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[drkinbote]

I am teaching a class that in my subspecialty for the first time ever. And, to my dismay, it is tanking. I am getting more and more off balance in this class and would like to figure out how to redirect the class so the rest of the semester goes better.

Here is what I think the problem is:
1. I am usually a very student-centered professor. This semester, I am talking way too much, not listening enough, for lots of reasons (one being, I know way too much about this material, another, discussions are awkward)
2. The material is notoriously difficult.
3. So, because of #1 and #2, students are intimidated, which makes discussions pretty awful.
4. When discussions aren't going well, I get nervous and start talking more.
5. the class should have 15 students in it. It got overbooked. It has 35 students in it.
6. The room has tabled bolted to the ground, making it feel like a stadium, not very conducive to creating a good discussion environment.
7. About 12 of the students are there because they really liked my intro level survey course. I can see them freaking out because this upper-level difficult course is nothing like the intro for majors and non-majors course in content or style. About 1/3 of the students don't have the fundamental skills they need to manage the material.
8. Because I have never taught this before, I am figuring out as I go sometimes what they need to know and when. I spent too much time on some things, not enough time on others.

My instinct tells me to do more group work and to make myself shut up as first steps. But, i am wondering, do I direct the class to the 15 or so people who seem to get it and say to hell with the rest? That is not my style--one of my strengths as a professor has been reaching a pretty broad audience. That doesn't seem to be working here.

I really appreciate any and all advice on this situation.

[zharkov]

You need to re-align the class to the skills/backgrounds of the students you actually have, and to the number of students in a class.  Don't expect them to engage with the material the same way you did in a grad seminar.

I don't know your subject, but if this was a class with readings, then assign (or have a sign up sheet) for students to be discussion leaders for specific questions from the articles or chapters you are using.  Also, browse the postings here for the concept of inverted classrooms, try some of that. 

[eddyman]

I empathize with you.  I've found it harder to teach about my dissertation topic than any other subject I teach about.  The problem for me is that I find it really hard to cut out material: I have to tell them every little aspect of the topic and the debates about the topic.  This level of depth and detail ends up making the class period less coherent or frankly interesting than other classes I teach--and as you say leads me to do most of the talking.  I'm just glad that I don't teach an entire course on the topic! 

I haven't got any particular solutions, as I've yet to fully solve this problem.  But I think you are on the right track by letting go and having the students do more group work.  Zharkov's ideas are also good.

[snowbound]

Maybe you should do some drastic surgery on the syllabus. Cut the readings in half and do a few topics thoroughly and well and with broad class involvement and group presentations, rather than overwhelm them with an overambitious syllabus. 

Don't throw the changes at them unprepared, or they could just get more frustrated. Talk to the class about it. Tell them you recognize they are having more difficulties with the material than you anticipated, and you want to re-organize the class to make it more better for them.  Have them  complete an anonymous detailed questionnaire--not a gripe session, but an honest discussion about the difficulties (and hopefully rewards) on what they've done so far, what worked, what didn't etc.  This will help YOU decide what to do next. I suggest you get input via a questionnaire, rather than a class discussion on the class, because the latter might well turn into a pile-on-to-her session where there is an overwhelming demand for something that you cannot in good conscience agree to.

Do accept though that your overall plan for the class was fatally flawed.  Maybe it would have worked for a smaller class, or a smarter class, or whatever; but it is not working for the class that you have. 

[drkinbote]

Thank you so much for suggestions! Luckily, the rest of the class already has student presentations/discussion leads built in starting this week. That should help. I can't actually change the syllabus due to the nature of the material (it is a lit class with a few very challenging novels remaining, each of which will take us several weeks).

Thanks again!

[gbrown]

drkinbote,
This is a tough one. One way that I get student's voices to be heard in the class when they're not experts in an area is to have students do a "teach back" using these strategies:

• Break up chapters into several sections, assign each section to be read for a class date, and give a "mini-quiz" on that section at the start of the class session to ensure that students have read it.
• Break up the section and write a question (or questions) for every paragraph in that section. These questions can often be answered by simply reading and summarizing the paragraph--or picking out a particular detail. They do NOT ask the students to make inferences or take a stand (yet). (I work with developmental- and freshman-level comp classes.)
• Questions are posted on Blackboard or Moodle. I have the students in the class count off from 1-12, creating 12 teams of students who have not yet worked with eachother. Instructions online indicate that each "team" will answer the question (or questions); often they elect 1 spokesperson and the others want to sit and sleep it off. I let them know that those who do not speak will field questions from students in the class.
• After all teams report, I write several inference questions on the board. Now, students are confident answering these; I often do all-class discussion at this point.
• Last, I hand out blank index cards and tell students to put "the good" (something they learned today) on one side, and the "bad" on the back (something they have a question about -- or something they didn't understand). I use these for discussion the next class period.

Let us know how it goes drkinbote. We've all been there!

[snowbound]

I teach lit. too.  Of course you can change the syllabus!  (Unless there's some obscure rule at your school about rigidly sticking to a syllabus that's not working.)  If there's three remaining novels, drop two,  take the third at a nice leisurely pace and use the extra time to step back and review and clarify and put things in perspective, and maybe study a couple of poems.  Sure, it's a nuisance that students have bought texts that they won't use, but you talk to the class about options:  "I think we should drop Lengthy Novel to allow us more time to really understand xyz.  What do you think about that?  Since you've bought the book already, maybe you'd prefer that we keep it on the syllabus?"  I bet there will be an overwhelming consensus to drop it.    

ON review:  Drkinbote's methods might not work for an upper-level class, which has to move a bit faster that that, but his/her general approach is the sort of thing I'm talking about.  Drkinbote is organizing her class to the students she has, not the students she might like to have, and is focussing on getting students to develop some understanding of the material, rather than having a syllabus that includes all the texts that it ideally "ought" to.