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Teaching Very Large Classes
Author(s) -
DeRogatis Amy,
Honerkamp Kenneth,
McDaniel Justin,
Medine Carolyn,
Nyitray VivianLee,
Pearson Thomas
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
teaching theology and religion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.165
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1467-9647
pISSN - 1368-4868
DOI - 10.1111/teth.12246
Subject(s) - conversation , anonymity , performative utterance , point (geometry) , mathematics education , pedagogy , active learning (machine learning) , psychology , teaching method , computer science , epistemology , communication , philosophy , geometry , computer security , mathematics , artificial intelligence
The editor of Teaching Theology and Religion facilitated this reflective conversation with five teachers who have extensive experience and success teaching extremely large classes (150 students or more). In the course of the conversation these professors exchange and analyze the effectiveness of several active learning strategies they have employed to overcome the passivity and anonymity of the large lecture format. A major point of debate emerges that contrasts the dynamically performative and highly informed and skilled lecturer with the “wasted time and money” that results from encouraging students to participate through various active learning strategies. Other themes include the importance of story telling in the religious studies classroom, the significance of the differences between students' learning styles, and the challenge of teaching and assessing critical thinking and communication skills.