Lecture Learning

Unshelved

One of my big criticisms of the college system is the apparent lack of an educational philosophy behind staff selection; just because someone is an expert in their chosen field does not mean they are any good at teaching that subject. I believe all professors should be required to take education classes. I learned a long time ago that lecture is about the least effective instructional method out there, yet that's generally what you get in college. It makes the students passive. As a general rule, people remember very little of what they hear; what they remember most is what they do. So if you want students to learn, have them do something, not just sit and listen.

While most of us aren't in college anymore, I bring this up because I think it's true about adult education also. I can't tell you how many lectures I've listened to in workshops and trainings. Some of them were even about alternative teaching methods, yet the presenters couldn't practice what they preached. It's much harder to come up with active/interactive lessons, but also much more effective.

Universities move away from lecture-style learning

. . . Students often tune out and are turned off. Charismatic lecturers get good reviews but, the data show, are no more effective than others at making the most important concepts stick.

Most remarkably, when it comes to teaching not just “facts” but conveying to students the scientific approach to problem-solving, research shows that students end up thinking less like professionals after completing these classes than when they started.

“In a very real way, you’re doing damage with these courses,” Wieman, now a leading voice for reform, said in a recent interview. . . .