Jane David HIAD 7541 Issues and Trends in Teaching Adults Dr. Philip Gould June 21, 2010

 Lecturing is the use of extended and formal explanations in the presentation of information to listeners. It is often called the “traditional” teaching method. Lecturing is one of the oldest methods of classroom teaching. Inherited from German universities’ methods the American origin of lecturing dates back to the mid-1800’s. Davis, J. (1993) Better Teaching, More Learning.

 Lecturing has historically been and continues to be the most prevalent teaching method used in teaching adults. Studies show that lecturing is the instructional method used in over 80% of undergraduate courses. Lecturing is most common with new instructors. Studies show that students only recall 40% of lectured information and the majority of this is from the first 10 minutes of the lecture. Lecturing has been proven to be equally effective to other methods in the delivery of information. Filene, P. (2005) The Joy of Teaching.

 Allows for face-to-face contact with students  Accommodates any class size or infrastructure, i.e. is cost efficient  Adaptive for presenting theoretical knowledge that is not available to students otherwise or that requires clarification or explanation  Allows for the addition of the instructor’s personal viewpoint  Is easily reproducible with subsequent presentations  Supports students who are not self-directed in their learning Johnson, G.R. (1995) First Steps to Excellence in Teaching.

 The limited attention spans of students  Does not address individual students’ needs  Limited interactivity between students and between students and the teacher  Poor student recall of information  Unique presentation skills required of the instructor, i.e. expressivity, confidence

James R. Davis Davis, J.R. (1993) Better Teaching, More Learning.

 Determine the learning objectives.  Decide on one major topic for the lecture if possible. Divide into subdivisions of 10 – 15 minutes intervals “Underbudget” content for sake of pausing time, discussion, and questions  Plan an introduction that frames the lecture, transitions from the previous material, and offers an attention grabber for the new material (the “hook”). Nilson, L.B. (2003) Teaching At Its Best

 Plan to support the body of the lecture with an organizational outline, visuals, demonstrations, handouts, and/or examples. The use of presentation software is preferred by students  PowerPoint “overload” is a growing complaint today by students due to wordy, fast paced presentations Handouts should assist and promote note taking. Visuals can include pictures, videos, or Web-based add-ins (always test Web links before hand).

 Plan for a conclusion (2 – 5 minutes) that provides a recap of the important points covered and that involves the students. Questions and answers “One minute paper” or some other type of classroom assessment technique (CAT)  Prepare lecture notes into primarily concepts and phrases, transitions, and directions.

 Be knowledgeable about the content  Be prepared with regard to the topic  Establish rapport and interact with the students  Demonstrate enthusiasm and energy  Use good delivery skills Speak clearly and loudly Make eye contact Move around  Provide students with note taking advice  Do not duplicate the text  Include research evidence and personal thoughts  Consider students’ various learning styles and learning levels

 Continued technological advancements Podcasting Virtual lecturing  Larger class sizes  Active learning initiatives in higher education  Student cultural diversity

 Bligh, D. (2000). What's the use of lectures? [1st edition]. Retrieved from Web 20 June  Davis, J. (1993). Lecturing and explaining. More Teaching, More Learning (pp ). Phoenix, AR: The Oryx Press.  Filene, P. (2005). Lecturing. The Joy of Teaching (pp ). Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press.  Johnson, G. (1995). How to lecture more effectively. First Steps to Excellence in College Teaching (pp ). Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing.  Lang, J. (2006). Beyond Lecturing. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(6). Gale Group. Web 17 June  Nantz, K., & Lundgren, T. (1998). Lecturing with technology. College Teaching, 46(2), Gale Group. Web 17 June  Nilson, L. (2003). Making the lecture a learning experience. Teaching At Its Best (pp ). Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Co.  Yilmazel-Sahin, Y. (2009). A Comparison of graduate and undergraduate teacher education students' perceptions of their instructors' use of "microsoft powerpoint". Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 18(3), Eric. Web 17 June 2010.