Instructional Strategies for Large Classes: Baseline Literature and Empirical Study of Primary Schoo

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Instructional Strategies for Large Classes
Baseline Literature and Empirical Study of
Primary School Teachers in Uganda

• Mary Goretti Nakabugo Charles Opolot-Okurut
• A-A Dialogue Reflective Meeting
• Kampala Regency Hotel
• 14-17 November, 2006

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Presentation Overview

• 1. Background
• 2. Methodology
• 3. Findings
• 4. Conclusions
• 5. Way Forward
• 6. Research Team

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1. BACKGROUND

• Part of a Larger Project titled Investigating
  Strategies for Teaching Large Classes for Basic
  Education Support in Uganda.
• As a result of UPE launch in 1997, school
  enrolment figures increased from 2.7 million
  pupils in 1996 to 5.3 million in 1997, and to 7.1
  million in 2005 (MoES, 2005).
• The current official average pupil-to-teacher
  ratio is 511 (Crudely arrived at by dividing
  total pupil enrolment by total teacher population
• The reality, however, is that in many classrooms
  in various schools across the country, there are
  over 70 pupils in one classroom (Nakabugo,
  In-press, OSullivan, 2006)
• The focus of this research was on class size i.e.
  the number of children a given teacher was
  responsible for in a given classroom setting,
  rather than on Pupil Teacher Ratio.

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Governments Response

• provision of essential inputs such as trained
  teachers, classrooms, furniture and essential
  textbooks.
• Prior to UPE, there were 81,564 primary school
  teachers on government payroll. To-date, the
  number of teachers on payroll is 129,000.
• The current number of primary school classrooms
  stands at 82,165, as apposed to 45,000 classrooms
  before UPE.
• The pupil textbook ratios have improved from 81
  in 2000 to 31, and 11 in some schools in 2005
  (MoES, 2005).

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Justification for the Research

• Quality cannot only be judged by the number of
  inputs into the system, but also, and most
  importantly, by how the inputs are utilised in
  the classrooms of varying characteristics to
  enhance learning.
• How teachers manage teaching and learning in
  large classes remains elusive.
• Hence need for research into the process of
  teaching and learning at the classroom level

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The Research Focus

• Large classes do not necessarily mean poor
  quality education (Gibbs et al, 1997 Maged 1997
  Johnson 1998 Baker Westrup 2000 MacGregor,
  et. al. 2000).
• What matters most is the capacity to create a
  culture for organising large classes in such a
  manner that learning can be successfully
  mediated.

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The Research Focus (Cont.)

• Our research therefore focuses on investigating
  possible instructional strategies suited and/or
  with potential to enhance teaching and learning
  in large classes.
• We conceptualise effective teaching and learning
  as that situated within a social constructivist
  framework (Cole and Wertsch 2003, Oldfather,
  et.al. 1999, Selly 1999)

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Research Objectives

• 1. To Investigate, through literature review,
  issues relating to the teaching of large classes,
  with a specific focus on those providing
  practical teaching suggestions and examples of
  good practice.
• 2. To Identify issues emerging in the teaching
  of large classes in Uganda, the strategies that
  teachers have developed over time to deal with
  the situation, and the institutional responses to
  the challenges.
• 3. To Implement an action strategy in which
  teachers reflect on their practice, share with
  one another, and try out new strategies with a
  view to enhancing teaching and learning in their
  large classrooms.
• To Disseminate identified good practice to the
  wider circles through targeted workshops.
• Note The Current phase focused on the first two
  objectives.

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2. METHODOLOGY

• Research Design Study Subjects
• This was basically a baseline study to form basis
  for the action research phase.
• The literature survey used a content analysis
  method, while the empirical study utilised a
  descriptive survey design which enabled
  generation of quantifiable and qualitative data.
• Using EMIS data, it was possible to select 20
  schools with varying characteristics.
• Central Unit of analysis was the teacher
  although stakeholders such as the school
  administration and learners were also
  interviewed.
• In each school 1 teacher of Math 1 teacher of
  English (a total of 40 teachers in all) at P.3
  level were selected

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Research Design Study Subjects (Cont.)

