Lectures vs. Discussions
Wednesday July 8, 2009
New teachers are warned against giving lectures all
the time. However, it is important to note that there is a time and a place for a good lecture. With that said, however, most lectures can benefit from the addition of questions leading to a Group Discussion situation. I've written two articles that look at the pros and cons of both lectures and discussions. Hopefully each of these can help you as you make choices for lesson plans throughout the year.
(Whole)Group Discussion is usually touted as better than plain lecture in teacher’s ed courses, but there’s a very big catch: students are proficient in the language used for discussion. I once taught EFL students college-level courses, and in the discussion mode, most wouldn’t participate. However, for some section, I was fortunate enough to get several exchange students from Loyola Marymount, and needless to say, I dove into the discussion mode even though it was primarily discussion among just 2-4 literate students and me in a class of 120! Yes, for profs like me, discussion mode is more interesting.
Nice, balanced view of both types of discussion. To add, I find that hold students accountable for the discussion via a graded discussion technique ups the ante and draws other-wise quiet students into the give-and-take. Details on my class discussion procedures at Group Discussion Techniques