Click below to hear tips on how to manage large classes:
If you’re looking at your class roster and feeling absolutely overwhelmed by the crazy numbers you are seeing, you’re not alone! I am seeing so many teachers saying they have 30+ students in their science classes and they have no idea how to make teaching, let alone labs with that many students, work. You may not even have enough chairs for all of these students!
Not only are you dealing with (full-size and often hormonal) students who are taking up physical space in your classroom, but you’re expected to have them doing labs! If you are one of the teachers that has too many students in your science class, this episode is for you! I have been there too and I know the struggle all too well. I’m sharing six tips I’ve learned on how to manage large classes.
We are going to cover why you should arrange desks into pods, how seating charts are crucial to managing large classes, why you need to include small group work into your lessons, how to use stations for labs with large classes, the importance of procedures, and how to use my favorite whole-classroom management strategy. Plus, I am giving you practical ways to incorporate each one of these tips so that you can manage large class sizes long-term!
If you try these strategies to manage large classes, let me know how it’s going by sending me a message on Instagram @its.not.rocket.science!
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Topics Discussed in This Episode on How to Manage Large Classes:
- What the average class size is and why it’s such a challenge to manage large classes, especially for secondary science teachers
- Why arranging desks and tables into pods is a great way to set up a classroom for large class sizes
- The importance of strategic seating charts
- Why you should plan small group work as a daily part of your routines
- How to use stations for labs
- Why you need to seriously and clearly teach procedures for transitions and the beginning of class
- What board points are and how to use them as a whole-classroom management strategy
Resources Mentioned:
Related Episodes and Blog Posts:
- How to Manage Large Classes in High School Science
- Benefits of Using Small Groups in Your High School Science Classes
- Practical Tips for Using Small Groups in Your High School Science Classes
- Everything You Need to Know About Using Stations in Your High School Science Classroom
- Start Strong: 5 Beginning of the Year Procedures to Teach
- My Favorite Classroom Management Strategy
- Episode 33: 5 Mistakes to Avoid at the Beginning of the School Year
- Episode 39, Organization Tips for Your Science Classroom
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More about Secondary Science Simplified:
Secondary Science Simplified is a podcast specifically for high school science teachers that will help you to engage your students AND simplify your life as a secondary science educator. Each week Rebecca, from It’s Not Rocket Science, and her guests will share practical and easy-to-implement strategies for decreasing your workload so that you can stop working overtime and start focusing your energy doing what you love – actually teaching!
Teaching doesn’t have to be rocket science, and you’ll learn exactly what you need to do to simplify your secondary science teaching life so that you can enjoy your life outside of school even more. Head to itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/challenge to grab your FREE Classroom Reset Challenge.
