Amazing

Our current director said yesterday that he believed that "lecturing is one of the most ineffective methods of learning and teaching." And he said it in a manner that was truly engaging.  I think that is current dogma, and the way it's being done here, I would agree. The problem is that is CAN be a very effective method of learning if done properly. And unfortunately that takes, time, preparation, understanding of visual technologies, engagement and talent. I see very little of that here.

A good lecture is focused on the lecturer. The lights are up and the slide show merely augments what the speaker is saying. The primary visual aid should be the lecturer him- or her-self – the effective lecturer is a "player" and presenting the "role" of the content. It is a social interaction between the audience and the speaker to engage both in a give and take process so that encoding can take place in the learner's brain.

This unfortunately requires a very deliberate process of preparation on the part of the professor, and a real commitment to the process. It requires they know the subject matter well enough, and are not afraid of engagement with the student. It requires attention to visual aids that enhance and augment what is being said. It requires paying attention to the syllabus, the required text and the state of the art in learning technologies.

When teachers treat teaching in a professional manner (and that doesn't have to translate into dry, humorless or cold hearted) magical things can happen...and do. But when they treat it as a retirement gig in the Caribe, its laborious for them, and for the students...and very little learning takes place. Those who know, teach...

Why is it that as you move up the ladder from preschool to graduate school that teaching skills and professional approach to teaching seem to decrease exponentially?