Teaching methods for large student groups at a Chinese university

Abstract

The aim of teaching at tertiary level is to reinforce education by developing effective teaching methods and organizational forms as well as enhancing teacher-student interaction.

The purpose of this article is to share the authors’ experience of applying a contextual teaching approach as one of the main forms of interactive classroom technology within large groups of students at a Chinese university providing pre-service teacher training.

Methodology. The study applied general levels of theory (analysis, synthesis, and comparison) to find the most effective teaching methods for classroom interaction within large student groups, as well as methods of empirical level (supervision and discussion) to understand the characteristics of large student groups in China.

Results. Teaching the course “Teaching Methods of English” at Shangqiu Normal University in China, in 2023/24 academic year required an investigation into the most suitable teaching methods for effective interaction within large student groups (120 students). The decision was made in favour of interactive teaching technology, in particular a contextual teaching model. The reason for the choice was dictated by the necessity to keep such a large number of students motivated and engaged during lessons. Academic learning activity (in the form of interactive, problem-based lecture) and quasi-professional activity (in the form of role-playing, professional simulations and others) became the core of student activities.

Conclusions. The authors’ experience enables us to assert that interactive teaching technology, namely a contextual teaching approach is highly recommended for addressing large student groups.