MR. D'S NOTES ON TEACHING
Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D.
COPYRIGHT 2001

Chapter 11

LECTURE method of teaching is described by Webster as "formal discourse delivered for instruction"

You may have not thought about it but likely hear a lecture every day of your life in one form or another. Sermons, car salesmen, doctor telling you what to do, television newscasts, etc.

You must admit that many of these are quite effective in communicating information.

VALUES of the lecture method

1. You can present more material in a given period of time with this method.

2. Your material can be highly organized for delivery as opposed to the discussion methods where your itinerary may vary with the responses.

3. Be sure you have no interruptions which take away from your delivery time.

4. You do not have to field questions which you may or may not have time to answer - or that you do not know how to answer.

5. It allows you to give information which the student might not have access to otherwise.

6. It is a very good method for large groups.

7. It allows the teacher complete control of the teaching session.

8. It allows the teacher to direct the session in any direction that he/she wishes - just information or devotional - etc.

9. It is the easiest method to use for most people.

10. It allows the teacher the most security emotionally. They are in total control and there is little chance of that position changing.

11. The lecture is good for setting down a principle or concept and then proving or showing the thinking behind it.

DRAWBACKS to the lecture method.

The lecture can be very beneficial to the student or it may be very detrimental. A dry lecture can do serious damage to the listeners listening ability. The student subjected to poor lecture procedures over a prolonged period of time will ultimately be conditioned to a state of comma.

1. It quite often is boring plus a bunch!

2. There is little if any audience participation.

3. There is little possibility of the teacher knowing the audience's reaction to his information.

4. There is little initiative on the part of the student to get involved in the information. The only possible reason would be tests and grades.

5. It allows for no difference of opinion. This is very frustrating for the student at times. (Very secure for the teacher however!)

6. It requires a great ability at speaking and lesson preparation to continually bring good - interesting studies.

7. For a teacher in a classroom that teaches the same material over and over there will be a tendency toward boredom on his part as well. This is not good for the teacher nor for the pupil.

8. You must be sure to give time for the student to take down notes if it is a test/grade situation. You may have to repeat long quotes several times so that everyone is able to get them down.

9. There is less of a relationship built between the teacher and the student. This tends to limit the amount of learning. The student that likes and is interested in his teacher will be more attentive and will be able to follow his line of thinking quicker and easier than if there is no relationship.

HOW TO DECIDE WHETHER TO LECTURE OR TO USE SOME OTHER METHOD

If there is a wealth of facts or material, or if the information is of a Biblical or technical in nature then lecture would be a good method. Another consideration is the amount of time you have versus the content.

You can't, for example, explain effectively the charge path of a capacitor in a transistor circuit with the discussion method.

If your audience is large and/or likely to reject your line of thought then again, the lecture method might be the better choice.

In a contemporary theology class we had men come to present their views - which they knew we disagreed with. Not one of them used the discussion method. Each chose to lecture and leave! Some did allow questions.

If you know the audience is not the discussion type group then humor them with a lecture. We spoke several times to a church in central Oregon. After several times of falling flat on my face trying to get a discussion going I resorted to one discussion and two lecture sessions on Sundays. After several sessions I was able to get a fair discussion going but nothing fantastic.

If you are just plain chicken then opt for the easier method. At times you will have an audience that will be very hard to face with a discussion.

I taught sessions in a church on the West Coast where there were Christian College leaders, several faculty members, a doctor, and other professionals. You can bet your bottom dollar I considered the lecture method. I did opt for discussion but I'm here to tell you I was nervous plus nervous, and even a little nervous!

PREPARATION FOR THE METHOD

1. Prepare your information well. Set an outline. Work from what they know to what they don't know and teach them. Let them know exactly where you are going so they can catch up if they get behind.

2. Be very organized. Have an outline and follow it in your presentation.

3. Set a goal or aim for each session and then prepare toward that aim or goal only. Concentrate on that goal. It is good to share this goal with your audience in your introductory remarks.

4. Use illustrations as often as possible.

5. Use visuals or at least handouts as much as possible to help the students retain what they are hearing.

The Socony-Vacuum studies reveal that:

In the lecture only method a student remembers 70% of what he hears three hours after he hears it. In three days the retention is only 10%. With the use of visuals the retention at three hours rises to 85%. The retention after three days however is at 65%!

LET'S USE VISUALS WITH THE LECTURE METHOD.

Further facts that may interest you from these tests. People learn 1% from taste, 1 ½% from touch, 3 ½% from smell, 11% from hearing, and 83% from sight. People remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 50% of what they see and hear, 70% of what they say as they talk, and 90% of what they say as they do something.

6. If you feel comfortable doing it, a question answer session at the end will help to cut down on the disadvantages.

7. Keep the lecture time as short as possible.

8. Most experts say you should use the lecture only with other methods and as little as possible. This may be true in Sunday school yet not necessarily in the classroom situation.

9. If you use the material over and over as in a school situation be sure to go over the material each time and update it to the present. New illustrations - comments that would date the material - etc.

10. Use of reproduced notes or outlines can increase the amount of information that you cover in a lecture.

11. Stress must be placed on the organization of the materials. If the lecturer is not clear in his own mind where he is going the student will certainly never get there.

12. Practice before you present the lesson. Go over the material several times so that you can easily find your place if you step away from your notes for a moment.

13. You might tape the session before you use it to see how you sound and whether you are communicating the information the way that you want. Video taping would be excellent if you have the equipment available.

14. Use language that the students will understand. They must know the words that you use to know what you are saying. You must realize that most people do not enjoy reading dictionaries like you do!

Use words that are modern and up to date. Example: If I were to say I wanted to get a Yul Bryner what would I mean? How about if I wanted to get a Kojak? Both of these men had shaved heads, but many young people would have no idea what I was talking about.

If you are in a foreign country or cultural group you might do well to have someone go over your material to see if there are any terms that you are going to use that will cause conflict or humor at an unwanted moment.

For example if you were to speak to some European immigrants and tell something like the following you might well get embarrassed! I had forgotten my handkerchief so I blew my nose on the napkin that was on the table. You see the napkin in many European countries is what we call a diaper.

15. Vary your method of delivery as much as possible. You might read portions of your lecture. You might have students read printed portions either silently or have one do it out loud.

Have the students verbalize what you've said in some way to someone else in the audience.

You might possibly use tapes that deal with your subject as a part of the session.

CONCLUSION

The lecture method is very effective if used properly.

It is very good over a long period of time if the lecturer is well prepared and illustrated.

Use this method wisely!