Teaching Toolbox: Interactive Lecturing
by Emily O. Gravett
Popular pieces over the past several years, such as
“Are
College Lectures Unfair?”
and “Lecture Me. Really.”,
have prompted college instructors across the country to revisit what the research says, and what their own experiences tell them, about lecturing as a teaching strategy. In his classic book,
What’s
the Use of Lectures? (2000), Donald Bligh concluded:
·
The lecture is as effective as other methods for transmitting information.
·
Most lectures are not as effective as discussion for promoting thought.
·
Changing attitudes should not normally be the major objective of a lecture.
-
Lectures are relatively ineffective for teaching values associated with subject matter.
-
Lectures are relatively ineffective for inspiring interest in a subject.
-
Lectures are relatively ineffective for personal and social adjustment.
·
Lectures are relatively ineffectively for teaching behavioral skills.
In the oft-cited
“Does
Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research” (2004), however, Michael Prince found that “introducing activity into lectures can significantly improve recall of information
while extensive evidence supports the benefits of student engagement” (226). More recent meta-analyses, such as
Freeman et al. (2014)’s, confirm
the benefits of integrating active learning into the traditional classroom.
Bligh’s own book contains many suggestions for interweaving lectures and other instructional strategies (see, for instance, chapter 18) and
other scholars, such as Cooper, Robinson, and Ball (2006),
have proposed specific activities such as “quick-thinks” to make lectures more interactive. Along these lines, our friends at the
Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at St. Louis University
have prepared a helpful chart of several “Interactive Lecturing Strategies”
(also attached):
·
The feedback lecture
·
The guided lecture
·
The responsive lecture
·
The one-minute paper
·
The pause procedure
·
The lecture quiz
·
Note review/comparison
·
Think/pair/share
Please see the attachment for a brief description of each of these activities, along with their sources. As always, members of the CFI team
would be happy to brainstorm with you about implementing or fine-tuning any of these strategies.
About the author: Emily O. Gravett is Assistant Director of Teaching Programs at the Center for Faculty Innovation and a faculty member in the Philosophy & Religion department.
Some of the material found in this Toolbox email has been adapted from original content she generated during her time at Trinity University. She can be reached at
[log in to unmask].