Mini-Series: Scaling Humanity

Scaling Humanity: Reflections on Large-Class Pedagogy and Multimodal Learning

Description

Teaching large, multilingual classes presents a unique set of challenges: how to balance content, professional preparation, and classroom management while honoring each student’s presence and diverse learning needs. This mini-series documents one instructor’s Week 1 experience in a sophomore course of 62 students, exploring how formative assessments, multimodal engagement, authentic tasks, translanguaging, and digital tools intersect with social justice, equity, and pedagogy of care. Each post combines practical reflections with scholarly connections, offering insights for teachers navigating similar pressures.

Titles in the Series

  1. Syllabus Quiz as Early Diagnostic: Spotting Risk Before Writing Begins

  2. Questions-to-Teacher as Multimodal Engagement: Building Listening and Reading Resources from Student Curiosity

  3. Real-Life Community Problem as Homework: Authentic Tasks for Social Justice Learning

  4. Rotating Pair-Share with Translingual Practice: Scaling Interaction in Large Multilingual Classes

  5. Homework with GForms + Audio/Video: On-the-Job Learning, Digital Literacy, and Ethical Tensions

  6. Teaching 62 Students Humanely: Layered Feedback, Classroom Community, and Professional Preparation

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