Florida Atlantic University s6

Florida Atlantic University Center for Teaching and Learning Faculty Learning Community 2009-2010 ______

TITLE: Teaching Large Lecture Classes

LEADER: Caroline S. Gould, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Philosophy

FOCUS: The focus of this community will be to address two problems intrinsic to large courses. First, as pedagogues, we aim to teach our students how to think critically and creatively. We strive to teach students how to teach themselves so that they can focus fruitfully on whatever professional, personal or intellectual tasks confront them in life. That goal seems best met in small groups of students in which they feel comfortable asking questions, challenging received assumptions, and testing their own ideas. But economic conditions are forcing us to do this in large introductory courses. A second goal is to teach students to express themselves clearly and precisely. Many students realize that they need to improve their written and oral expression. Courses in every department can help them improve their powers of expression by giving them new information and assigning them tasks that use new vocabulary and formal structures. But how can we give students the individual attention they need to improve their writing and speaking in a large class?

GOALS: This group would discuss, develop, and refine strategies for making the large lecture courses more effective and meaningful for the students and more manageable for the TAs. Some ideas the group might explore would be some nontraditional use of classroom time, such as (1) small groups that would work cooperatively on solving a problem (2) contemplative learning, such as having them take a short period to perform thought experiments suggested by ideas in a lecture and then to write an impromptu page on their results, and (3) performance, such as having small groups of students explain an idea or segment of a text to the class or having willing students debate an idea in front of the class which would involve taking roles of figures in history, philosophy, etc. The participants could also develop ways of bringing popular culture into lectures on traditional disciplinary material. These would be for the community’s participants to decide.

EXPECTATIONS (specific to this community’s participants):  Implement strategies in the participant’s classes  Design a set of suggested techniques for teaching large lecture classes  Present a university-wide workshop on pedagogy.

STIPEND: You will receive a $1,000 stipend for your active participation in the FLC and upon fulfilling all FLC expectations