[I've been tagged by both Dr. Curmudgeon and Squadratomagico in the inspiring blogs meme that's going around. Thanks so much! I'm truly honored! I know that there are obligations that come along with the honor, which I hope to get to soon. In the meanwhile ...]
It looks as if my under-enrolled class is either going to barely meet the enrollment limit or I might be allowed to teach it at under-enrollment levels — I still don’t know for sure. But, I am facing the prospect of teaching a VERY SMALL CLASS. I’ve never taught a very small class before and I’m feeling a bit apprehensive about adapting my usual pedagogy to such a tiny audience.
So, what do you do differently when you are teaching a mini class?
I should add that the class is a graduate seminar but, at my U. this does not translate into super well-prepared, “I’ve just been waiting for this opportunity to show off” kinds of students. My grads — while often quite smart and generally down-to-earth — tend to be insecure, shy about discussion, and struggle with developing their own opinions/ideas. So, participation is one of the major obstacles I face.
How do you get 5 students or less to participate?
Advice?
13 comments
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January 18, 2009 at 11:44 pm
PRT
I was a grad student last semester in a class of less than five. The prof had one of us do a presentation each week, and we had weekly reading responses (on top of a lot of reading and the usual seminar paper load). I felt overworked, but I have to admit, discussion never flagged.
January 18, 2009 at 11:48 pm
lesboprof
I heard a recent presentation about a style that was used in a small private college. Several of the instructors actually got together and demonstrated a good discussion for students. Students were asked to listen for certain elements of a good discussion: using the texts, identifying themes or ideas and giving examples, building on the ideas of others, etc. These students then had a sense of how to create and maintain their own discussions.
Another option is to have them come with three questions and one critique about the reading written on paper. They then hand their paper to another student and they have to present the other person’s ideas. They can agree, answer questions, raise their own critique or question, etc. Again, these students are provided with a grading criteria that outlines what good discussion looks like–helps to clarify your expectations. You could also start this process by beginning with presenting critiques written by other academics…
January 19, 2009 at 1:01 am
Belle
I routinely have these little things, and I generally – if the vibe is right – use the students to build the class. It becomes an intense conversation, too small for anybody to hide. Most times, I throw out most of what I planned, and tailor it to their particular interests. Everybody has assignments every week – and I’ve been known to drop the papers, or even just workshop them.
January 19, 2009 at 1:12 am
meansomething
A small class can be the best class ever, but as Belle said, no one can hide (and if one or two are absent, expect problems as the class ecosystem breaks down). One good thing about teaching small graduate classes (at NLNRU) is that it has forced me to ask people what they think instead of my all-too-frequent default operation of letting people contribute when they feel moved to. I’m consistently pleased and surprised by what is brewing in people’s minds that they don’t bring up unless asked directly.
I agree, too, that clear expectations for what people will do and bring to class are helpful. Mini-presentations, questions for discussion, etc., are good. I also always make it clear that if you had a bad week and couldn’t prepare, you won’t be raked over the coals (assuming it’s not a habit).
January 19, 2009 at 3:31 am
bsgirl
I’m interested in PRT’s comment because I usually rely on weekly student presentations in grad seminars (the usual format of having one student “teach” a critical article/chapter) — but that seems untenable with so few students. It would be an unreasonable burden, it seems to me, to expect students to do multiple presentations. Also, there is a weird vibe that develops when so few students are sitting around listening to another student present — like they don’t know where to look, everyone gets embarrassed or something. So, I’m leaning more towards to the bringing questions/topics to class idea — that seems like a common feature in several of the responses here.
Thanks! Keep the ideas comin’!
January 19, 2009 at 3:47 am
squadratomagico
I seldom have classes quite that small, but when I teach smaller groups I usually have them all subscribe to a class listserve. Each week the students are required to compose a reading response that includes proposed questions for in-class discussion, and to post it to the listserve the day before class. Then everyone is required to read one another’s posts before arriving in the classroom. This way, everyone has some idea about what the others are thinking, and the discussion has begun before they even enter the classroom. It also helps me in planning for the class, since know in advance what they’re getting out of the reading; sometimes I then open discussion by referring to one of their questions or ideas.
With five, you don’t even need a listserve: they could just be required to exchange group emails.
January 19, 2009 at 4:20 pm
the rebel lettriste
I was a grad student in a seminar of 4. One week, nobody but me showed up. And the prof? She READ ME HER LECTURE.
Don’t be that professor!
By which I mean, make the students write a lot, often in class, in response to what you are reading and discussing. Then have everyone share. Make them very responsible for class discussion by using what others have outlined above (re: short analysis papers, preparing discussion questions.) And listen to them–if the discussion’s going off the rails, rescue them. They’ll be grateful, and things will grow smoother as the semester unfurls.
January 19, 2009 at 4:24 pm
pocha
I’ve taught several small classes (7 or fewer students) at both the grad. and undergrad level. And you’re right: they’re tricky. I go into them assuming that because they’re so small — mini-seminars, even — classroom discussion will be easier. Compared to larger lecture classes — or even those nebulous 35 student classes (which are *really* tricky because they’re too small to be a straight up lecture class, but two large to be a seminar) — these mini-seminars should by nature invite discussion, right? Wrong. You know how, in a 35-student class (or larger), it tends to be the case that only a handful of reliable students will end up dominating classroom discussion? Well, with a mini-seminar, that ‘handful of students’ could very well translate into one or two students.
So what do I do? After all these years (over ten), I’ve realized that the only way to ensure discussion in a small class like this is to tailor assignments exactly for that purpose:
1) book seminar: students will actually lead class once or twice during the term (i teach on the quarter system). they prepare a 250 word explication of the text we’re reading (usually book seminars work with critical essays and not on the novels we’re reading) and then a list of productive discussion questions. I have the students post their work prior to the class meeting (on Blackboard), so that the other students can begin formulating ideas in response to the questions/commentary. So, when class meets the student leading class has prepared material/discussions and the rest of us have a sense of what will be covered, and can prepare accordingly.
OF COURSE: don’t expect the commentary to be spot on (I usually have them explicate the essayist’s argument), and don’t expect the discussion questions to be similar to the kinds you might pose. My role is to work with what the student leader has prepared — that is: I become an active participant by facilitating and working with his/her work during class.
January 19, 2009 at 4:26 pm
pocha
to clarify: the book seminars are led by one student. so each student will have conducted a book seminar at least once in the quarter. depending on how many students i have, they might each lead class more than once per quarter.
January 19, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Sisyphus
Does your library or art collection have anything special connected to your course? A small group is easy to take somewhere or to have a librarian show them a special collection or a tour of some cool archive on your campus. Or bring in some specialist staff or faculty member to do a show-and-tell for them —- it will help break up the onslaught of reading and presenting and participating that can feel overwhelming for students in a small class, and they really have the time and personal interaction to make something like that feel really intimate and special. I would say one, maybe two sessions like that in a semester, and they should really tie nicely with your focus, not be just a “well, here’s the library and here’s the librarian who will teach you how to do a keyword search!” because that will _feel_ like padding instead of a special treat.
Then there’s always field trips around the area as well, if you are lucky enough to have some sort of course-related institute or center around. Or maybe you can do a play and then go see it, or even get a backstage tour of how a theatre house works on an unrelated play.
January 19, 2009 at 7:47 pm
thefrogprincess
I’ve taken a few really small graduate level classes (I’m still a grad student in a history department) and they were a mixed bag. Some of it depends on the subject of the course itself and there’s nothing really to be done about that. In all the small classes I’ve taken, we’ve had to do presentations, which meant we did multiple presentations; BUT we did them in groups of two. Even though that meant a lot of work, having another person in on it eased some of the burden. It might also help to cut some of the readings (depending on how much you’ve assigned in the first place). Even though graduate students are supposed to be eager and interested, etc., good discussion just isn’t going to happen if you’ve assigned a thousand pages (especially if those thousand pages are spread over several chapters of several books) and you have four students who have read different parts of that. If the reading is down to one book and an article or two, at least everybody will have read the stuff in question.
January 19, 2009 at 9:35 pm
profgrrrrl
I’ve had a small class like that before and while I didn’t require full-blown presentations each week I did have some sort of targeted activity they had to prepare comments for (even something as simple as main points or questions) during the first few weeks of class. After that I was able to loosen things up a bit, but by then the students were in the habit of talking with each other and they didn’t need my structure as much. I think anything that helps ensure they did the readings and have a bit of something to say about them can be effective in this situation.
January 20, 2009 at 1:12 am
bsgirl
Rebel Lettriste — I shudder! And vow I will not be that prof!
Sisyphus — Great ideas! The topic of the class doesn’t lend itself immediately to those kinds of outings but I’m going to give it some serious thought because, you’re right, such a small group (and especially adult grad students) lends itself to going out somewhere new and interesting.
On that topic, I’ve known of profs who either teach out of their homes or meet their students at cafes when they have small classes. I don’t like the idea of turning the class into social hour — but I’m interested to know if anyone has had this experience and found it positive?