Week 4 Reflections on The Lecture

Lecture Theatre

Ian Barbour, “Lecture Theatre” January 8, 2014 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution

 

While lecturing is not my preferred teaching method, on occasion I do find it a necessary skill to have in the classroom and as a professional. And while it is not my preferred style of delivering content I do think it is an important skill to have. Some of my personal thoughts on lecturing are:

Advantages

  • easy- easy to prepare, deliver (mostly…)
  • comfortable- everyone has attended and can imitate a lecture
  • control- I have control over the direction of the content and the class

Disadvantages

  • boring- no one likes a boring lecture
  • limits active learning- in general it limits active learning, but hopefully through this course you can learn ways to “spice up” the lecture
  • limits what you can do in the class
  • lacks a “fun” factor

I have attended some amazing lectures. Ones where there was even little to no audience interaction and participation. These people are truly skilled in the art of lecture and I’m guessing that some of them have worked hard at perfecting their techniques. I also enjoy watching Ted Talks. These lectures are genuinely engaging, short, and interesting-even when I am just watching them on-line after the fact. If you’re interested in viewing them head here: http://www.ted.com/talks. I wish every lecture I gave, or have listened to in my career were as good as some of these Ted Talks. If you feel you tend towards a boring lecturer, never fear! There are strategies and techniques you can use to enhance your lectures. We will spend two weeks and even a little more discussing some of these techniques.

Students Blog Post #3: For Blog Post #3 I want you to reflect on the best lecture you’ve ever heard. It could have been in an undergraduate instructor, a CE presenter, etc. I want you to pick an experience where you were physically in the audience, not just watching the lecture on-line. Please describe the lecture, the setting, the topic and then tell us why it was so good. Remember to use course material to support your writing and follow the rubric posted on Carmen. Don’t forget to add your own opinions and conclusions.

Week 2: Innovative Teaching

The title of one of our texts and many of the themes in this course deal with innovative teaching. We all may have different ideas of what an innovative classroom might look like and that is just fine! Each teacher creates innovative environments that complement their skills, styles and fields.

The readings from the second week are about creating an innovative classroom. These are some of the highlights I found while reading  Chapter 4:

  • Healthcare educators…..need to be knowledgeable about changes in practice and technology in both fields.
  • Health professions classrooms are also more culturally diverse than before.
  • Innovative teaching strategies can range from simple to complex.
  • Students will remember more if they can make their own discovery.
  • The Process of Innovation
  • Innovative teaching strategies must be based on both learning objectives and student learning needs.

I think an innovative classroom can look very different depending on the instructor, students, course content, and objectives. For Week 2: I’d like you to think about what an innovative classroom means to you. In your blog post please write about what an innovative classrooms means or looks like to you as an educator. Don’t forget to review the rubric for blog posts before you begin. I’m looking forward to reading what innovative means to you.