given audience, and describe current developments in the field which are not yet available.

Within these givens, however, there are ways to enhance student learning. One way is in tending to the nuts-and-bolts of classroom management as Professor Jonathon Golding, Psychology, outlines in his article. Another way is to modify the "straight" lecture by incorporating the active learning activities Bonwell has enumerated into the lecture classroom.

Enhancing the Lecture

Bonwell's suggestions are aimed at increasing student learning by increasing student's active involvement in the course. He offers the following techniques:

The pause procedure. Since attention spans flag ten to twenty minutes into a lecture, pause briefly at least three times per class in order to allow students to work in pairs to discuss and rework their notes.
Short writing exercises. At the beginning of class, students can be asked to write summaries of the previous lecture, especially that aspect of the lecture that leads into the subject for the day. A few students can be asked to read their summaries aloud, allowing the class as a whole to respond. In-class writing gives students a chance to "practice" or test their understanding of the material. At the end of the class, the "one minute paper" allows students to write down the most important thing they learned in class that day or write down a question that remains in their minds. This strategy is also a boon to lecturers as it gives timely insights into student learning.
The feedback lecture. Within this lecture format, the lecturer delivers two mini-lectures per class, separating the segments with a brief group work session. In these sessions, students work in pairs to discuss questions distributed to them.
The guided lecture. The guided lecture helps students synthesize lecture material while taking better notes. After being given the lecture objectives for the day, students are encouraged to put their pens down during the lecture and listen carefully. After spending half the class period lecturing, the instructor asks students to briefly write down all they can recall from the lecture. They then work in small groups to reconstruct the lecture with their own supporting ideas. Students tend to benefit from the cooperative interaction and wind up with notes superior to those produced individually.
The responsive lecture. This technique structures the course so that one class period per week is devoted to answering open-ended, student-generated questions about course content. The collected questions are listed on the board and ranked by the students in order of importance. The list then becomes the outline for the day's lecture. The questions can be spontaneously generated that day or can have been written down and handed in earlier.

Bibliography:

NOTE: all books and articles cited can be found in the library of the TLC, Rm. 7, Gillis Bldg. A resource packet of articles on lecturing is also available free of charge.

Bonwell, Charles and James A. Eison. Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. Washington, D.C.: George Washington University, 1991. ASHE-ERIC report; 1991, no. 1.

Osterman, Dean "The Feedback Lecture." Idea Paper 13 ( January 1985).

Weimer, Maryellen Gleason, ed. Teaching Large Classes Well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987.

Organizing the large lecture class

by: Jonathan Golding, Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky

I remember the first day. It was about 5 minutes before the Introduction to Psychology class was to begin when I walked into the large lecture room in Kastle Hall. Inside were about 200 students talking away, ready to start the semester. I put my lecture materials on the big desk in the front of the room, and slowly walked out of the room into the hallway. It was BIG, TOO BIG! After taking a few deep breaths and re-gaining my composure, I walked confidently back into the room and began the first of many lectures to classes that have ranged in size from 200 to 500 students.

That first day was a turning point in my teaching career. It forced me to think more about what being a teacher to college students really meant. It also made me think more about my philosophy of teaching, and how I could translate that philosophy into teaching large lecture classes. Today, my anxiety about teaching such a large group of students has disappeared, and I am as calm teaching 500 students as I am teaching 30.

How do I approach teaching a large class? Most importantly, the sheer size of the class requires being more precise than with a smaller class; there are simply more chances for confusion. Therefore, I work hard to make the course material understandable to all students. I feel that there are two levels of course material. At one level is the material pertaining to the day-to-day running of the class (i.e., What are we doing this week in class?), while the other level pertains to the course content (i.e. What is Psychology?). For both levels, I present information so that it can be easily processed. As a cognitive psychologist interested in memory, I use various memory principles to aid students in processing information. Since one of the keys to good memory is organization I make sure that the course is very organized.

At the day-to-day level, I use a number of organizational tools. In addition to the usual information found in a syllabus, I make clear my expectations regarding attendance and absences and other aspects of classroom behavior. Thus the first day of class begins in a manner that makes very clear that "I mean business." Sometimes it is difficult to be so firm with students (typically freshmen) on that first day. I find that it is critical, however, given the large size of the class, to set the tone immediately: to let students understand exactly what I expect from them and what they can expect from me. Students must recognize that being in a large class does not mean they can sink back in anonymity.

Course content obviously also needs to be very organized. One organizational technique is to present a detailed outline of each lecture on overheads. Students are given ample time to write down what they see. These overheads allow students to concentrate more fully on the lecture; they are more able to structure in a meaningful way what might otherwise be a confusing flow of information. Lecture material can also be made meaningful for the students by using humor, relating the material to the students' everyday experience, and performing demonstrations. For example, I involve students in perception demonstrations by projecting perceptual illusions on the overhead.

