Lecture does not have to be boring
Unfortunatley lecture is part of the learning procedure. It is all in the presentation. Instead of looking like a civil war photo all stoic and just spewing cirriculum, walk around, have students get out of there seats and see the examples you are talking about(if possible of course, we teach mechanics) Ask questions, use there answers and questions as a review for the others,don't just answer for them. I take votes to see who feels if the issue is correct. and we talk about both sides of the issue and correct accordingly.
I agree. Students need to be involved throughout lecture. I usually give them the steps for solving math problems, show an example and let them to do ten more examples.
I find that lectures combined with accounts of real life events can serve to keep a students interest and demonstrate the importance of the material being covered.
I personally don't think lecture is "unfortunately" a part of the learning process... I believe it is a necessary, useful, and beneficial part of the learning process. It allows us as instructors to lay a critical foundation of information for our students to build upon. One must always take into account the subject matter and learning environment, of course. It also allows us to reach auditory learners. I try to keep lectures as diverse as possible by integrating diagrams, videos and other visuals, demonstrations/ examples, and also by keeping lectures conversational by asking lots of questions and inviting students to feed off of (and even answer) each others questions. I certainly agree that we, as instructors, should always be walking around the room, keeping our enthusiasm and energy up, engaging students, and keeping the learning environment "fresh" as much as possible.
Frank,
these are great methods to keep the learners engaged & interested.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I mix real life events to the subject matter along with the cirriculum information. Keep that class involved with constant feedback, and oppurtunities for Q and A sessions.
John,
I would agree that we should use as much hands on as possible, but there is always the need to "download" some level of information.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I am 100 percent in favor of hands on; even demonstrations are weak compared to the student doing the task themselves. However, we invariably have to spend some lecture time to prepare them for the lab. Staying animated and enthused, and breaking up the lecture with "war stories" from the field can go a long way towards motivating the students to get into the lab and helping them see the relevance of the task. I try to be a good story teller, working on timing and inflection, and leaving strategic pauses. If the students try to fill the pauses by guessing what happened next, you know that you have them engaged.
Linda,
these are great learning tools for the students.
Dr. Ryan Meers
What I really enjoy doing during a lecture is to draw analogies. For example: I compare visiting a candy store to knowing the parts of an essay. The students always remember the analogies.
Craig,
these are all great ideas that really can help enliven the classroom & aid in the students' learning.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I typically ask students to discuss examples that relate to key topics in the lecture. These examples can be from their workplace, classroom experience, homelife, etc. I also have created several "games" that reinforce the learning of specific subjects. For example, in discussing the topic of related and unrelated diversification in business, I use a game in which I name a series of products/services, and have teams (3-4 members) compete to correctly identify the company that produces the product/service combinations. I award points to successful teams and deduct points for incorrect answers. While no grades are given for the exercise, it has created spirited competition.
albert,
you are so right in what you say & those "ah ha" moments are priceless.
Dr. Ryan Meers
albert,
you are so right in what you say & those "ah ha" moments are priceless.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Lecture must include the discovery. That ah ha moment. This can be achieved by the presentation of a topic for discussion and the parts that encompass the main topic objective. With the help of the students, the instructor can facilitate the learning process with games and interactive group discussion. The groups can then direct their attention centrally to and share what they learned, their point of view. This can create a enhanced environment, robust with ah ha moments and discovery of the diversity of the individuals.
I have to agree with you that by having the students interact and maybe have them role play sometimes works. I like for them to work in groups because I find that this is very useful to the student.
Michael,
I agree that those periodic breaks are very important & being willing to use different pictures, etc in the ppt.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Maribeth,
I agree that lecture is important & we can't neglect the necessity of sometimes "downloading" information. However the clinic or application time is vitally important.
Dr. Ryan Meers
A balance must be sought. We still use a lot of powerpoint, but if used wisely to get through mounds of material, the boredom can be minimized. Use PP as a guiding tool only, we break every 50 minutes (more often would be better). Do not read directly from them, but use many examples and use as a guide or framework. A word of caution, too many examples can also get one off track and not cover material and make lecture or presentation too disjointed. The decision needs to be made and announced (an outline helps) of what will be covered. Make sure you keep it lively with excitement in voice, ask questions to keep students involved, and look at faces to look for recognition (aha moments).
Lecture lays the ground work for the developing skills. I agree that lectures should be kept short. Clinic time is what reenforces the learning objectives of my lectures.
