The document provides guidance on communicative activities for large classes. It begins by outlining the learning outcomes, which are to understand the advantages and challenges of large classes, understand ten principles for teaching large classes, and evaluate and adapt communicative activities for large classes. It then discusses both the advantages and challenges of teaching large classes. For advantages, it notes participation and use of class time. For challenges, it discusses issues like classroom management, monitoring students, and catering to individual differences. The document concludes by describing five suggested communicative activities - The Hot Seat, Guess Who/What, I Went to the Market, Hold Them Up, and Word Challenge - and having students discuss how to adapt the activities for their own classes

1. Session 11: Communicative
Activities for Large Classes
British Council 2013

2. Communicative Activities for Large
Classes
Learning outcomes
By the end of Session 1, Formadores will be better able
to:
• Understand and inform others about the advantages
and challenges of working with large classes
• Understand the ten principles for teaching large classes
• Evaluate and adapt communicative activities for large
classes

3. Excitement
•Although they may be noisy, large classes can be exciting
if we channel the energy creatively
Timing
•Time flies in a large class! Activities may take longer and
extra activities that you did not use can be saved for later
Advantages of teaching large classes

4. Participation
•There will always be someone who wants to answer
questions!
Fillers
Teachers don’t need so many extra activities, since main
activities take longer in general
Can you think of any others?
Advantages of teaching large classes

5. Teacher can feel out of control
• Having so many students can make some teachers feel
helpless.
Classroom Management
• Instructions may need repeating more often and moving
furniture can be problematic.
Challenges with large classes

6. Teacher can feel out of control
• Having so many students can make… So careful planning
and management are vital!
Classroom Management
• Instructions may need repeating… So involve students
more! They can sign a list on the door, students can repeat
instructions, and you can make arrangements to use the
patio …
Challenges with large classes

7. Large amounts of paperwork
Enormous amounts of homework can be problematic
Individual Learner Differences
It is hard to cater for different types of intelligence and
learning styles
Quieter students
It can be harder to reach and
encourage quieter students
Challenges with large classes

8. Large amounts of paperwork
Enormous amounts of homework… So develop self-
correction, peer correction groups and get stronger
students to help with correcting
Individual Learner Differences
It is hard to cater for different types… So plan activities
to appeal to different student types
Challenges with large classes

9. Intimacy
•It can be hard to remember student’s names and it can seem hard to
get to know their students
Distractions
•More students means more people arriving late, chatting or playing
together
Preparation
•Making extra materials and photocopies for a large class can be very
expensive
Challenges with large classes

10. Intimacy
•It can be hard to remember student’s names and it can seem hard to
get to know their students …So ask them to have their names on their
desks and get them to draw or write pictures about themselves, their
families, their worries their dreams and have wall displays!
Distractions
•More students means more people arriving late, chatting or playing
together …So get students involved in making and keeping rules!
Preparation
•Making extra materials and photocopies for a large class can be very
expensive …So use realia, items in the classroom, wall charts and flash
cards and projector!
Challenges with large classes

11. Noise levels
•Large classes can get over-excited and noisy in pair or group
activities.
Monitoring students
•It can be difficult to get to every pair or group during when
monitoring
Challenges with large classes

12. Noise levels
•Large classes can get over-excited and noisy in pair or group activities.
…So develop awareness that people can enjoy themselves quietly without
disturbing others!
Monitoring students
•It can be difficult to get to every pair or group during when monitoring
..So keep careful notes and be sure that you get to each goup, say, once
per week!
Challenges with large classes

13. Space
• Certain activities which involve movement may not be possible for
lack of space
Textbooks and resources
• There may not be enough textbooks or computers available for all
students
Challenges with large classes

14. Space
•Certain activities which involve movement may not be possible for lack of
space
…So make arrangements to use the auditorium or the patio for some
classes!
Textbooks and resources
•There may not be enough textbooks or computers available for all students
…So encourage a culture of sharing and caring!
Challenges with large classes

15. 10 principles for teaching large classes
1. Variety

16. 2. Pace
10 principles for teaching large classes

17. 3. Interest
10 principles for teaching large classes

18. 4. Collaboration
10 principles for teaching large classes

19. 5. Individualisation
10 principles for teaching large classes

20. 6. Personalisation
10 principles for teaching large classes

21. 7. Choice
10 principles for teaching large classes

22. 8. Routines
10 principles for teaching large classes

23. 9. Inclusion
10 principles for teaching large classes

24. 10. Analyse your own
questions.
10 principles for teaching large classes

25. Communicative activities for large
classes
• Now please work in small groups and appoint a
scribe for the group.
• Look at the 5 suggestions for communicative
activities with large groups in your books.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each
activity, in relation to your own classes and how you
might adapt the activities for your students.
• The scribe will take careful notes to post on the wall
for the whole group .

