Lectures

Lecturing Creatively, Stephen D. Brookfield The Skillful Teacher

I thoroughly enjoyed chapter six in Stephen D. Brookfield’s must read book The Skillful Teacher (2015). In the past, I have spent considerable time researching the future of lecturing. Is it dead or dying? Where is it headed? Research has told me somewhat of a mixed bag; some think lecturing is dead, while some of us think it is simply evolving. Personally, I think lecturing is heading into new territory, a thought echoed by Brookfield in his book. According to Brookfield (2015) there are five common reasons why lectures are considered valuable:

1)   To establish the broad outline of a body of material.

2)   To explain, with frequent examples, concepts that learners struggle to understand.

3)   To introduce alternative perspectives and interpretations.

4)   To model intellectual attitudes and behaviors you.

5)   To encourage learner’s interest in a topic. (p.71-72).

I feel these five reasons are a good general outline of the importance of lecturing in the classroom. Some things simply cannot be communicated effectively without verbal communication.  Today thanks to things like technology and educators with a great awareness of the diverse learners in their classrooms lectures are receiving a new look. More and more, we understand how to appeal to all types of learning styles. I personally find lecturing an excellent time to share stories and experiences from my 24 years in the field. Many of my students have told me they love hearing my experiences from the real world and they have enjoyed the scenarios of have acted out. I believe lectures can create the relevance of learning the course material. However it can easily create the reverse effect and bore today’s student.  Lecture’s to today must be engaging, contain multiple modalities, and be very related to the outcomes of the course.  I believe being creative and constantly changing up lecture content and delivery keeps it worthwhile for all. As an instructor I could not stand to do the same lecture the same way every time and I certainly feel my students would agree.  My personal goal is to keep my lectures in a constant state of creative evolution so I can facilitate learning and keep my learners engaged. Wish me luck!

References

Brookfield, S. (2015). The skillful teacher: on technique, trust, and responsiveness in the classroom (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers