Teaching large classes

If you are an ESL teacher working for a language school, you will probably have to teach large classes. Large classes can be fun and exciting, but they are also a whole lot more demanding. Here are a few tips to cope with the challenges of teaching a large class.

Large classes are going to be noisy. Noise levels can go out of hand during certain activities that require students to work in groups. If your class is very noisy it can disturb your neighboring classes, too. To keep things under control, you will need to be a good disciplinarian.

Take students outside for whole group activities. This can be helpful if the classroom isn’t spacious enough.

Divide the class into teams and encourage healthy competition between them. By doing this you can ensure the participation of every student.

Establish trust

Try to get to know something about every student. It may be difficult if there are a large number of students in your class. However, it is absolutely necessary because teachers who establish a personal relationship with their students tend to be more popular. This popularity could even translate into better performance. Use unique ways to remember the names of each student. Be approachable. Tell your students something about you.

Each student has his or her unique learning needs. For example, some students learn fast; some, on the other hand, are slow learners. If there are many students in a class, meeting the individual needs can be difficult. Try your level best to ensure that every student takes part in the activities.