During class discussion last Wednesday night, a lightning bolt of reality struck as we were reviewing best practices for teaching writing in the classroom. One particular research article stated that the ideal size of a freshman composition class is twenty students. A classmate stated, however, that it is typical for such courses in the Los Angeles Community College District to have student enrollments between 40-50 students. As we discussed desk arrangements and other logistics to assist students in peer group conferencing and other forms of student-to-student interaction, we learned from this veteran professor that not all classrooms are situated for small groups to properly engage. As an example, we learned of a writing seminar held in a computer lab with limited desk space and an obstructed view. Other rooms with permanent arena seating are also ill-suited for optimal student interaction.
Ideally, a freshman writing course should consist of twenty students and should meet in a setting conducive to facilitating the writing process. Since these conditions don't always exist, however, what are some pragmatic solutions to these obstacles? Are there ways for a teacher to effectively manage groups in a class with 50 students with logistical obstacles? Are there ways for a teacher to effectively provide feedback on student papers -- to effectively handle the paper load -- with a class of this size? I'm sure that some professors do well in spite of the numbers and setting, and I'd like to know how they pull it off...
You simply work with what you have. Students can turn around and work together in small groups of 4 or five. When they have individual desks in a large room, they can work in groups of 5-6. If you want to do larger groups, you can try two large groups of 15 or three large groups of 15, if necessary. There has to be extra space due to Fire Code, right? It is also incumbent upon the instructor not to add more than 40 students; however, this is more easily said than done. We know that at least 30% of the students will drop within the first ten weeks, so many of us inflate our rosters with this in mind. On the other hand, we do our students a disservice when we do this as we have to deal with far more students than we can handle as we wait for people to drop. Then there are semesters when they don't drop, and you're stuck with the 50 you admitted. (!!!) The other reason we want to break hearts and reject too many students from adding is that our fellow instructors get work when there are many students who want to add, and a class can be opened for them. You can direct students to the department chair so that the chair can keep a list of names and direct students to classes that are less full.
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