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Effective Lectures: Introduction

Hurdles to effective lecturing

Hurdle #1: Lecturing may not guarantee student learning.

Dale's Cone diagrams effectiveness of learning according to the media involved in learning experiences. The chart illustrates the results of research conducted by Edgar Dale in the 1960s. According to Dale's research, the least effective method, the top of the cone, involves learning from information presented through verbal symbols, i.e., listening to spoken words. The most effective method, the bottom of the cone, involves direct, purposeful learning experiences, such as hands-on or field experiences.

Hurdle #2: Audiences lose interest fast

“The average student attention span is between ten and twenty minutes. After that, students have difficulty concentrating on the speaker.”- Barbara Gross Davis, Tools for Teaching (2001).

Effective Lectures: Best Practices

If you’re teaching in a large-class setting, it becomes all the more important to know and utilize some recognized best practices for teaching. With no personalization that comes with small classes, you have little margin for error.

1. Maximize clarity and organization.
Announce your daily objectives on the board and make transitions between segments of your lesson explicit.

2. Do not attempt to “cover” all the material, but rather “uncover” what you can.
What use is it to state out loud all the material if no one remembers it? Better to ensure students really learn a smaller chunk.

3. Create a supportive environment.
Memory formation occurs in the limbic system, suggesting a strong link between emotion and learning.

4. Recognize different learning styles.
Students learn differently from each other, and our activities need to account for all these learners.

5. Teach for long-term memory.
Structure assignments, activities, and assessments so that short-term cramming would not help.

6. Integrate higher-level thinking skills into learning.
Target synthesis and evaluation skills, rather than just knowledge or even application, to guarantee a richer learning experience.

7. Use a variety of authentic assessments.
Measure student learning in a way that is true to the nature of the material. Is a test or essay really appropriate to this material?

8. Promote real-world application of the learning.
Student learning is multiplied when they perceive relevance to the material. Often it pays to start with a real-world problem and “work backward” to the concept/formula/etc underlying it.

9. Require students to become “active learners”.
Lecture halls invite student anonymity and passivity, two features which work against learning. Fight both with constant and varied activities, even if it means students working alone in their chairs.

10. Be an engaging speaker, especially if you only lecture.
Learning rests on engagement, which requires attention. All of this is only possible when students can be convinced to pay attention to you in class.

Effective Lectures: Speak Engagingly

It’s not usually the best idea to use lecture exclusively, but if you must do so, try to maximize your effectiveness as an engaging lecturer.

1. Be conversational.
Don’t lecture AT them, just talk WITH them. Don’t simply READ your presentation. If you can approximate the feel of a one-on-one conversation, students will pay much closer attention.

2. Use your voice effectively.
You should vary the speed, the loudness, and the tone of your voice. These variations can be used to great effect to signify important material.

3. Achieve eye contact with ALL parts of the room.
Consider dividing the room up into quadrants and vary where you direct your gaze. If possible, wander the aisles.

4. Come across as enthusiastic and energetic.
Allow your passion for the subject and for teaching to shine through (don’t be dull or routine). A study of effective presentations found these facets important in establishing believability: Verbal (words you say): 7%; Vocal (how you sound when you say them): 38%; Visual (how you look when you say them): 55%.

5. Gauge audience reaction and adjust accordingly.
Bored audiences can be brought back with voice variation and suddenly energetic presentations (see above). But you have to watch your audience to know when it’s time to shift gears. Repeat points as necessary.

6. Use boards effectively.
Write down important material that you want students to write in their own notes. Write legibly (not cursive) and in large font. Do not speak when facing away from the class.

7. Create pictures verbally.
Both visual and auditory learners benefit from a mental image, which enables you to hold attention longer. Or use real pictures.

8. Tell stories.
Students react particularly well to teachers who rely upon their own character and history to illustrate examples from the subject matter. Once boring material now seems relevant and accessible to them.

9. Tailor your style to appeal to this specific audience.
Undergraduates often react more enthusiastically to word problems or examples that use mass culture and pop culture references. Also, pack in as many similes, metaphors, and analogies as you can.

10. Demand involvement from students in their seats.
Problem-solving or brainstorming can occur individually; if possible, build the PowerPoint presentation AROUND these problems rather than vice-versa.

Effective Lectures: Organization

Before Class begins:

1. Organization is critical! Make sure you have a plan for grading student assignments, organizing lectures, holding office hours, etcetera, before the semester begins. Getting behind early is even more difficult to overcome if you teach large classes.
2. Consider the size of the room when constructing assignments or planning assessment: can you conceivably grade 4 pages of math problems per student, with 150 students?
3. Create group assignments that distribute workload and create active learning. Group assignments help to avoid over-lecturing, which can happen in large classrooms.
4. Vary your daily plans; falling into a pattern of “Intro, lecture, quiz” for example, can be monotonous to students.
5. Plan for ways that students can contact you, as they are easily lost among a sea of student faces. Give students options for reaching you.
6. Offer course materials through the library reserve or through a “course packet” that students can either download or purchase at a bookstore.
7. Arrive at class 10 minutes early and stay 10 minutes late. Hold mini office hours. It will save you time later and will improve communication greatly.

During Class:

1. Give students objectives for the day.
2. During lectures and class discussion, move throughout the lecture hall/classroom and make eye contact. Reaching across the aisles to engage students in eye contact will improve their attention span and feel more a part of the lecture or discussion.
3. Be a smart user of technology: don’t overcrowd PowerPoint slides, don’t lecture using technology for more than 15-minute chunks, and be prepared to wing it if technologies fail you.
4. Regularly engage students at the farthest reaches of the room, either to respond to a question or to serve as group leaders for assignments.
5. Speak clearly and project: don’t be afraid to use a microphone. Many rooms have this technology available. Students will tune out if they can’t hear what you have to say.

After Class:

1. Reflect on the experience: were a number of students engaged?
2. Ask yourself, do the students’ performances on the activities, assignments, and assessment suggest they were able to achieve the day’s objectives?
3. Don’t get behind on grading, particularly when teaching large classrooms