26. 1. The Hot Seat
English Skills: Speaking, Listening, Vocabulary
Objective: Communicate words without saying them
• Put students into groups of 4/5. One of the students must sit with
their back to the board, the other students facing the board.
• The teacher can draw or put a flashcard on the board (or write a
word). The students have to describe what is on the card to help
the student (with their back to the board) to guess what it is.
http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/travel-guides/231-Top-5-Activities-for-Large-TEFL-Classes
Communicative activities for large
classes

27. 2 (a). Guess Who
English Skills: Speaking
Objective: Form questions and identify a person or thing
•Choose a student leader for the class (or smaller groups)
•Ask the leader to think of a famous person
•Group members have to ask yes/no questions to get information
•When a group member receives a 'yes' to their question, they can ask one
follow up question
•If the answer to a group member's question is no, the next student gets to
ask a question
•The game continues until the students guess who it is
http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/travel-guides/231-Top-5-Activities-for-Large-TEFL-Classes
Communicative activities for large
classes

28. Guess What
English Skills: Speaking
Objective: Form questions and identify a person or thing
The same game can be played as 'Guess What', in which case students
are playing to identify an object, animal, etc (it’s a good idea to start with
an object in the room until students get the hang of it).
You may choose to prepare a handout of possible questions to get things
started and help weaker students. Some possible questions are: ‘Are you
famous?’ ‘Are you a man?’ ‘Are you a woman?’ ‘Are you an actor?’ ‘Are
you a singer?’
** Music can add to the fun and tension of this game. Add recorded sound
effects such as a ticking clock, Jeopardy, etc. to create a better
atmosphere for the game.
http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/travel-guides/231-Top-5-Activities-for-Large-TEFL-Classes
Communicative activities for large
classes

29. 3. I Went to the Market
English Skills: Grammar, Speaking, Vocabulary
Objective: Use memory to reinforce past-tense structure and focus on
correct use of articles
• Divide class into groups; select one group to help demonstrate the rules
• Teacher starts by saying, "I went to the market and I bought an apple."
• Student next to the teacher follows by saying, "I went to the market and I
bought an apple and some eggs."
• The next student continues by saying, "I went to the market and I bought
an apple, some eggs, and a potato."
• Play continues with each student repeating what previous members said
and adding one item to the “shopping list”
Variation: you can change the game to practice all kinds of verb tenses
and vocabulary!
http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/travel-guides/231-Top-5-Activities-for-Large-TEFL-Classes
Communicative activities for large
classes

30. 4. Hold them up!
English Skills: Listening, Reading and Vocabulary
Objective: For students to revise vocabulary.
• Split the class into groups 4/5
• Before the activity, write a different word on a separate piece of paper for
each team (the vocabulary you want students to revise)
• Have one student from each team sit in an allocated chair with the papers
on a desk in front of them or on the floor
• Say one of the vocabulary words on the board (or you could give a
definition for higher levels)
• Students have find the word on the board and hold it up!
• The student to hold it up first gets one point for their team
• Repeat until everyone has had at least one turn
http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/travel-guides/231-Top-5-Activities-for-Large-TEFL-Classes
Communicative activities for large
classes

31. 5. Word Challenge
Number of Students: Teams of 4-10
English Skills: Listening, Speaking, Spelling
Objective: One team says a word and the other tries to spell it
• Have students get into teams of 4-10 people
• One person from each team does rocks, paper, scissors/rolls a dice
• Winner says a word and opponent tries to write the word correctly
• If they get it right, their team gets a point
• If they get it wrong, the person who said the word can write it out for a
point for their team
• Have another person from each team play 'Word Challenge'
• Make an 'arena' in the middle of the class for two students to face off
• Students will start to look up difficult words to stump the other team!
Remember to do a follow-up assignment for new words used such as
teaching the class the meanings and having students make sentences with
the new words.
http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/travel-guides/231-Top-5-Activities-for-Large-TEFL-Classes
Communicative activities for large
classes

32. The scribe will now post a report on the wall
Participants should go and compare reactions with
their own.
Finally, discuss points of agreement and disagreement
together
Communicative activities for large
classes

33. Reflection activities
•Think about how you can apply what you have learnt
today to your training sessions.
•Choose three things you have learnt from this session
about teaching large classes and try to use them with
at least one of your groups.
Communicative activities for large
classes

34. Bibliography
Benwell, T., Teaching Large Classes
Tefl.net, http://edition.tefl.net/ideas/teaching/teaching-
large-classes/
Hess, N. (2001) Teaching Large Multilevel Classes,
Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers.
Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.
http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/travel-
guides/231-Top-5-Activities-for-Large-TEFL-Classes