Module 9: Teaching Large or Resource-Limited Classes
- Use peer-assisted and group structures to multiply teacher reach
- Adapt lessons when materials, textbooks, or technology are limited
- Prioritize the highest-impact practices when time and resources are constrained
With large classes -- common across much of Africa's public education systems, sometimes exceeding 50 students per teacher -- individual attention to every student is not possible, so the highest-leverage techniques shift toward structures that multiply the teacher's reach: peer tutoring pairs, small fixed groups with a student leader, and choral or paired response so more students answer every question instead of one at a time. When materials are scarce, a chalkboard, a single shared textbook, or even oral recitation and call-and-response can deliver the same core objective as an expensive resource -- the learning objective and the feedback loop matter more than the medium. Teachers in constrained settings get the most value from doubling down on the few highest-impact practices covered earlier in this course: clear objectives, frequent formative checks, and consistent routines, since these cost nothing beyond planning time.
1. When textbooks or technology are scarce, the most important thing to preserve is:
2. In a very large class, which technique most effectively multiplies a teacher's reach?