"Lecturing and loving it"?

It is not novel to hear the terms ‘boring’, ‘useless’ or ‘get rid of them’ from students when they are talking about lectures. Neither is it unusual to hear groans from lecturers when they talk about their lectures. Some lecturers may even feel that they would rather do anything else than lecture. Then there are those who believe students should take centre stage in any learning situation and therefore argue against the lecture method. “For the past two decades, the form of teaching called lecture has been maligned in almost every imaginable educational circle, yet lecturing is still one of the primary modes of teaching …” (Brown, 1987, as cited in Parker, 1993, p. 1). So why are lectures still used as a means to teach? Are they really the relics of educational methods that universities cling to because of budget restraints?

In the article Lecturing and loving it: Applying the information-processing model, Jonathan Parker (1993) argues that “people who vilify lectures are really denigrating bad lectures and that good lectures are still a legitimate and effective means of teaching [italics added]” (p. 1). In his view, lectures are better than most other pedagogical tools to acquaint students with a large body of knowledge and to develop a framework for further investigation. Jonathan Parker is not alone in his view of lecturing. Most of us can remember at least one effective, even brilliant, lecturer. What made them brilliant? What was it about their lectures that set them apart from others? Granted that not everyone can be a natural orator, can effective lecturing be learned?

Since lecturing is a means of public communication, the ability to lecture, like public speaking, can be learned. “However, unlike public speakers, as lecturers we have multiple opportunities to communicate with the same ‘audience’. Thus, we can assess our mistakes, think analytically about our actions, and take steps to improve while teaching the same group of students”. (Teaching Resources Center, n.d., para. 2)

Lecturing, like any teaching method, can be used more effectively and there are a number of sources of information on how to make lectures become more ‘engaging’. Some of the issues and some resources related to effective lecturing are discussed in this edition.

Wouldn’t it feel good to read comments such as “Great lectures! Keep it up,” written in the Student Perceptions of Teaching feedback? Anecdotal comments made by some lecturers in UWA indicate that they generally do receive such rewards for their efforts. Perhaps all lectures may someday not only inform but also inspire students.

• Parker, J.K. (1993). Lecturing and loving it: Applying the information-processing model. The Clearing House, 67(1). Retrieved from http://www.ulm.edu/~rakes/lectureandloveit.pdf.
• Teaching Resources Center, Indiana University (n.d.). Improving lecturing skills: Some insights from speech communication. Retrieved August 30, 2001 from http://www.iub.edu/~teaching/lectskills.html.