Lecturing as an instructional method is one of the most popular methods, but is involves a lot to be most effective. The responsibility is entirely on the instructor to make sure they are presenting the most relatable material in a timely manner, speaking coherently, moving around, allowing the asking of questions, and the taking every experience and improving their lecture style. Lecture is not necessary or possible with every lesson that needs to be taught, so instructors need to be aware of the limitations of lecturing. A lecture provides a lot information in a short amount of time that needs to be recalled later and allows the student to learn from an “expert” on the topic. The student needs to be able to hear, see, and understand the instructor in order for this to work. Adjusting the classroom seating, getting a better classroom, using visuals or sound can all assist in improving the presentation of the lecture. Planning the lecture before the class is essential for its success. Knowing your time and what could be adapted if that changes can help the instructor be more in the moment during the lecture to appear more comfortable. Since a lecture is typically done with more students, it is important that interaction is still involved through an activity, questions, feedback, or just breaking up the heavy material with a visual. A lecture is only as useful as the preparation that is put into it.
Application:For an intro course, a lecture could be useful when doing a lesson learning styles and study strategies. The students are most likely unfamiliar with these to extent I would like them to know, and I want them to learn from a trusted source, since it is so up in the air currently. The lecture would be visual and auditory, since I would have slides with visuals on it as well as I would be going through the slides. I would most likely have had them do the VARK inventory before coming to class, so they would have an idea, but not be an expert on the subject. The lecture would allow me to present the information to the students in a succinct manner, allowing for questions throughout or after and giving them a chance to absorb their assignment.
Assessment: Discussion (Galbraith, 2004 pp. 209-226)I would most likely do a discussion or reflection activity as the formative assessment, so that they would be able to apply what I had just taught and fully understand the purpose of learning about their own learning style. The discussion would take preparation to formulate questions and then the implementation would take a chunk of class time, but the information I would get about their learning would be worth the extra time.