The Lecture as We Know it is Dead (or Let's include everyone - even zombies)
Have you ever sat in a classroom/lecture theatre/Professional Development
session and felt like you weren't part of the group? Maybe you were struggling
to keep up with the content. This can happen for a number of reasons. I
recently returned to the secondary setting and found myself overwhelmed and
confused during a meeting, frantically taking notes but not really understanding
the terminology. Teachers use a lot of acronyms. Not understanding what they
mean can be alienating.
This is how students often feel, especially those who have been left behind by the system due to cultural differences and special needs. Sometimes they can even struggle because they weren't taught one of the building blocks needed for further success. Unfortunately the traditional high school system doesn't cater very well to these students (even less so with recent cuts) so they lose motivation and self-esteem. In higher education students a system which relies heavily on lecture style teaching can make learning more difficult for some students too. These students, as Meyers and Jones (1993) explain, switch off during lectures and become disengaged. They benefit from a mix of lecture and active learning, which encourages collaboration and allows for deeper interrogation of concepts at an individual pace.
As a teacher in a hard to staff school I have had many struggling students in my classroom and looked for ways to engage them and help them improve their abilities. I think I've just found a new way! Using Zombies! No, not really, the show is Adult Rated, but there is room for using technology to incorporate popular culture in the class room. As the link below shows, even universities are now providing on-line learning which is learner-centred in that it appeals to their interest and builds learning around it. The focus is off the traditional text and on a contemporary one, but academic rigour is still required to pass the course. This means that prior learning is recognized as important and used as the platform from which further learning is achieved. This is motivational and means that students can have a common ground (knowledge and interest in the text) as the initial basis for other shared learning, including that which takes place during discussion forums.
Click on photo for more information.
Discussion forums can also be "rich in means of organizing such strategies and tactics" (Mokoena, 2013 p 2) that make learning easier for students with special needs. As Mokoena points out, the provision of clear directions, feedback and expectations can keep students organized and motivated. These forums can also be beneficial for students with language differences in that they provide time to interpret information before responding, and this can include the use of software translation tools such as Google Translate and Babelfish.
So, I believe ICT can be used to support learner-centred teaching, to support the understanding of material delivered in on-line and in-class lectures. It can also provide content that ranges from ABC to Z for Zombie!
I'm not convinced that it's time to get rid of the lecture all together, but I do believe that the lecture alone is a killer for some students. It doesn't cater to difference or provide the opportunity for problem solving. If you'd like to read more about the death of the lecture click below.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/10/04/midday2
Mokoena, S. (2013). Engagement with and participation in online discussion forums. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, April 2013. v12, I2.
Seale, J. (2004). ICT and Special Education Needs. British Journal of Education Technology, V35, pp 750-751.
This is how students often feel, especially those who have been left behind by the system due to cultural differences and special needs. Sometimes they can even struggle because they weren't taught one of the building blocks needed for further success. Unfortunately the traditional high school system doesn't cater very well to these students (even less so with recent cuts) so they lose motivation and self-esteem. In higher education students a system which relies heavily on lecture style teaching can make learning more difficult for some students too. These students, as Meyers and Jones (1993) explain, switch off during lectures and become disengaged. They benefit from a mix of lecture and active learning, which encourages collaboration and allows for deeper interrogation of concepts at an individual pace.
As a teacher in a hard to staff school I have had many struggling students in my classroom and looked for ways to engage them and help them improve their abilities. I think I've just found a new way! Using Zombies! No, not really, the show is Adult Rated, but there is room for using technology to incorporate popular culture in the class room. As the link below shows, even universities are now providing on-line learning which is learner-centred in that it appeals to their interest and builds learning around it. The focus is off the traditional text and on a contemporary one, but academic rigour is still required to pass the course. This means that prior learning is recognized as important and used as the platform from which further learning is achieved. This is motivational and means that students can have a common ground (knowledge and interest in the text) as the initial basis for other shared learning, including that which takes place during discussion forums.
Click on photo for more information.
A university course will be
based on TV show the Walking Dead
Can zombies be the stuff of
serious academic study? And could they be shuffling towards a new type of future
for higher education?
But technology can also be used to facilitate learning for students with
special needs. It can provide a contrast to the one-directional lecture and/or
be used to involve and engage students. As Jane Seale (2004) explains, "IT
plays a fundamental role in enabling pupils to have control over their own means
of communication and record work independently." This means that students can
work at their own pace rather than having to try to keep up with the teaching
schedule only to fall further behind. For example, students with language
difficulties can work on programs such as ABC Reading Eggs which comprises
reading levels which students reach as they progress. It is difficult for a
classroom teacher to teach to the many different levels, so this is important
for individual success. It encourages the learner to keep learning. Virtual
Environments can also help students with special needs in that they can be
visually and intellectually stimulating because they can engage students in
something that seems like a game but is skill building. Discussion forums can also be "rich in means of organizing such strategies and tactics" (Mokoena, 2013 p 2) that make learning easier for students with special needs. As Mokoena points out, the provision of clear directions, feedback and expectations can keep students organized and motivated. These forums can also be beneficial for students with language differences in that they provide time to interpret information before responding, and this can include the use of software translation tools such as Google Translate and Babelfish.
So, I believe ICT can be used to support learner-centred teaching, to support the understanding of material delivered in on-line and in-class lectures. It can also provide content that ranges from ABC to Z for Zombie!
I'm not convinced that it's time to get rid of the lecture all together, but I do believe that the lecture alone is a killer for some students. It doesn't cater to difference or provide the opportunity for problem solving. If you'd like to read more about the death of the lecture click below.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/10/04/midday2
Mokoena, S. (2013). Engagement with and participation in online discussion forums. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, April 2013. v12, I2.
Seale, J. (2004). ICT and Special Education Needs. British Journal of Education Technology, V35, pp 750-751.
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