ACTIVE LEARNING IN A LARGE-CLASS SETTING

Although it appears to be a formidible challenge, many of the principles of active learning can be easily adapted to a large-class setting. For example, Think-Pair-Share is widely considered as an effective technique in a small-class setting. In a large-class, students can be required to come to class each day with a 3x5 index card. At some point during the class, the instructor can pose a question and ask the students to write a short answer on their cards. The students can then be instructed to discuss their answer with their neighbors. At this point, the students will be engaged in the question, and the instructor can then use a variety of strategies to add information or stimulate the students to think further about the topic. Students will also be more motivated to learn if they perceive that the material in a course relates in some way to their own lives. And although relevance is easy to demonstrate in an earth science course, many instructors neglect it completely. Current events, at the local, regional, national and international level, can all be used to show students that what they are learning in a course has application in the world beyond the university. Equally useful are examples from popular culture such as movies, television shows, music and even art. However, the key to engaging students in active learning in a large-class is engagement of the instructor. If someone isn't thrilled about teaching a large, entry-level earth science course to non-science majors, or even non-geoscience majors, perhaps that person shouldn't be teaching the course in the first place. If they are thrilled about teaching it, they need to convey their enthusiasm and excitement every day, beginning with the very first class.