Herding, uh, Teaching HUGE Classes in China

I just finished my first semester of teaching English at a Chinese university, where my classes averaged 51.6 students EACH. Coming from a few years at children’s training schools, where 20 kids in a class was entirely too many, I was in a panic my first week of class. How in the world am I going to make my classes dynamic, communicative, or at least bearable?

I quickly emailed one of my old TESOL professors, who sent me an article by Alan Seaman entitled “Responding to the Challenge of Large Mixed-Ability Classes in China.” It pretty much saved my life. Here are some of the techniques I used this semester, most of which were influenced by Dr. Seaman, or my wonderful, more-experienced colleagues.

The first homework assignment I gave involved my students filling out an index card with their Chinese name (in Pinyin and characters), their English name (if they had one), and their interests / goals for the class. Apparently, all Chinese freshmen have several ID-style photos of themselves laying around, so I had them paste that on their index card, too. I can use these cards to call on students at random (because no one is going to participate in front of so many peers willingly), survey what they want to learn about in class, and associate names with faces.

Through this index card system, I learned that though the textbooks and exams I was required to use focused on reading and listening comprehension, most of my students were much more interested in practicing speaking. This led me to incorporate a lot more discussion in class.

But how to foster that discussion? I was used to whole-class conversation where everyone could participate – Not possible with 50 students. This meant small group or partner discussion, leaving me to monitor and occasionally interact with students. I can’t be everywhere at once, however, so a lot of the time I have to trust that students aren’t reverting back to Chinese too much.

Another issue was attendance. I wasn’t about to call roll every day. Having students sign in means friends can sign in for each other and I won’t know the difference, unless I count each time and retake as necessary. Seaman suggests students sitting in groups of three every class, corresponding to the class roll. I ended up allowing students to choose their seats, but then keep the same seats all semester. All I had to do was check for empty desks and mark my old-fashioned seating chart.

Grading was definitely the biggest challenge I faced this semester. The exams were miserable and marking them killed brain cells for sure. For pure practicality, I had students sit in order according to their student numbers on exam days. I collected exams by row and was then able to enter grades much faster. My students understood and complied easily. They know how to be herded.

On the last day of class, I gave a short, anonymous survey, asking students their favorite part of the class and what they wished to change, as well as their opinions on my methods for homework, quizzes, etc. As I compile their answers and identify the most common opinions, I hope to brainstorm what to do differently next semester.

I already know one of my main goals as I look to the spring… Build stronger relationships with students. When I taught children, it was easy to learn their names and personalities, their family backgrounds and needs, share jokes and selfies and weird snacks. It’s a new challenge to reach young adults in such huge classes, where I am respected yet distant. Also being married and adjusted to life in China means I don’t need their help with daily life, which means I have to find other avenues of purpose.

The last few months have been a significant adjustment for me, relearning the art of teaching and finding creative ways to help students survive the system.

I hope I can know and help them all, even in the smallest way, on their journey toward graduation and the wide-open world.