Event
HomeTeaching Large, Heterogeneous Classes
Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Speaker: Penny Ur
What is a large class? What is a heterogeneous class? What are the problems we encounter when we have to teach classes that are both large and heterogeneous? In this talk I will begin by attempting to define what is meant by 'large' and 'heterogeneous', and then go on to list some of the main problems - but also the advantages! - that we encounter when trying to teach them. As with many educational problems, there are no easy solutions. We could, perhaps largely solve them by preparing different tasks to suit different groups within the class; or by preparing several texts at varying levels of difficulty, as suggested by some methodologists. But most of us have neither the time nor the money to invest in such elaborate preparation, let alone the time to check the results later. In this talk, I shall be proposing and discussing a series of practical teaching principles, illustrated by practical procedures, that involve very little (or no) extra preparation, that can make our job teaching large heterogeneous classes easier, and that go some way towards bringing about more effective learning.
Organization: West Tokyo Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (West Tokyo JALT)
Cost: TBA
Venue: Sophia University, Yotsuya campus, room 11-519
Location: Kokubunji City, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan
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