Large vs. small class size
The most dynamic educators are those who are able to tailor their teaching to the unique differences of both large and small classrooms while taking into account the strengths and challenges that are associated with each type of setting. In order for students to have the most successful learning experiences possible, interactive and engaging teaching strategies must be incorporated into both types of settings. This is largely due to the fact that regardless of the class size, students need to be involved in their learning in order to truly grasp and retain the scholastic content.
Benefits of teaching nursing in the large classroom include efficient use of faculty’s time and resources due to the allowance of more face-to-face time with a greater number of students within the same allotment of time. Additionally, there is a greater variety of students for students to meet and work with for various group projects or in-class group assignments which leads to further collaboration and development of interpersonal communication skills. Challenges of teaching nursing in the large classroom setting include difficulty in engaging all students and meeting the needs of all students with differing learning styles, unique needs, and varying attention spans. Additionally it is challenging for educators to overcome the barriers that the physical classroom space may present such as seating arrangements and physical distance between students that may lead to challenges with group work and the development of personal teacher-student relationships (Herrman, 2008).
Benefits of teaching nursing in the small classroom setting include being able to get to know each student which includes being able to have an understanding of each students’ strengths and weaknesses. Small class settings also allow for greater comfort for the educator as fewer students usually equates to less intimidating circumstances. Also, having fewer students makes it easier for the educator to provide formative evaluation for all students which is a necessary component for progressive, meaningful learning to occur. Challenges include introverted students succumbing to the strong personalities of classmates that take over class participation opportunities and are likely to shadow those who may be less outgoing which may lead to a lack of class cohesion (Herrman, 2008). Additionally, it may cost more for institutions to hire more faculty members to teach more classes that are smaller in size due to the need to ensure adequate faculty and classes for the number of students enrolled.
An interactive, student-centered teaching strategy that I would utilize for a large class size would be through the use of commonly known games such as jeopardy or monopoly since competitive games enthusiastically engage students in large classes (Wingert & Molitor, 2007). With this type of strategy, groups can be randomly selected and if used often enough, groups can be switched up regularly so that different personalities and talents may be combined together within the large classroom. The winners of the games may earn extra credit bonus points or other benefits that are accommodated to the classroom such as various privileges or rewards (Wingert & Molitor, 2007).
A similar strategy that is more applicable to the smaller-sized student classroom would be to ask students to create pictorial representations of the concepts presented and discussed during that particular class time. Then, after each student has developed his or her own representation of the concept, students will be asked to share their pictures with another person and discuss each of their rationales for how they developed their pictures. This strategy is student centered because it requires each individual student to build on his or her own creativity. Also, this strategy prohibits the use of words which further requires students to prove their understanding according to higher-levels of thinking in order to demonstrate their comprehension (Small/seminar classes).
After consideration of my own potential teaching strengths and challenges, I feel as though I am better suited to teach in a small class setting if at all possible. Not only is my personality more comfortable with facing those of a smaller group and in a more intimate environment, but being a novice educator, I feel as though I would be best at teaching those of a smaller group. This would allow me to build upon my own knowledge and skills as an educator and decipher strategies that are the most meaningful and effective in my own classroom. Additionally, by starting out my teaching career in a smaller-scaled setting, I would be able to better navigate the strengths and challenges of being the sole leader of a classroom and finding ways to best prime my students for success in the nursing program.
References
Herrman, J. W. (2008). Creative teaching strategies for the nurse educator. Philadelphia: F.A.Davis.
Small/seminar classes. Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning, retrieved from http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/TeachingAndLearningResources/LearningEnvironments/smallclass.php
Wingert, D. & Molitor, T. (2007). Actively engaging large classes in the sciences. The Teaching Professor, 21(9), 1-6.
Benefits of teaching nursing in the large classroom include efficient use of faculty’s time and resources due to the allowance of more face-to-face time with a greater number of students within the same allotment of time. Additionally, there is a greater variety of students for students to meet and work with for various group projects or in-class group assignments which leads to further collaboration and development of interpersonal communication skills. Challenges of teaching nursing in the large classroom setting include difficulty in engaging all students and meeting the needs of all students with differing learning styles, unique needs, and varying attention spans. Additionally it is challenging for educators to overcome the barriers that the physical classroom space may present such as seating arrangements and physical distance between students that may lead to challenges with group work and the development of personal teacher-student relationships (Herrman, 2008).
Benefits of teaching nursing in the small classroom setting include being able to get to know each student which includes being able to have an understanding of each students’ strengths and weaknesses. Small class settings also allow for greater comfort for the educator as fewer students usually equates to less intimidating circumstances. Also, having fewer students makes it easier for the educator to provide formative evaluation for all students which is a necessary component for progressive, meaningful learning to occur. Challenges include introverted students succumbing to the strong personalities of classmates that take over class participation opportunities and are likely to shadow those who may be less outgoing which may lead to a lack of class cohesion (Herrman, 2008). Additionally, it may cost more for institutions to hire more faculty members to teach more classes that are smaller in size due to the need to ensure adequate faculty and classes for the number of students enrolled.
An interactive, student-centered teaching strategy that I would utilize for a large class size would be through the use of commonly known games such as jeopardy or monopoly since competitive games enthusiastically engage students in large classes (Wingert & Molitor, 2007). With this type of strategy, groups can be randomly selected and if used often enough, groups can be switched up regularly so that different personalities and talents may be combined together within the large classroom. The winners of the games may earn extra credit bonus points or other benefits that are accommodated to the classroom such as various privileges or rewards (Wingert & Molitor, 2007).
A similar strategy that is more applicable to the smaller-sized student classroom would be to ask students to create pictorial representations of the concepts presented and discussed during that particular class time. Then, after each student has developed his or her own representation of the concept, students will be asked to share their pictures with another person and discuss each of their rationales for how they developed their pictures. This strategy is student centered because it requires each individual student to build on his or her own creativity. Also, this strategy prohibits the use of words which further requires students to prove their understanding according to higher-levels of thinking in order to demonstrate their comprehension (Small/seminar classes).
After consideration of my own potential teaching strengths and challenges, I feel as though I am better suited to teach in a small class setting if at all possible. Not only is my personality more comfortable with facing those of a smaller group and in a more intimate environment, but being a novice educator, I feel as though I would be best at teaching those of a smaller group. This would allow me to build upon my own knowledge and skills as an educator and decipher strategies that are the most meaningful and effective in my own classroom. Additionally, by starting out my teaching career in a smaller-scaled setting, I would be able to better navigate the strengths and challenges of being the sole leader of a classroom and finding ways to best prime my students for success in the nursing program.
References
Herrman, J. W. (2008). Creative teaching strategies for the nurse educator. Philadelphia: F.A.Davis.
Small/seminar classes. Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning, retrieved from http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/TeachingAndLearningResources/LearningEnvironments/smallclass.php
Wingert, D. & Molitor, T. (2007). Actively engaging large classes in the sciences. The Teaching Professor, 21(9), 1-6.