Organization and structure are important; but so is breaking down the barriers that often exist between professors and students. I strive to let my students know that I genuinely want to hear their opinions on issues, that they should feel free to ask any question without feeling that I may disapprove or think the question silly. I play contemporary music before class as a way to connect with my students as well as indicate when I am ready to begin -when the music stops, class starts!

Teaching a large class also differs from teaching a small class in the level of motivation and enthusiasm I feel I must bring to the class. Everything I do--from how I speak to how I respond to students' questions to my selection of demonstrations--must convey to my students that I want to be teaching this large class and that the number of students is not an obstacle to a successful semester. I want to communicate to my students how much I enjoy being in the classroom with them, sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas, and engaging them in the learning process. With motivation and enthusiasm, teaching a large class can be an extremely positive experience.

**Golding's classroom is open for observation to any interested parties. Class sessions (Psych 101) are from 11 to 11:50 a.m. in Room 103 Memorial Hall.

The Teaching and Learning Center: What is THAT? What exactly do you DO?

...Teaching and Learning Center Staff

We have heard these questions voiced regularly during the orientations for new faculty and teaching assistants. It is both easy and difficult to give an answer. The Teaching and Learning Center was established with the primary mission of enhancing the culture of teaching at the University of Kentucky. Some underlying assumptions about teaching and teachers determine the concrete initiatives undertaken by the Center.

We conceptualize teaching as a praxis linked to a theoretical knowledge base. Teaching is thus a skill with a (potential) research component.
Our colleagues at UK are professionals who take the teaching portion of their DOE very seriously and who desire dialogue with other faculty both here at UK and around the nation on issues related to learning and higher education. We also recognize that real-life constraints often limit the amount of time available to be devoted to teaching issues.
We do not build our work on a deficit model, i.e., that the Center exists to counsel "bad" teachers.

These assumptions mean that we plan to respond actively and proactively to broadly defined teaching issues, utilizing all avenues at our disposal--the staff's time and expertise, print media, and technology. We visualize our role as one of facilitating improvement of instruction in any way possible.

There is a certain core of services and activities that any Teaching and learning Center offers. These include the orientation for new teaching assistants, a "Quick Start" seminar series for newer faculty, discussions on teaching-related topics, assistance with creating Teaching Portfolios, a professional print and video library, a battery of self-assessment instruments, etc.

Within this core, personal contact with faculty is central. Such contact can be as limited or intensive as desired, ranging from a chat about a specific issue to an individualized teaching improvement program which might include midterm student evaluations, classroom observation, videotaping, experimentation and follow-up.

In addition to this core, we can help create what individuals or academic units request. For example, we have taken part in departmental discussions on peer review, then run workshops requested by departments on active learning, on awareness of the diversity of learning styles, and the concomitant teaching strategies needed to optimize learning for the individual, etc.

The Center is poised to function as a central clearing-house for teaching-related issues, forging links among the various colleges and programs at UK. We hope that our colleagues will find that their input, ideas and concerns regarding instruction can be transformed into action.

WHO'S WHO: Brief bio of the Center's personnel

Linda Kraus Worley, Director of the TLC, came to the University of Kentucky in 1986 from Queen's College, CUNY. She is an Associate Professor in the German Department who has taught and developed new courses in her discipline, in the Women's Studies program as well as Arts and Science's Modern Studies Curriculum. At UK, she has been involved in TA development, foreign-language education, and KET's distance learning where she designed and presented several on-air broadcasts. In 1991, Worley was awarded the Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence Most recently, she has given workshops on active learning techniques, individualizing instruction, combining the development of basic skills with critical literary analysis, and teaching portfolios.

Bill Burke is the new Associate Director of the Teaching and Learning Center at the University of Kentucky. He arrived at the UK campus this semester from the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he was a member of the faculty and staff for 23 years. Burke taught biology in the General Science and Biology Departments at the University and was recognized for excellence in teaching at that campus. He was also Instructional Development Coordinator for five years in the university's Center for Teaching Excellence (a component of the Office of Faculty Development and Academic Support). In this capacity, working with faculty and graduate teaching assistants from a variety of disciplines, he created and coordinated programs for enhancing teaching and learning on campus. Burke's doctoral and on going research interests lie in post-secondary science education; specifically, how students construct knowledge of a discipline (such as biology) and what classroom strategies facilitate this activity.

Anne Coke, Administrative Assistant, has worked for the TLC and the Office of the Special Assistant to the Chancellor since July 1992. Coke earned her BA in anthropology from UK. In her position at the TLC, she has been involved in developing, maintaining, and analyzing information databases, coordinating special projects such as the international TA, and TA and new faculty orientations, and assisting faculty with software and computer equipment.

Gloria Westerfield, Graduate Research Assistant at the TLC, is a doctoral student in Educational Psychology. She is interested in motivation and teaching strategies that promote interest and retention. Westerfield's work for the center includes the TLC newsletter, specific and general topic areas of pedagogical interest to faculty, and coordinating seminar series.

Stephanie Roark, undergraduate Student Assistant, is a senior majoring in political science and history. Roark plans to attend graduate school in Library Science.

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