Teaching 62 Students Humanely: Feedback, Community, and Professional Preparation

Managing a class of 62 students presents a paradox: how do you maintain humanity, equity, and connection while also preparing students for professional life and covering content? Week 1 of my sophomore course provided a vivid case study.

From the outset, I layered multiple modes of feedback—written, spoken, and audio responses—to ensure that students not only received guidance but could engage with it in ways that suited their learning preferences. At the same time, I emphasized classroom community: eye contact, attentiveness, and respect for peers, particularly given the linguistic diversity in the room. Balancing these human-centered practices with professional preparation—in this case, a welfare job interview simulation—required constant reflection and adjustment.

Research Connections

Pedagogy of care underscores the importance of attention, empathy, and responsiveness in teaching (Noddings, 2013). Even in massified classrooms, students respond to instructors who actively structure interactions, provide timely feedback, and acknowledge their presence.

Teacher identity in large classes is also a critical lens. As Beijaard, Meijer, & Verloop (2004) note, teachers negotiate multiple identities simultaneously: content expert, facilitator, mentor, and evaluator. Layering multimodal feedback and designing authentic tasks are ways to reconcile these roles without sacrificing either rigor or relational depth.

Finally, equity in participation is central. In large classes, it is easy for quieter or less confident students to become invisible. By designing structured pair-share rotations, providing multiple feedback channels, and scaffolding professional simulations, I sought to ensure that every student felt “seen” and valued, even if only in small ways initially (Cazden, 2001).

Lessons and Takeaways

Even in oversized classes, humane teaching is possible. Key strategies include:

  1. Layered feedback loops: Combine written, oral, and audio responses to address diverse learning preferences and language proficiencies.

  2. Structured interaction: Use pair-share, rotations, and self-nomination to create equitable participation opportunities.

  3. Authentic tasks: Connect classroom practice to real-world professional skills, ensuring relevance and motivation.

  4. Visible care: Small gestures—eye contact, attention to names, acknowledgement of contributions—reinforce relational trust and engagement.

These approaches are not about “tricking” large classes into intimacy; they are about designing systems that humanize scale, giving students both visibility and voice while maintaining learning outcomes.

References

  • Beijaard, D., Meijer, P. C., & Verloop, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(2), 107–128.

  • Cazden, C. B. (2001). Classroom Discourse: The Language of Teaching and Learning (2nd ed.). Heinemann.

  • Noddings, N. (2013). Caring: A Relational Approach to Ethics and Moral Education (2nd ed.). University of California Press.

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