Teaching Large Classes 2

Challenges of Teaching Large Classes

Intimacy: Remembering student's names can take a while. Teachers may feel that they do not get to know their students as well as they would like to.

Anxiety: Some teachers feel anxious being so outnumbered by the students. In addition, some students are afraid to ask questions or participate in a large class.

Student needs: Meeting individual needs can be difficult or impossible when class size is very large.

Marking: Grading assignments and tests can be very time consuming, and your pay will generally be the same for a smaller class.

Distractions: There are more distractions for teachers in large classes, such as latecomers and people chatting while you are teaching.

Preparation: Making photocopies for a large class can be very time consuming. Other teachers may be bothered by how much time you spend using the photocopier.

Noise level: Large classes can become out of hand when students are working in pairs or groups. At times you may feel more like a disciplinarian than a teacher.
Monitoring students: Teachers may find it difficult to keep students on task as they monitor pair and group work.

Space: There is limited space in a classroom for energetic activities such as role-playing.

Textbooks and resources: There may not be enough textbooks or computers available for all students.