stress
sizes of class struture can play a big part in the stressfullness of the class in geheral
The material or the subject and the complexity may affect the class and the instructor too. It needs to be taken in consideration too.
I find it less stressful if we follow the syllabus and the students know exactly when tests will be graded I try to build relationships with my students
This can happen in an online class as well - students feeding off one another. The issue with this being online is that students can "organize a group" against an instructor without the instructor even knowing because it is "behind the scenes."
Thanks for sharing!
I would agree that trying to balance the administrative duties of teaching online with acutally "teaching" or facilitating a class can be very stressful.
Thanks for sharing.
It's tough when students vary in terms of age Connie. Often times, different ages drive different learning styles, expectations and motivational levels. A one size fits all approach to education doesn't quite work in these unique situations.
Small classes seem more manageable but sometimes it depends on the dynamics of the class. For instance, as a trade school educator, the students in my class are of different ages, from young to middle age. I try to build relationships with my students and to find common ground between them. I also find it less stressful if we follow the syllabus and the students know exactly when tests will be graded. In other words, organization of my classes is set up from the first day.
Roy, why do you feel that the size of the classes play a big part in stress?
I have also found that the time of the day when each group of students reports to class will variate the instructor's stress level also. For an example the afternoon class is filled withstudents who are highschool graduates. These students have a a tendency to display a " I know it all behavior", contrary to the morning and afternoon classes. The morning and afternoon classes seem more mature and focused. The afternoon class seems to need more baby sitting from the instructor (a constant repeating of the same rules and gudielines). But once the instructor has established the "Chain of Command" The stress level of the instructor tremendiously decreases.
Love this concept Ken and have used it before with great success. Thanks so much for sharing.
Yes, I agree very much Natalie. The same student can behave vastly different depending on the setting and classroom context.
By breaking a larger class into small discussion
groups and then having the whole class meet and
participate in evaluating each group's results is
a good way to have each member of the class take
ownership and thus reduce the wasted time usually
associated with larger class size.
The group's dynamics play a big part of each student's particiapation. Being aware of the interpersonal relationships exhibited in class will also assist the instructer to obtain each student's participation.
I believe it becomes morew stressfull not only because of the additional admin. work, but also the difficulty in reaching more students in lecture requires diofferent types of presentation tactics.
When class sizes increase, the number of teaching assistants usually increase with them. This creates stress between the involved instructors in regards to continuity of instruction. Students will be quick to use different instruction techniques as a negetive when justifying their own limitations.
I agree with you Melissa and Richard. I think a smaller class size helps students to feel more comfortable in their need to ask questions and participate in class discussions.
This is a good point Richard. Smaller class sizes tend to elicit a greater amount of participation from students - positive or negative.
Yes, but sometimes a smaller class can be more stressful than a bigger class. students tend to feed off of one another and if there are less students there will be less questions. the instructor then has to find ample activities to cover this time void.
This is so true Roy. Various class sizes require very different teaching and grading styles.