• Nearly all 40 teachers had class sizes ranging
  from 70 to 130 learners
• Target was to observe 4 lessons of each teacher
  (a total of 160 lessons) during the 5-month
  period (April-August 2006)
• The data presented herein is based on literature
  review and interviews conducted with 35 teachers,
  60 learners, 20 school administrators and 100
  lesson observations (on average, each teacher was
  observed at least twice)

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Teacher Characteristics at a Glance

• 31 (86) females and 4 (14) males
• All professionally trained 2 bachelors degree
  holders (5), 17 diploma holders (49) and 16
  Grade III certificate holders (46).
• Seventeen teachers taught English while 18 were
  mathematics teachers.
• Apart from two teachers (6) in one school who
  had a class of 61 learners (their class of 122
  children had been streamed prior to commencement
  of the study), the rest of the teachers taught
  classes ranging between 70-80 learners (one
  teacher 3) 81-90 learners (five teachers
  14) 91-100 learners (seven teachers 20)
  101-110 learners (9 teachers 26) 111-120 (6
  teachers 17) and 121-130 learners (five
  teachers 14). The
• The majority of the teachers taught in schools
  that were either located in the urban (12
  teachers 34) or peri-urban (16 teachers
  46). Only seven teachers (20) taught in schools
  located in rural areas.

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• Instruments
• Interview schedule for teachers The teachers
  interview schedule focused on probing their
  experiences of teaching large classes, and how
  they went about teaching them.
• Interview schedule for school administrators to
  document institutional responses
• Lesson Observation protocol A structured lesson
  observation template that enabled the capturing
  of information on the teachers type of teaching,
  how teachers managed the classroom, what type of
  resources were used in the teaching and how the
  prevailing classroom atmosphere and learner
  participation and engagement in the lesson was
  used.

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• Data Analysis
• Empirical Data was analysed using the constant
  comparative method (Glaser Strauss1967) and in
  some instances descriptive statistics
• Literature review utilised content analysis

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3. FINDINGS

• What Practical Suggestions Are Available in the
  Literature for Teaching and Learning in Large
  Classes?

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Table 1 Teaching-Stance and Suggested Activities
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Alternative approaches to handling large classes

• Peer Tutoring
• The basic principle of this method consists in
  reciprocal instruction, the pupils teaching one
  another and the more able among them acting as
  teachers for those who are less able, while the
  pupils who are acting as teachers instruct
  themselves as they teach (Valerien, 1991, p.
  36),

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Alternative approaches contd

• 2. Issues Acquiescent for Change
• (1) Teaching methodology,
• (2) the teaching aids,
• (3) the pupil-teacher ratios,
• (4) the use of school premises,
• (5) the use of time,
• (6) the relations with the education authorities,
  
• (7) the improved utilisation of resources of the
  immediate environment,
• (8) the introduction of certain practices
  borrowed from the non-formal education,
• (9) the search for outside national and foreign
  aid,
• (10) the assessments, tests and examinations, and
  
• (11) the in-service teachers training.

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What Instructional Strategies have Ugandan
Teachers Adopted to Promote Learning in Large
Classes?

• Some strategies identified had pedagogical merit
  and potential to facilitate learning in large
  classes.
• Other strategies were of limited pedagogical
  merit

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Strategies with Potential

• - Group work
• - Team Teaching
• - Attracting Learners Attention
• - School-Based Staff Development

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Strategies with Minimal Potential to Promote
Learning

• - Lesson Duration
• Daily Homework
• Little Classroom Exercises Given to Reduce
  Marking Burden
• Increased Number of Exercise Books
• Extended School Opening and Closing Time

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4. CONCLUSIONS

• Some of the strategies developed have great
  potential to facilitate teaching and learning in
  large classes if well nurtured.
• As teachers grapple with the large class problem,
  there is need to shift focus from content
  coverage to quality and quantity of what is
  covered.
• Teachers were pressurized to cover as much
  content as possible (breadth as opposed to
  depth).
• What is required now is cultivating strategies
  that ensure not only broader coverage of content,
  but are also capable of promoting deeper
  understanding and application of what is covered.

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5. WAY FORWARD

• Developing some of the potentially identified
  good strategies in 4 pilot schools through
  reflective practice/action research/lesson study
  to create models against which other teachers
  can observe and reflect on their own practice.
• Note In this phase we will collaborate with our
  Naruto University counterparts with extensive
  experience in action research

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Way Forward (Cont.)

• How to measure the impact of the piloted
  strategies in enhancing teaching and learning in
  a large class?
• Students performance Pre- and Post-achievement
  test Need to develop the tests
• Teachers self-assessment Need to develop the
  assessment tool
• Content analysis of teachers journal/free
  description of their lesson experience.

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7. RESEARCH TEAM

• Mary Goretti Nakabugo (Team Leader)
• John S. Maani (KYU)
• Albert Byamugisha (MoES)
• C.S. Masembe (Dean, Educ. Mak)
• E.L. Gumisiriza (Dean, Educ. KYU)
• Charles Opolot-Okurut (Mak.)
• David H. Ngobi (Mak.)
• Robinah Mbaga (KYU)
• Christine Alupo (KYU)
• Ruth Ndawula (Mengo P.S.)
• Deogratius Bbosa (Mugongo P.S.)
• Rose Bisikwa (Shimon PTC)
• Julius Tukesiga (MoES)