The Amsterdam Law School is experiencing an increase in the number of students in both undergraduate and graduate programs. This growth presents new challenges for the faculty. Ensuring active learning is essential, but it also requires different strategies to effectively manage larger groups. Here are some tips to help teachers provide a high-quality education in larger groups.

Active Learning

Active learning encourages students to be active participants in their learning process. By asking them to engage with the material, they not only deepen their knowledge, but also develop essential skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. This leads to deeper learning, increased motivation, and greater engagement with course content.

It’s important to recognize that active learning can be more challenging in larger groups. Students receive less personalized feedback and there is less individual attention. However, there are strategies and methods that can be effective with larger groups. In this article, we offer five tips to help teachers to deal effectively with this challenge.

Active Learning for Large Tutorials: 5 Tips

Tip 1: Make assignment descriptions and instructions very clear

With large groups, it’s important to make both the assignment description and the instructions very clear and explicit. This will prevent misunderstandings and ensure that students know what is expected of them.

Make the assignment as specific as possible and provide clear instructions:

What exactly do students need to do?
What steps should they follow?
What is expected of them in terms of behavior and output?
What will happen to the results?

Design the assignments as if the students are going to complete them completely on their own, without your presence.

Tip 2: Use digital tools

Digital tools can help scale-up teaching by automating key processes. Here are a number of useful tools:

Wooclap: Ideal for interactive presentations where all students can contribute.
Forms: Can be used for formative quizzes to track student progress.
Microsoft Whiteboard: Useful for brainstorming and group collaboration among students.
Perusall: Suitable for co-reading and text annotation, allowing students to discuss the reading material.

Contact the ICTO team for technical support.

Tip 3: Give students ‘time to think’ when asking questions

Give students time to think before they respond. When you ask questions to students in large groups, it’s important to include “time to think”-that is, a pause after you ask a question before you expect an answer. This pause gives students a chance to reflect, think critically, and provide more thoughtful answers.

Here are some ways to effectively incorporate ”time to think”:

Wait at least 5 to 10 seconds after asking a question before expecting an answer. This helps students collect their thoughts.
Ask complex or open-ended questions before the break to give students time to think more deeply.
Think – pair – share.Let students think individually first, then discuss their thoughts with a partner, and finally share their answer with the whole group.
Encourage students to write down their thoughts before responding. This will help them organize their ideas and to make them more precise.

By intentionally including ”time to think”, you allow all students, including those who are less assertive, to participate in discussions. This fosters a more inclusive learning environment and keeps all students actively engaged, even in larger groups.

Tip 4: Make Effective Use of Classroom Space

Carefully think about the layout of your classroom to encourage interaction and engagement. Effective use of physical space can make a significant difference in how students connect with the lesson, especially in large work groups.

Here are some creative and effective ways to use the classroom:

Leave some rows empty: By leaving some rows empty between seating areas, you create aisles that allow you to move freely around the classroom. This not only improves your own mobility as a teacher, but also makes it easier to get closer to the students, fostering a more personal level of engagement.
Divide the room into sections: Organize the classroom by dividing it into different sections. Reserve specific sections for certain activities or group discussions. This can help create smaller, more manageable sub-groups within the larger tutorial, increasing student interaction and collaboration.
Use planned walking routes: Preplan walking routes through the classroom that you will follow regularly during the lesson. This increases your presence in different areas of the room, which can lead to greater student engagement and attention throughout the classroom.

By strategically arranging the classroom space, you can stimulate student engagement and interaction. Even with larger groups, this approach supports active and effective learning, enhancing the educational experience for all students.

Tip 5: Use Appropriate Teaching Methods

When teaching for large tutorial groups, it’s important to choose teaching methods that not only encourage active student participation, but are also manageable in terms of organization. In the attached guide, you’ll find six teaching methods that work well with larger groups.

The methods are taken from the “Card set Active Learning in the Classroom“.

Want to learn more? Pick up your card set at the Teaching & Learning Centre, REC A7.01/7.03 or send an e-mail to tlc-fdr@uva.nl.