To Lecture or not to Lecture - PART 3
The Case FOR Lecture: Why Students Need it.
The Case FOR lecture:
So the main arguments against lecture method are that
it promotes passive learning (because the teacher speaks, students listen),
makes students disengaged, and
propagates the image of a teacher as the sage on the stage.
Meaning, the lecture method prevents students from learning actively, while it gives the teacher all the control (or autonomy). Thus this is a traditional approach and is inherently bad, according to a lot of progressivist logic.
Here’s the previous post: The case AGAINST lecture method.
Yeah, it seems like a pretty bad teaching method.
However, despite being infamous, here’s my case FOR the lecture method and why this has its own unique place in teaching and learning. You may want to use it or not use it, but you can’t totally discard it.
1. Expertise and Authority
Lecture method allows students to learn directly from a subject matter expert, providing them with valuable insights and perspectives that may be challenging to obtain through other teaching methods.
Sure, direct experience is a valuable way of learning. However, not everything can be learned through direct experience. We have to rely on the intelligence, expertise, experience, explanations of others as well. That’s why we read books, we watch youtube videos, listen to podcasts.
The lecture method thus capitalizes on the expertise and experience of the teacher, who can share in-depth knowledge, real-world examples, stories, and personal anecdotes that enhance students' understanding of the subject matter. Plus, come up with interesting analogies/metaphors that can help students easily connect abstract concepts with concrete reality.
2. Competence and Credibility:
Through the lecture method, a teacher can demonstrate competence and credibility. As a result, instilling confidence in the students, fostering a sense of trust and respect for the teacher.
The students need to believe in their teacher’s competence, that whether the teacher is able to stand in front of the class, without hesitation or fear, and articulate the information clearly and confidently. And may be with a smile.
This might not be a big of a deal in the primary level of schools, but as the level goes up, students can filter out whether a teacher in competent and confident enough.
Confession: I think in my school days, I didn’t care if the teachers were competent or not. At that age, I wouldn’t even know. I just liked teachers who were friendly and nice looking. I liked an English teacher who sometimes played guitar in the class. The ones I disliked (hated) were the ones who would punish us physically.
But during my undergrad and grad years as a student, I needed to believe that the teacher was competent and confident. Otherwise, I could not be serious in that class.
In one of my pedagogy classes, a professor gave us a presentation on how to be an effective presenter. The problem was, his own delivery was the worst one I have ever attended. Since that day, I lost my confidence in that professor.
I assume it is the same for the majority of the students, that they would prefer competent and credible teachers/professors to the friendly ones.
3. Efficient Delivery of Information:
Teachers can implement this method to provide a structured and efficient way to deliver a large amount of information, especially to a large number of students.
To make the delivery effective, the teacher can present key concepts, theories, and content in a logical sequence. While covering a wide range of material within a limited timeframe.
Because, remember, the teacher is the subject matter expert and thus has more knowledge and experience than the students in that particular subject. Making this a philosophical debate is unproductive.
This is particularly beneficial when the teacher has to convey foundational concept or a comprehensive overview of a subject. This is also helpful while setting a common baseline of understanding, norms and expectations for all students.
(In my first class, I usually plan for a 30 mins of lecture session where I share the above mentioned things. In the following classes, I intertwine short lecture sessions with other approaches whenever I have to give extra input or explanation.)
4. Lecture methods make students comfortable
I wished this was not true at all but the fact of the matter is not every student loves getting engaged in activities or pair works or group interactions. Especially in the beginning classes when no one knows each other that well, and especially when the students believe that they are “introverts”.
Here’s an explanation:
Students sometimes have an initial resistance to “active” learning, which may suggest greater comfort with the familiar lecture style. Such resistance is often related to students’ preference for authoritative rather than discursive instruction (Owens, et al., 2017). 1
One of the most interesting comments/feedback I’ve received from an MBA student is that he joined the college to learn from the experts, not to have discussions with people dumber and less experienced than him. He even made a complain to the admins about my classes being “too much of mental work”, and that I was not teaching enough. I do get his point though.
On a side note, not every classroom setting is physically conducive for group works and even discussion. This is not an excuse, but just a reality. In this context, lecture method can be the only option, in the eyes of many teachers.
To conclude:
Lecture method is a tool. A teaching approach. A teacher can use it with intent, depending on the type of content, learning outcome, level of the students’ knowledge, duration, and the classroom’s physical environment.
Despite being labeled as a traditional method that apparently takes away students’ autonomy, creativity, and motivation, it still has a lot of value and unique place in teaching/learning.
A teacher can intentionally use this method to demonstrate one’s expertise and authority, to build confidence in the students, to deliver information effectively, and to make certain students comfortable in the classroom.
In the fourth and final part of this post, I will share about the “HOW” of effective lecture method and some of the ways teachers can make it effective and learning-centered.
To Lecture or not to Lecture - PART 4
Before you read below, I want you to do something. What can you do in 27 mins? Take a notebook out, and write down about the things you could do or complete in 27 mins. Some of the random things that popped in my mind are: I can prepare breakfast (coffee and scrambled eggs), and gulp them down in 27 mins.
Enjoyed reading it. I liked the example “That’s why we read books, we watch youtube videos, listen to podcasts.”
Well, the effectiveness of teaching methods can vary depending on the topic/subject matter, the age and abilities of the students, and the skills and preferences of the teacher. Every method has pros and cons. A combination of different teaching methods tailored to the specific learning objectives can often yield the best results.